How to Design like Joanna Gaines

It’s no secret that I am a Fixer Upper junkie! It is on the TV often in our home and by the end of my maternity leave, I am pretty sure the girls knew Chip and Joanna’s voice just as good as anyone else’s! We won’t even mention how bummed I am about the show coming to an end! Her style has taken the home décor world by storm and I have slowly been adding touches of Joanna to our home. What I love most about her style is the wide variety of things you can do to your home to achieve the Fixer Upper look! From knocking down walls to adding a touch of greenery, there is something that will fit everyone’s budget! You can find affordable décor in my Ultimate Farmhouse Picks from Amazon post to help transform your home to be Joanna Gaines approved!

Neutrals 

Neutral colors are the foundation of Joanna’s design style. Start out with a taupe, gray, beige, cream, black, brown and/or white color palette for your design. This makes the room a fresh, clean slate to start with, your accent colors will pop and will be easily interchangeable. These neutral colors, along with a lot of light, will make your space seem bigger than it is!   

Source: Joanna’s Pinterest

Natural Elements 

This may be one of my favorite aspects of Joanna’s design style! From potted herbs  to the custom furniture made by Clint at Harper Design Co., the natural elements are essential for a modern farmhouse home. Things like exposed wood beams  incorporate themselves into her neutral design palette but can make a huge statement in the room! While faux grass, indoor plants, fresh flowers and the potted herbs give the space a natural vibe by bringing the outside inside!  

Source: Joanna’s Pinterest

Re-purpose Vintage Finds 

If Joanna and Chip were to be on an episode of Flea Market Flip, I would bet on them every time! I love her passion for vintage items and how she uses them in her designs. The local antique shops or peddlers malls Joanna visits is something you can easily do in your hometown. Go shopping with that Joanna Gaines’ eye and see how you can turn someone else’s junk into a farmhouse treasure! I love these red lights that she found at a local store for this dining room table! They are a pop of color and have rust spots on them that just ooze a vintage feel!  

Source: Joanna’s Pinterest

Let There be Light! … And lots of it! 

Joanna and Chip both love a lot of light; the best kind being natural light! If Joanna says to knock down a wall, Chip is right behind her in his #demoday tee! Creating an open space let’s natural light flow through your home. On the other end of the budget, you can keep window treatments pushed back, trim down trees/bushes in front of outside windows that block sunlight or install additional lighting in your space.  

Source: Joanna’s Pinterest

Shiplap 

I would be interested to know the percentage of homes Chip and Joanna have remolded that don’t have shiplap in them! Very low, if I had to guess. There are multiple ways to achieve this look that again, span the budget spectrum. Pinterest DIYs are a gold mine for instructions on how to do this project yourself!  

Source: Joanna’s Pinterest

Focal Feature  

By starting with a neutral foundation, Joanna can easily create a focal feature for a room. It is that wow piece, the talking point or can have a neat story behind it! The vintage items that Joanna finds usually have a lot of character and she uses these as her focal pieces! This is what makes your home unique! It would be very hard for someone to go out and find another piece exactly like yours!  

Source: Joanna’s Pinterest

Table Settings 

This is one of the easiest ways you can design like Joanna on a budget! Clean white plates, neutral place mats, simple dinner napkins and fresh flowers or greenery from around your house to make a centerpiece is all it takes for a Gaines’ stamp of approval. In the photo below she placed greenery from her yard into some simple vases and voila! You can easily change out the vase contents for seasons or holidays! Versatility at its finest!  

Source: Joanna’s Pinterest

 

I hope you enjoyed these easy-to-implement tips and I would love to hear your favorite ways of adding Joanna’s style to your home!

 

P.S. Only a few more weeks until the Gaine’s Hearth and Hand with Magnolia collection launches at a Target near you! Catch a sneak peek here!