Dave and Jenny Marrs of ‘Fixer to Fabulous’ See a Home That Makes Them Cringe: Are You Horrified, Too?

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On “Fixer to Fabulous,” Dave and Jenny Marrs are used to giving homes a bit more character—but what if the house already has too much character?

In the episode “Eccentric House to Modern Home,” the Marrses never suspect anything is off kilter based on the home’s exterior.

“I feel like we’re in Europe,” says Jenny as she and Dave walk up the lengthy front path. “The landscaping’s nice, the brick’s nice, the stone’s nice. I’m not doing anything to the outside of this house. It’s beautiful.”

But once she steps through the front door, her jaw drops.

Homeowners Jeremy and Janine Pryor describe their 3,411-square-foot, four-bedroom 3.5-bath home’s style as “Mad Hatter Tea Party.” Yet even they realize it’s a bit overboard, so they’ve budgeted $200,000 for Dave and Jenny to tame the wildness within.

Here’s how the Marrses manage to take things down a notch or three—plus some telltale signs that your own decor could stand for some toning down, too.

Cut the crystal bling

A crystal chandelier illuminates a pink and purple bathroom with a copper ceiling.

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One of the first things Dave and Jenny notice when they step into this eclectic home is an abundance of crystal chandeliers of all shapes and sizes. They hang in almost every room—even the bathroom!

“Wow, there’s a lot of crystals in here,” Jenny exclaims.

Dave asks rhetorically, “What about the lighting? Do you want to change this up?”

They’re the first things to go.

Red chandelier

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Wall-to-wall carpeting works, sometimes

Carpeted TV room

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Many people are down on wall-to-wall carpeting these days, but in some rooms, it makes sense. Like in the Pryors’ beautiful, big bonus room upstairs under a gabled roof. They want to make one part of it a playroom, and the other part a family TV room.

“What about this carpet?” Jenny asks the Pryors as they all gaze down at their feet.

“A lighter color would be good,” says Janine.

Out goes the old gray carpet and in comes a lighter hue, which looks nice and adds some cozy comfort.

There’s no need to insulate most interior walls

Eliminating the interior wall and its insulation

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As Dave begins demolishing the wall between the kitchen and the living room, he finds something unusual inside it.

“Whoever built this home did a really, really solid job on it,” he says. “To insulate the interior walls is super expensive. And most people don’t do it, because you get no gain other than sound.”

Unless you’re building a music studio in your home, interior insulation is fairly unnecessary. Who knew?

Create a serene scene with green

Green-tiled shower

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It’s really nice to see designers going beyond what’s become the standard over the past several years: yawny neutrals like white, gray, and greige.

“In the bathroom, beautiful green tile is being installed that will make the shower much more serene,” says Jenny. She’ll also put pops of green throughout the house—it’s easy to do with live plants and other accessories.

The owners are elated about the green accents.

“This is beautiful! I love the color,” says Jeremy as he beholds the shower.

Wall decals have come a long way

Children’s play area with custom-decorated walls

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Jenny decides to use a nautical theme for the upstairs playroom, since the couple’s toddler son, Finley, loves sea creatures of all shapes and forms. Dave builds an adorable pirate ship for the the space, and the walls are adorned with beautiful sea life.

“Are these stencils?” Jeremy asks, doubtless imagining the great amount of time it would take to paint them.

“Decals,” says Jenny.

That’s astounding, because they look exquisitely hand-painted. Stickers have come a long way over the past several years.

Renovated great room

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In the end, everyone agrees that the Marrses are able to take the place from weird to wonderful in ways the Pryors had never imagined possible.

“This is an entirely new house. It’s unbelievable,” says Jeremy. “Everything is so thoughtful.”

“We just wanted someplace where we could relax and unwind and just be our family,” says Janine. “This is perfect for that.”

It’s obvious that little Finley thinks so, too, as he makes a beeline for the pirate ship.

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