Will Chip and Joanna Gaines’ New Project Make This Place Famous, Too?

Will Chip and Joanna Gaines’ New Project Make This Place Famous, Too?

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Chip and Joanna Gaines made their hometown of Waco, TX, famous on their hit show “Fixer Upper.” But Grand Rapids, MI, may be next, given the Gaineses’ Magnolia Network has launched a new show here called “The Established Home.”

On the show, designer Jean Stoffer renovates homes in the area with timeless, English-inspired style. And in the latest episode, “Grace’s House,” Stoffer helps her daughter (and design assistant) Grace Start make over parts of her house—and, in the process, realizes she may have someone who can carry on the family business one day!

Together, this mother and daughter renovate the mudroom, bathroom, and bedroom with some smart, budget-friendly upgrades. Here’s how they pull it off, with plenty of before-and-after photos that might inspire you to switch things up around your own place, too.

Every mudroom needs smart shoe storage

Grace and her husband, Ted Start, have been in the process of renovating their home and have done a great job on their kitchen and living room. But now, they’re turning their attention to an awkward L-shaped addition they hope to turn into a dual laundry and mudroom.

“My challenge is to take the high design and bring it down to a level that Ted and I can afford, while also having some really interesting design elements,” Grace says.

Grace chooses a dark green color for this room, paired with a simple, white porcelain floor tile. The look is dramatic and cozy, but Grace knows her moody mudroom won’t be complete without some storage space.

She adds a Wellington boot rack—a peg rail that holds boots upside down. This is a simple feature, made of inexpensive materials, but it adds ideal storage for a mudroom.

“My kids might actually do that ’cause they would think it’s kind of cool to hang their boots up,” Grace says.

The boot rack looks perfect in this space. It’s an inexpensive storage solution that gives off a charming old-timey vibe.

When Stoffer finally sees the room, she’s impressed with Grace’s daring style and thriftiness.

“These are not expensive materials,” Stoffer says. “These are just put together in a way that’s just beautiful.”

Create a welcoming entry with a door that makes sense

This laundry room is all about function, so when Grace brings up the drafty door, Stoffer insists on replacing it. Not only is the door single pane, letting the cold winter air in, but it also swings the wrong way, cutting off the flow going in and out.

“It’s going to create a chokepoint,” Stoffer says as she inspects the corner of the room. “You really can’t put anything here.”

Ted switches out the old door with a new one that swings correctly. Plus, the simple design and light wood door look great next to the dark green walls, creating an elegant space. The unusable space has been turned into a useful room!

“We took the mudroom from a carpeted, paneled room that had almost no function into probably the most functional room in our house,” Grace says.

Add windows to a small space

Grace knows that her new bedroom won’t be very large, but Stoffer knows that adding some natural light will make it seem a little more spacious.

“Since Grace’s bedroom is actually just a bedroom, meaning the only thing there’s room for in the room is a bed, we decided to add a couple of windows to make it feel larger,” Stoffer explains.

The two small windows flanking the bed add a perfect amount of light and create the illusion of more space.

To finish the bedroom, Grace puts up some inexpensive peel-and-stick wallpaper with a natural, grass-cloth look.

“From a design standpoint, it needed some texture. We were maybe going to put some panel molding on, and Ted has just been so busy, so I thought I would take it into my own hands and put up this wallpaper,” Grace says.

Leftovers from past projects can help save money

In the en suite bathroom, Grace explains that she’s cutting costs by using tiles left over from one of her mom’s past projects.

“This didn’t turn out exactly how I imagined; I wanted a checkerboard,” she says, examining the floor with her mom. “What we did was more just a random pattern.”

Still, in the end, the bathroom looks elegant—and you’d never know these tiles were castoffs. It’s a good lesson to work with what you have whenever possible, rather than buying new. Even if the results aren’t exactly what you’d planned, the money you save may well be worth it.

Add trim to make cabinets look custom

Grace and Ted’s new bedroom also includes a roomy walk-in closet, which Grace furnishes with drawers and an inexpensive cabinet. Ted then elevates the look by adding trim to the cabinet.

“We used these simple, basic cabinets and then added the trim to make it more custom,” Grace says.

The trim is another cost-effective feature that gets this home looking great.

Accent walls work outdoors, too

To finish this renovation, Grace and Ted want to update the backyard by extending the garage and creating a cozy sitting area with lots of greenery. To give the space a dramatic look, they paint the garage the same dark green they used for the mudroom.

“It’ll be the most beautiful backdrop for their outdoor living room,” Stoffer says. “I love the idea of having something dark to set furniture in front of and for vegetation to be in front of. It’s cozy and interesting, so I think it’s a great choice.”

In the end, the green garage looks beautiful next to the upgraded yard. It just goes to show that an outdoor living space isn’t much different from an indoor one. A patio space could benefit from furnishings, decor, and even an accent wall!

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