Exclusive: Inside Chelsea and Cole DeBoer’s Rise From ‘Teen Mom’ Stars to HGTV Designers on ‘Down Home Fab’

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Chelsea DeBoer might be best known for starring on “Teen Mom 2,” but now this married mother of four is all grown up—and gaining fame as a designer on her HGTV breakout hit, “Down Home Fab.”

On this new series (recently renewed for a second season), Chelsea and her husband, Cole, renovate homes around Sioux Falls, SD, using a unique style Chelsea describes as “South Dakota glam.”

It’s lots of cowhides, black paint, and even skull-patterned wallpaper. Yet her offbeat ideas often work—or at least, her clients seem pleased with the results.

Curious to hear more about how she’s shaking up the design world, we chatted with Chelsea about how she got started down the home renovation path and what she’s learned along the way.

You fell in love with design when you were building your dream home. Was that your first, big home project?

Chelsea: With our last two houses before this one, we were always doing projects. I always had Cole doing little renovations in the places we lived in before. He did flooring, put a whole bathroom together, and even finished a basement.

Cole: I’ve also worked in construction for 12 years before this. Plus, I always did projects for my dad growing up. So I knew I could tackle just about anything in our house.

What are your favorite features in your home?

Chelsea: We have a door that looks like a bookshelf, and it opens up to a secret room. We keep a bunch of toys back there for the kids.

Chelsea and Cole DeBoer install new roller blinds in a dining room.

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Was there anything in your house that you would have changed or done differently?

Cole: After we started doing so many cool projects on the show, we want to change it all!

Chelsea: Yes, every time I’d be picking out flooring or a tile or picking colors for a house, I was like, “Oh my gosh. I want this in our house!”

I’d look at beautiful light fixtures for a client and say, “Wait. Should we change out all of our light fixtures at home?”

What does South Dakota glam look like, and what are your signature moves or materials?

Chelsea: I love leather, wood accents, cowhides. We have faux furs all over. It’s like rustic mixed with modern.

You have four kids. What are your tips for kid-friendly designs?

Chelsea: When we were building our home I thought, “OK, we want this to function for our kids now but also the house should function for us long term.”

We want to be in this house forever, and I want everything to work for us now and also when the kids grow up.

So we made a lot of choices with that in mind. Like, the kids have a bathroom upstairs that they share. But they have a separate shower area, because I wanted the kids to be able to share a bathroom but have a separate area for the shower. It’s something that helps them now but won’t be awkward later.

Cole and Chelsea aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.

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You’re used to working together on ‘Teen Mom 2.’ What’s it like doing an HGTV show?

Chelsea: We do so well being together. When he would be working on another house or something, I’m like, “Oh, my gosh. I missed you.” But then when I’m with him, like I’m annoyed and I need him gone. But then I’m like, “Wait, come back!”

We bounce ideas off each other, and it works for us.

Cole: Yes, I’m definitely more comfortable when she’s around. I know we have a lot of fun.

What tips do you have for those who want a South Dakota glam look in their home?

Chelsea: Get yourself a cowhide. Layer that bad boy anywhere. Leather is great. We also love greenery. Think nature-inspired and outdoorsy. But then also get some gold accents to mix in and balance it out.

In our house, all our hardware is gold. Our light fixtures are gold. All my vases, every accent, I always tend to get gold.

‘Down Home Fab’ has been renewed for Season 2. Will you do anything differently in the new season?

Chelsea: I just want to take it to the next level. I feel like I gained a lot of confidence over the period of time filming and since then. I’ve been reading books and just trying to learn as much as I can. I want to really bring it for Season 2.

And I think as far as just filming, scheduling, just the day-to-day things, we definitely learned a lot. Now we’re a little more prepared for Season 2.

Cole: We’re ready to bring it. We’re excited.

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