On ‘Fixer Upper: The Castle,’ Chip and Joanna Gaines Have Something To Hide—See Pics
Magnolia Network
On their new series “Fixer Upper: The Castle,” Chip and Joanna Gaines are nearly done renovating a 1913 stone mansion in Waco, TX. And while it’s looking magnificent so far, the devil’s clearly in the finishing details: How can Chip and Joanna strike that perfect balance of making this home feel historic, but in a modern, updated way?
In the episode “Old Is New Again,” they repurpose a lot of older materials to give the building an authentically aged feel. They also incorporate modern touches with clever hacks to make them feel original. Last but not least, they must hide one very modern eyesore in a way that looks natural, as if it were always part of the house.
Do they pull it off? Check out these photos and lessons that could apply to any home, even your own—old, new, or anywhere in between.
Bring in flooring materials with history
Joanna Gaines shows off the conservatory’s new/old tile flooring.Magnolia Network
During the renovation, Chip and Joanna have had to do a lot of work on a small room off of the kitchen they’re calling “the conservatory.” While the room is unrecognizable from what it was before, Joanna wants to make sure it feels like this space (which she plans to fill with plants) doesn’t feel like an addition. One way she does this is by using concrete floor tiles that are 150 years old.
“All of this literally came from a home in France, and now it’s going to be in the castle,” she says while examining the black and white squares.
“What I love the most about this reclaimed tile is just all this variation around the edges, where you can see the wear and tear,” she adds.
Sure enough, the checkered tile not only looks beautiful in this space, but it also adds an authentic old-fashioned style to the room.
Reuse features found in the home
This piece was once a fireplace mantel. Now, it’ll have new life above the cooking space.Magnolia Network
While Chip and Joanna are smart to use reclaimed materials in the conservatory, they don’t need to go all the way to France to find old materials. In fact, there are plenty of original features in the home they can reuse, including a grand fireplace mantel.
“Originally, there was a fireplace there, but it was damaged. So we went ahead and removed it, but we wanted to keep the mantel,” Joanna explains. “We transformed that space into now what’s the kitchen. It’s no longer the mantel; it’s more a decorative piece.”
The former mantel looks beautiful above what will be the range, and it’s nice to see another part of this old home preserved.
Make replicas of original features that can’t be saved
Chip and Joanna Gaines examine the new windows, which are made to match the originals.Magnolia Network
Chip and Joanna have taken great care to preserve as much of the original castle as they can, but some features are damaged or missing and need to be replaced. They’re forced to install some new windows, but they make sure to make these new additions seem just like the old ones, down to the mechanics of how they open.
“Not only do the windows have to function like they did 100 years ago, in the sense that they look the same way and they operate the same way, but even the sash weights have to be as if we had done it a hundred plus years ago,” Chip explains.
“You’ll never know which one’s old and which one’s new,” Joanna adds.
While creating exact replicas of the original windows isn’t an easy task, making sure the windows match the era of the rest of the house is important. It helps this mansion keep its classic feel.
Paint new wallpaper to make it look original
This wallpaper has a bit of texture.Magnolia Network
Chip and Joanna want to add some extra elegance to the main bedroom, so they have the ceiling covered with an intricate, textured wallpaper.
“Once this wallpaper is completely installed, we’re going to end up painting that wallpaper the same color as the trim, so it’s just going to look seamless,” Joanna says of the decorative feature. “It’s going to have a little texture. It’s going to feel a little more elevated in that primary suite.”
While painting wallpaper might seem counterintuitive, matching this textured material to the trim is a brilliant way to make the wallpaper seem like it’s an original feature.
Chip and Joanna will paint this wallpaper.Magnolia Network
Hide modern fixtures like an HVAC
Joanna points to the HVAC system, which will soon be hidden.Magnolia Network
The couple are turning the basement into a multipurpose space with a lounge and a guest bedroom. While the space is sure to be a favorite upgrade for the new owners, Joanna does have some unique problems with the basement, including how to hide the HVAC unit.
This cabinet hides the HVAC and looks beautiful.Magnolia Network
Joanna wants to disguise the ugly feature system by putting it behind a custom cabinet. The piece will allow the HVAC to blow air into the room without taking away from the look.
“We’re going to put baseboards on this,” she says, pointing to the cabinet. “We’re going to top it with a really pretty crown molding, and then where that unit is, we’re going to cover it with this really pretty kind of brass mesh screen so it’ll just look like a piece of furniture.”
It’s a smart way to hide this modern appliance and make the room look timeless.
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