Why Does ‘Fixer to Fabulous’ Star Jenny Marrs Hate This One Feature So Many Homeowners Have?
HGTV
On “Fixer to Fabulous,” Dave and Jenny Marrs have been doing many remarkable remodels around Bentonville, AR—but that’s not to say we agree with all of their design decisions across the board.
In the episode “California Couple’s Dream Home,” the Marrses meet Dusty and Hannah Layugan, who have just moved to the area from California. They want to completely renovate a home they’ve just bought so it can better accommodate them and their three kids.
The Layugans have budgeted $150,000 for the project, and that stretches a lot further in Arkansas than it would in California. Also, Dave’s carpentry skills go a long way to mitigate the expenses.
As Jenny and Dave work wonders in Dusty and Hannah’s home, they give us some great ideas for our own abodes, even if their fix for a certain “situation” in the family room doesn’t compute (at least with us). Check out the upgrades they incorporate, and weigh whether you’d follow in their footsteps or skip certain aspects. Because, let’s face it, figuring out which design decisions you admire—and hate—is part of the fun of watching reality TV!
Paint red brick white to update the exterior
An all-red brick homeHGTV
Popular late last century, red brick exteriors no longer exude an aura of sturdy security and wealth. Dave and Jenny say it’s just plain boring now. So they’ll update the exterior by painting all the brick white, making it look new and fresh. They also paint the trim black, for contrast and for a more up-to-date look.
With black and white, “we made it a really timeless, classic house,” says Jenny. “We brightened it up with paint.”
“Changing the color made it look updated and modern,” Dave adds.
New white and black exteriorHGTV
Shutters are like jewelry
Black shutters add a welcome contrast to a white exterior.HGTV
“Anytime we paint a house, a really good addition to the house is shutters,” says Dave from his workshop. “They’re pretty easy to make, and like Jenny would say, ‘It’s good jewelry.'”
In this case, Jenny points out that adding wood shutters where there are vast brick walls and few windows will relieve the exterior monotony and make the house sparkle.
“We’re going to put shutters where the kitchen windows are, and then by the two bedrooms on the side of the house, where there’s just a lot of brick showing,” says Dave.
Painting those wood shutters black gives them extra oomph.
Tray ceilings should go away, right?
Tray ceilingHGTV
As Dave and Jenny tour their clients’ home for the first time, Jenny glances up at the family room ceiling and asks, “What about the ceiling? What do you think of this little tray situation here?”
Her question and tone indicate that she’s clearly not a fan.
“The tray ceiling has got to go,” says Hannah.
Yet instead of raising the ceiling up to the highest point, Dave and Jenny make the more economical choice and use drywall to cover the highest part, so the entire ceiling is level but lower by about a foot.
Without the elevated tray area, Jenny admits that they won’t be able to have a nice hanging light up there. So instead, she installs a ceiling fan that’s closer to the ceiling.
We can’t help but wonder: Is a tray ceiling so bad when it allows you more headroom for pretty light fixtures? Other home renovation and design stars (like the property brothers) believe tray ceilings add value to a property. If we had to pick a side, we’d go with Drew and Jonathan Scott all the way.
New, flat ceilingHGTV
Never waste space—especially in a bathroom
Main bath beforeHGTV
“This is a huge waste of space,” says Jenny as she walks into the current main bath. There’s a huge empty space in the middle, and two small clothes closets, a water closet, a vanity, and a small shower/bath hug the walls.
“When you go into the bathroom, we are back to that late ’90s, early 2000s trend of wasting space,” says Jenny. “For some reason, back in the day, it was like whoever could have the biggest bathroom felt like they were really cool.”
They plan to rip out everything along the sides and start from scratch. They actually have plenty of space to divide the bathroom in two. One side will be a spacious walk-in closet, the other will be the bathroom, with a larger shower, double vanity, and stand-alone tub.
Main bath afterHGTV
Porcelain tile is cheaper and easier to install than marble
Calacatta marble-look tileHGTV
“In the bathroom, we’re using large-format porcelain tile that gives off a Calacatta marble feel,” says Jenny.
It looks fantastic and is far less expensive and easier to install than marble. Tile is so much simpler to cut, and it’s not as heavy or pricey.
Once renovations are done and the Layugans tour their new home, they’re amazed by how different it looks.
“They really turned our house into a home,” says Hannah. “We’re so grateful for that.”
“You move here from another state, you want to make it someplace that your kids love,” says Dave. “I feel like this is a really good start.”
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