Before and After: “Fixer Upper” Turns This Dated 1930s Home Into a Charming Cottage

After purchasing an older home, there is no better news than finding out it has good bones, especially if you’re going into a renovation process where a solid foundation is key to a successful project. This is exactly what took place in a recent episode of “Fixer Upper: Welcome Home,” where Chip and Joanna Gaines helped Kim — a recent Magnolia hire who moved from Santa Monica, California, to Waco, Texas — transform her sturdy 1930s home into the cozy cottage she envisioned.

Once they got the initial tour, the Gaines were impressed by the older home that stood the test of time. But, while they were relieved that there were no major foundation issues they needed to worry about, there was plenty of work to focus on to bring Kim’s vision to life: a cottage filled with natural textures, a neutral color palette, and old world charm.

Their first order of business was to remove the walls between the living, dining, kitchen, and spare rooms, which became a priority from the moment they walked in. This created one large space where lounging, dining, and cooking could all exist without anyone feeling cramped and isolated.

Chip and Jo kept the floors and walls pretty much the same, but the ceilings underwent a fairly drastic transformation. The team covered it in white shiplap and installed old wood beams that brought in the texture. Speaking of a textural feel, Jo really went to town with bringing in simple furniture that felt natural — from the wooden dining table and chairs to the rattan chandelier.

What used to be the dining room and spare kitchen-meets-bedroom area transformed into the fully dedicated kitchen space, complete with a wood kitchen island, shiplap walls and ceilings, dark green cabinets, and all the the brass details you could ever want. But even before stepping into the kitchen, there’s a charming element: the case opening with those wooden beams that tie into the living-dining room space.

Next was the bedroom transformation, which went from dull and inconvenient to bright and fully functional. In its “before” state (see the first photo), the walls clearly needed some love, and the walk-in closet entrance was smack in the middle of the wall, so things could only exist on the two sides of it.

In order to change that, Chip and Jo sealed up the closet entrance so the new bed (with a shiplap backdrop of course) could be positioned in the middle. They carved out two doors on either side to give access to the walk-in closet. Other than that, the room was a decent size in the first place, so their main job was to fill it with cozy, warm wooden furnishings and special details (like that white oak shelf) — and it’s safe to say they achieved that.

To see the rest of the transformation, including all the steps it took to make it happen and the grand reveal that is always a good time, head over to Discovery+.

This post originally ran on Apartment Therapy. See it there: Before and After: “Fixer Upper” Turns This Dated 1930s Home Into a Charming Cottage with Plenty of Shiplap