Dave And Jenny Marrs' Advice For Including The Whole Family In A Home Renovation - Exclusive
As kids grow up and family dynamics shift, there comes a time when a growing family must make some changes to their home to meet their changing needs. In an exclusive interview with House Digest, Dave and Jenny Marrs discussed what it's like to remodel a busy family home, whether it's their own century-old farmhouse or a client's house on their hit HGTV series "Fixer to Fabulous." The Marrs couple, who have five children, are currently undergoing their own home transformation, giving them an insider's perspective on the challenges and joys that renovation brings. "We're in a new season of life where the kids are all growing up and it's happening so fast," Jenny said. "They've outgrown their spaces, and we transformed the room that was a nursery for Charlotte, and a toddler room for Sylvie, and a nursery for Luke is now going to be our bedroom."
As Dave and Jenny suggest, one important aspect of renovating a family home is to have kids involved throughout the transformation. "Whenever we're doing — and a lot of times we're doing — homes for families, I love to have our kids included in the decision-making process," said Dave, "Because if there's other kids, [we] can run things by [our kids] and ask them, 'Hey, this kid is your age. What do you think they would like?" Kids can lend a lot of creativity to any new space, but Jenny and Dave explained there are a few areas where they love to incorporate kids' suggestions the most.
Kids are great with colors, layout, and final touches
According to Jenny Marrs, paint colors are one easy decision that can be left to the kids, especially when redesigning their bedrooms and bathrooms. Smaller details like light fixtures can also be a good way for kids to express themselves while remaining within their parents' overall vision. Kids may also have creative ideas about the layout of their new space, so discuss their needs and wants as you're moving everything back in.
"I want them to feel like their spaces are their spaces. I want it to be something that they love, not what I love, especially now that they're getting older," said Jenny. "Once they get older and have opinions of their own, I want them to be involved in the process so that they can be creative and put their personal stamp on their space."
But that doesn't mean kids' ideas always have to be confined to their rooms. "Kids are not afraid to think way outside the box, and sometimes, that's where you get the best ideas," said Dave Marrs. And whether your household has human children or not, don't forget to brainstorm ideas for your pets, too! As Dave explained, "We renovated some unique homes this year [where] we had to include the furry friends and spaces for them."
New episodes of "Fixer to Fabulous" starring Dave and Jenny Marrs air at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV and are available to stream on Max and discovery+.