‘Fixer to Fabulous’ Is Back—With a Charming and New Kitchen Upgrade That’s Bound To Catch On
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Arkansas home renovators Dave and Jenny Marrs are back for Season 4 of “Fixer to Fabulous,” transforming ho-hum homes into one-of-a-kind gems.
In the season premiere episode, “Family Home With Aussie Flair,” the Marrses help Australian Olympic athlete Mike and his wife, Jennifer, convert a three-bedroom, three-bath 1980 home into a more modern residence that will serve their current and future needs.
After all, their three kids are not toddlers anymore, so their “playroom” requirements are a bit different. Meanwhile, the parents now want a suite of their own on the other side of the house from the kids, and Mike just needs a good space where he can prepare his cuppa (Aussie/British slang for a cup of tea).
As Dave and Jenny attempt to exceed expectations with a generous budget of $180,000, they come up with some pretty slick ideas, including one they claim they’ve never done before. Take a look for inspiration on what you might like to try around your own home, too.
Lighten up the fireplace
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“We have this behemoth of a fireplace,” says Jennifer. “It just looks so heavy.”
The Marrses agree. The fireplace is a big pile of rough, dark brown stones and needs some work.
The goal is to lighten it up. Jenny’s first impulse is to completely remove the heavy stone, but when they come across some demolition issues, she decides to put rough plaster over most of it. Some of the natural stones remain around the fireplace opening, exposed and whitewashed. She’s pretty much invented a novel way to make an old fireplace look new.
Dark floors are out
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Throughout the house, there appears to be deep chestnut-colored, wood-look flooring.
“They just look so dark. We would like to see them updated,” says Jennifer.
Dave’s idea is to replace the flooring throughout most of the house with new, light oak.
“That new flooring lightens and brightens, kind of makes everything look lighter, doesn’t it?” he asks, after working hard to install it. It keeps the eye from being drawn downward toward the floor and up toward the light.
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Watch: Jenny and Dave Marrs Talk HGTV Fame: A ‘Crazy Season of our Lives’
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A tea station satisfies the cuppa urge quickly
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Mike’s parents are British and instilled in him an appreciation for the good ol’ cuppa. Apparently, it’s an Aussie thing, too, so Jenny volunteers to create a tea station in the kitchen.
“We’ve done coffee bars, we’ve done wine storage, we’ve done all these little things in kitchens, but we’ve never done a tea station,” says Jenny.
They remodel a cupboard, adding a marble countertop, tile backsplash, drawers, and storage above for tea, cups, and other paraphernalia. They also give it a mini garage-like door that pulls down to cover it all when the station is not in use.
Then there’s the best part of all: “We are installing an instant hot water faucet,” says Dave, “so that any time they want to make tea, it’s right on tap.”
Change a closet into a video game room
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“We took away Jennifer and Mike’s son’s gaming area in order to give them a main suite,” explains Jenny. “But we were always in the back of our minds thinking, ‘We’ve got to find a spot for his gaming area.'”
Then it hit them.
“So when we saw this extra closet off of the living room, we knew this was a chance for us to create a fun space for their son,” says Jenny. “There’s nothing more fun for a kid than a hidden space.”
They deck out the closet with a TV screen, a beanbag chair, and even a neon sign! But perhaps the best part of all is the door leading to the closet. From the outside, it looks just like a cabinet. It’s the perfect hideout for gamer kids.
Islands aren’t just for kitchens
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Think islands are just for the kitchen? On the contrary, the Marrses create an island for crafts, with drawers underneath and wheels on the bottom so it can be easily moved.
“Dave created this awesome island,” raves Jenny. “The girls can sit at it, they can store their crafts supplies, it can be spun, it just does it all.”
In the end, homeowners Mike and Jennifer couldn’t be more pleased. They know the new additions and fixes will help their home meet their family’s needs for decades.
“What they’ve given to us, for years to come, is unbelievable,” says Jennifer. “How do you repay that? We are so appreciative!”
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