‘I Want To Live Here!’: The Home ‘Fixer to Fabulous’ Star Jenny Marrs Wishes Were Her Own

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On “Fixer to Fabulous,” Dave and Jenny Marrs always put their all into renovating homes for clients—so it’s no surprise that sometimes they end up wanting to stay.

In the latest episode, “Modern Cabin in the Woods,” the Marrses remodel a 2,850-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom lakeside cabin in Arkansas for Aaron and Allyn Elleman.

When the Marrses first see the cabin, they comment that it “doesn’t feel like a lake house. It feels like it should be in a subdivision.”

They aim to use their $180,000 renovation budget to help this house blend in better with its surroundings, so that it “just feels like it belongs.”

By the end, they’re able to improve the function and feel of the house so much that Jenny says, “I loved being able to take a house that really didn’t have much of an identity, but we just really gave it this charming, cozy cabin in the woods feel—and it’s very serene.”

In fact, she admits, “I want to live here!”

The Ellemans’ lakeside cabin was in need of an update.

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Of course, the Ellemans aren’t about to sell, especially now that it looks so nice. Jenny and the rest of us will just have to appreciate it from afar what they’ve done—and maybe apply some of the same ideas to our own abodes.

Check out how to give a run-of-the-mill house more personality and cozy vibes to ride out winter in style.

Maximize the view

Lattice obstructs the lake view at the Ellemans’ cabin.

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The cabin looks out onto a gorgeous lake, but the existing setup put the best view of it in an inconvenient spot: the laundry room. Wanting to give Aaron and Allyn the crown jewel view, the Marrses reimagine the cabin’s floor plan by borrowing space from the nearby dining room to create a true primary suite where the laundry area once was.

They also break down a wall in the kitchen to remove more barriers that blocked the view.

“You know what I like about this kitchen? I can see the lake,” Dave says.

The focus on the lake even extends to the outdoors, where Dave replaces the deck’s bulky baluster railing with tempered glass panels, which, Allyn notes, “you can see through while you’re sitting down.”

The lesson here? Make sure your home’s layout helps (rather than hinders) your ability to appreciate the view.

Glass railing on the deck allows for a better view.

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Lean into the location

Jenny is intentional about incorporating the lakeside location into the project.

“The biggest thing in all of these spaces is just going to be giving it a personality and taking our inspiration from outside, so making it feel like when you come here, you’re not just at any house, you’re specifically at a lake house surrounded by trees,” she explains.

She and Dave set out on the water to collect driftwood—a favorite hobby of Aaron’s—and they find pieces that are perfect for fashioning into a fireplace mantel and entryway handrail. Wood elements are also added to the front of the home in the form of siding and cedar accents; in the living room, they add pine planks to the ceiling.

Wood elements adorn the exterior of the Ellemans’ cabin.

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Even the color palette is influenced by the cabin’s surroundings, as Jenny selects a forest green finish for the exterior bricks and hunter green for the classic Shaker cabinets in the kitchen.

Manufactured materials can look natural

Some of the materials the Marrses choose to create nature vibes are actually manufactured—and more affordable—versions of the real deal.

Dave and Jenny Marrs make a plan to update the Ellemans’ fireplace.

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In the living room, Dave and Jenny replace the carpeting with luxury vinyl plank flooring and cover the brick fireplace with faux stones to look “like an old lodge.”

Jenny is a bit skeptical at first, but ultimately ends up pleased with how it comes out.

“This fireplace sets the tone for the entire space,” she says.

Faux stone elevates the fireplace for a fraction of the price of natural stone.

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On the outside, when Dave discovers the original vinyl siding is rotten, he needs a solution that won’t break the bank since replacing the siding wasn’t part of the original budget. Thankfully, the amount of half-log siding he orders is more than enough to cover the area in need as well as the garage gable, making for a cohesive look out front.

Turn negatives into positives

Dave turns another potentially big setback into a solution when he runs into a structural beam issue and suggests vaulting the living room ceiling while taking care of the necessary reinforcements.

“Nothing but good news,” he says.

A staircase by the entryway poses a danger.

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Another instance of ingenuity is in the entryway. Where the front door once opened much too close to a precariously placed staircase, Jenny and Dave reverse the hinges so that the new door blocks the dangerous drop to the stairs when one steps inside the home.

Dave and Jenny solve a problem by switching the direction a door swings.

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Make it personal

When the Marrses first greet the Ellemans, Allyn shares a sentimental story about how her late mother loved a particular breed of woodpecker, and how when she was touring the cabin before buying it, two of those woodpeckers appeared.

Allyn took it as a sign they “were supposed to spend our forever” at the cabin, and Jenny takes it as design inspiration for the primary bedroom. She finds a sepia-toned wallpaper that makes it look like trees are growing in the room and hires a local artist to paint woodpeckers on the print.

Allyn notices the special nod immediately, saying, “My mom would love this.”

A pizza oven in the kitchen excites the Ellemans.

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While that detail drew from the Ellemans’ past, Dave and Jenny also design for their future by putting a pizza oven in the kitchen, since the couple mention they love cooking and look forward to having the cabin be a destination as their kids get older and eventually leave the nest.

“I’m ready to make some memories here—and some pizza,” Allyn says. Clearly, she loves how her family’s history and hopes are woven into the space.

Jenny is enamored with it, too, calling the cabin renovation “a win” and an ideal place to spend one’s days: “This is the life!”

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