Chip and Joanna Gaines Designed That?! Their Worst âFixer Upperâ Fails Revealed
Chip and Joanna Gaines Designed That?! Their Worst âFixer Upperâ Fails Revealed
From a few pieces of shiplap and some random word art, Chip and Joanna Gaines have built a home design empire. What began as a cute, little HGTV show called âFixer Upperâ has ballooned into hugely popular product lines at Target, grand plans to launch their own network on Discovery, best-selling books, and beyond.
Whatâs their secret? Some may say this coupleâs success stems from their adorable on-air banter, but itâs also hard to deny that, plain and simple, their design sense rocks. From farmhouse sinks to those delightfully airy open floor plans, the homes they transform feel warm yet chic, classy but comfortable all at once.
And yet to put it in terms that baseball-loving Chip would appreciate, no one bats a thousand. As fabulous as this coupleâs design chops are most of the time, there are more than a few design decisions, particularly in their earliest episodes of âFixer Upper,â that are clear cases of them working out some bugs in their soon-to-be sleek aesthetic.
Want proof? Behold some of the most cringe-inducing âFixer Upperâ design fails by Chip and Joanna, culled from photos of their earliest episodes. Let them serve as a reminder that building an empire involves more than a few bloopers along the way!
Faux fireplace
Season 1, Episode 5
While making over the home of their furniture designer friend Clint Harp, Chip and Jo installed a vintage fireplace mantel in a spot with, um, no fireplace. As a consolation prize, in that spot they hung baskets with what look like bird nests? Seems a little avant-garde for most peopleâs tastes.
Hanging bedside tables
Season 3, Episode 1
Hey, are those hanging bedside tables we see? It might look cool, but imagine how hard it would be to balance a book and glass of water on this precarious surface without it tipping over. Just no.
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Watch: This Gorgeous New Farmhouse by Chip and Jo Gaines Is No âFixer Upperâ
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Too much reclaimed wood
Season 2, Episode 1
We know the Gaineses were going for rustic here, but thereâs probably not a single room in this small farmhouse that didnât get more than its fair share of used wood. Accent walls (even in the bathroom), wainscoting, bookcases, you name it, the place is brimming with it. But nowhere is it more overboard than in the kitchen, where itâs even bedecking the stove hood! Hope itâs not flammable.
A window frame on a wall
Season 2, Episode 9
OK, so putting up a window frame where thereâs no window is strange. Then when you hang Mason jars with flowers within and have birds flying nearby, it all gets a bit too busy for all but the shabbiest of shabby chic lovers to stomach.
Matchy-matchy bedroom
Season 1, Episode 3
Unlike most of Chip and Joannaâs later designs, which include fun pops of color to liven things up, this particular bedroom goes out of its way to be bland, with pastel colors and little contrast throughout. And whoa, wall-to-wall carpet? Everyone knows thatâs tough to keep clean and fresh.
Strange signage, take 1
Season 1, Episode 11
Once upon a time, words on walls was a definite trend, and Joanna dove right in. But rather than the usual cheery urgings to âEATâ or âLOVE,â these letters spelling âHOMEâ look like theyâre straight out of a ransom note. Combined with the dark counters and furnishings, the whole room seems a bit ominous, and makes you wonder if youâll ever get out of there alive.
Galley kitchen gaffe
Season 1, Episode 2
Not that thereâs anything wrong with a galley kitchen, but Chip and Joanna have gotten about as far away from it as designers can go. Had they been working on this kitchen later in their careers, weâre betting they would have moved mountains, or at least walls, to give this narrow galley kitchen a little more space.
Strange signage, take 2
Season 1, Episode 7
While Chip and Joanna did a fabulous job on the renovation of a cottage for a mom and her son, they went a little overboard with the letters hung all over the houseâespecially on this entryway wall. The spacing makes it hard to read, and the sentiment makes you go, âhuh?â
Saddest coffee table ever
Season 2, Episode 7
Everyone knows that a narrow room calls for narrow furniture, but does this spindly picnic bench have the strength to serve as a coffee table? We worry that it might break under the weight of one cup of joe. It doesnât exactly beckon guests to lounge in front of the fire.
Heavy-handed home staging
Season 2, Episode 8
Hey, how about we overstage this coffee table by stacking two wooden trays on top of each other, oh-so-casually crooked, and placing a bowl of moss balls on top? Then next to it, weâll use an antique book as a coaster for a vase of fresh tulips! Fortunately, Joannaâs staging has gotten a lot more purposeful and less arbitrary since this awkward arrangement.