On “Fixer to Fabulous,” Dave and Jenny Marrs have come up with some wild designs, but nothing as out-there as their latest kitchen.
In “Dull House to Dazzling Home,” the designers head to downtown Bentonville, AR, to meet Gayatri, whose house was built in 2005. It was fine for her family when the kids were toddlers, but now she and her husband have split, the kids are growing, and some updates need to be made.
Dave and Jenny are given a budget of $195,000 to redo the entire exterior, the back and front yards, the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen.
As they begin to do what they do best, Jenny pulls one of her most daring stunts in the kitchen yet—it’s truly eye-popping. Along the way, she shares tips that may inspire us to take a risk or two in our own homes. Take a look and learn!
Update brick without removing it
Gayatri’s house before the renovation
HGTV
The front of Gayatri’s house features several kinds of brick and stone, with a little stucco thrown in. She’d like to unify the exterior. Whitewashing perhaps?
Instead of whitewashing, however, Dave and Jenny decide to do a German schmear.
“We don’t have the money to pull this brick; we don’t have the money to add siding to cover it up,” says Jenny. “So we’re going to do a schmear, which is a drastic change. It’s a little more of a traditional look versus a fully painted brick. It’s basically smearing white plaster over the bricks.”
And indeed, once done, the schmear really helps pull this home’s look together. Maybe it’ll work for your place, too!
Gayatri’s house with a German schmear
HGTV
Cedar is great for outside woodwork
Dave Marrs crafting a cedar shutter
HGTV
Dave plans to craft brand-new shutters for the exterior, and he’s very particular about the wood he’ll use.
“We’re starting with some custom cedar shutters,” he says. “Whenever I’m doing anything exterior, I like to use cedar, just because Gayatri won’t have to mess with it. It’ll last a long time.”
He’s not crazy about painting the shutters green, however, but he understands Jenny’s aesthetic.
Get rid of the red
Dining room with red walls
HGTV
Gayatri’s dining room walls are painted “The 2000 Red,” according to Dave. He remembers when that color was all the rage.
“The first house that we lived in had a red kitchen,” he says. “We tried to repaint that thing and used no less than 15 coats of paint. The red just kept finding its way through.”
A lot of houses decorated in the early 2000s had red accent walls. Time to move on.
The remodeled dining room
HGTV
Colorful appliances are a hot kitchen trend
A bright pink range
HGTV
Gayatri thinks kitchens should be fun, not just functional. In fact, her family likes to dance in the kitchen and she has a sign there declaring “Kitchens are for dancing.”
That gives Jenny the inspiration to do something she’s never done before. She’ll make the kitchen pop with “the crown jewel.”
“We’re giving her a bright pink range!” she declares. “I’m so excited about it. I would love a pink range, but Dave would never let me do it.”
Dave thinks it’s ridiculous, but Jenny defends her choice.
“Gayatri loves bright colors,” she says to end their argument, “and there is nothing more vibrant than a pink range!”
Wallpaper works on ceilings, too
Wallpapered ceiling
HGTV
As for the dining room, Jenny says, “It’s already beautiful now that it’s painted, but we’re going to take it up a notch and put some wallpaper on the ceiling. This is a chance to have some fun with pattern and color that’s just a little more subtle when it’s on the ceiling.”
She’s not wrong. It turns out to be a great way to add color and interest without being loud or brassy.
In the end, this makeover really makes an impression—even the pink stove. Gayatri is thrilled.
“She makes me want to cook,” she says of the stove. “The joy in the pink stove will continue for decades to come. I’m going to name her.”
Ophelia, in fact.
Beyond the pink stove, Gayatri says of the entire house and all the changes, “It’s beautiful. It’s absolutely brilliant. It’s now a warm, homey, happy, joyful house.”
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