Chelsea DeBoer of ‘Down Home Fab’ Crosses a Design Line That Might Offend—Would It Upset You?
HGTV
Former “Teen Mom” star Chelsea DeBoer is gaining fame—or is it infamy?—for her signature design style on her new HGTV show, “Down Home Fab.” She describes it on the premiere as “South Dakota glam. I love cowhides, painting things black, anything a little bit different.”
Suffice it to say, her makeovers—along with some help from husband Cole—have been sending shock waves throughout her sleepy hometown of Sioux Falls, SD. And so far at least, her clients appear delighted.
But what happens when Chelsea meets clients who are, as she puts it (cue the thunder), “a little bit more reserved with their style”?
In the episode “Farmhouse Fab,” Chelsea and Cole meet Beth and Ryan, who make it clear to the DeBoers that they don’t want anything trendy or odd that they’ll get tired of looking at after a year or two (like skull wallpaper on the ceiling, perhaps). They’re more into classic and traditional decor.
Even so, they’re looking forward to having Cole and Chelsea push their boundaries a little bit, hoping to transform their traditional 2015 home into more of a modern farmhouse.
“I’m excited for Chelsea and Cole to come and not play it safe,” says Beth.
Still, Chelsea and Cole know they’ll have to tread carefully.
“There’s a huge difference between a Chelsea bold and a Beth and Ryan bold,” says Cole.
As they struggle not to cross the line, Chelsea and Cole give some excellent examples of what to do, and what not to do, when homeowners want to shake things up but play it safe at the same time. Check out what the latest episode of “Down Home Fab” taught us this week.
Chelsea’s latest style: ‘Farmhouse fab’
Chelsea DeBoer’s idea of “farmhouse fab”HGTV
While many designers can do the ever-popular modern farmhouse style, Chelsea has her own twist.
“It’s the contrasting colors,” says Chelsea. For the record, “contrasting colors” to Chelsea mostly means black and white.
“It’s bold and it’s clean,” she continues. “But it’s still very cozy and homey at the same time.”
While it’s hard to make black and white shades look cozy and homey, her use of natural woods manages to bring in some warmth.
The key to kid clutter is storage
The formal dining room is currently a play area for the kids.HGTV
When Chelsea and Cole are ushered through the front door of Beth and Ryan’s home, one of the first things they see is the kids’ play area in what once was a formal dining room. The space is filled with brightly colored toys.
“I don’t think that Beth and Ryan want it to look like a playroom,” Chelsea says of the formal dining room. “They don’t want it to look like a preschool threw up in here.”
Chelsea notes that her own four kids give her some perspective on this topic.
“It’s OK to let your own personal style still shine through, and your kids have stuff also, but it can be tucked away,” she says.
She remedies the situation by installing built-ins where the children’s toys can be stored, and the toys magically disappear.
Dining room with storage for children’s toysHGTV
A colored ceiling adds character
The black ceiling adds interest.HGTV
In Chelsea’s efforts to rein in her more daring design impulses, some rooms end up looking a little bit dull. While she knows her clients won’t stand for too much personality, she decides to add a dash of it on the dining room ceiling by painting it (you guessed it) black.
Even though a dark color tends to make a ceiling appear heavier and lower, at least it gives some personality to this otherwise basic room.
Move the bathroom away from living spaces
The powder room was moved to the back of the house.HGTV
“Part of our bathroom issue is that it’s here in the middle of the room, where everybody’s hanging out,” says Ryan, as he shows the DeBoers his powder room just off the kitchen and great room.
So Chelsea and Cole move the powder room to the back of the house, where the laundry room used to be—so the plumbing is already conveniently in place. Then they move the laundry room upstairs, where the bedrooms are.
One more thing: They make the former powder room into a lovely pantry. It’s adjacent to the kitchen and gives the clients much-needed storage space. Genius!
An oven hood vent can be a statement—in a good and bad way
Industrial hood
While Chelsea does a decent job reining in her wilder style, in the end she just can’t help herself. In the kitchen, she decides to go bold with a steampunk-style stove vent hood.
“I wanted to add an industrial vibe to Beth and Ryan’s kitchen, so we dreamt up this industrial vent hood,” she says, pointing toward the contraption with lots of straps and bolts and aged-looking industrial metal. “I just think that elevates it. Oh, I’m obsessed.”
We can’t help wondering if she’s the only one who’s obsessed with this vent.
How does Chelsea DeBoer’s latest renovation turn out?
So how do her first conservative-leaning clients react to their new home—black ceiling, strange steampunk hood vent, and all? They’re either very good liars or genuinely pleased.
“We’re so glad that we had you do it, that you did push the boundaries and do some things that we wouldn’t have on our own,” Ryan tells the DeBoers.
And ultimately, Chelsea and Cole learn a thing or two as well.
“This renovation has taught us what it’s like to work with clients who are a little bit more reserved with their style,” she says. “It’s on us to find the balance. Push them a little bit outside of their comfort zone, but not too far.”
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