What It Really Looks Like Inside Popular HGTV Stars' Homes

In "Fixer Upper," Chip and Joanna Gaines take farmhouse chic to the next level, with their renovation and designs transforming spaces with Texan charm. And their Crawford, Texas home is no different: Set over 40 acres, the 1,700-square-foot Victorian farmhouse is stunning. The couple renovated the house in 2020/2021, and shared their updates on "Fixer Upper: Welcome Home." The kitchen sports moody dark green cabinets and a wall of open storage shelves, while the living room has a brick fireplace, steel chandelier, and an antique built-in bookcase that spans from ceiling to floor. The bookcase used to be a vintage storage system, and still sports a bevy of different drawers. 

Elsewhere, barn-style white walls are accented by black-framed patio doors, with a modern dining table and chair arrangement — all adorned, naturally, by birthday balloons and bunting for her son's third birthday, as shared in an Instagram snap. While the home has features that could come straight from the nineteenth century, Gaines isn't afraid to let the home's style change, particularly as her kids grow. "As we grow and evolve, I love the idea that we can create rooms to reflect who we are in each season of life," she says in a Magnolia blog post.

One look at Scott McGillivray's home tells you that his house game is strong. The HGTV Canada "Income Property" star sticks to a neutral, gray and white color scheme throughout his abode, as shown in Country Living. The open-plan, modern kitchen uses a central island to separate it from the living space, which boasts cavernous ceilings, full-length windows, and enough seating to comfortably host a football team. Elsewhere, there's even a fully equipped bar. The master suite has a fireplace and multiple seating zones, and the master bath has a free-standing tub and a double sink. McGillivray doesn't forget about his kids, either: Their playroom is stuffed full of toys, with comfortable seating areas for the adults to relax in once the little ones tire themselves out.

From the walk-in closet to wife Sabrina McGillivray's "femme-den", this house has it all. It's little wonder, then, that the McGillivrays are understandably reluctant to reveal the exact location of their home, as he writes in a blog post on his website. Despite this, McGillivray goes into detail about some of the logistics surrounding choosing the property, including proximity to schools, healthcare, friends, and family — showing that a house isn't all about the interiors.

Egypt Sherrod's stint as the host of "Flipping Virgins" has highlighted her taste for home renovation, so it's little surprise that her gorgeous Atlanta home is constantly being improved. The house features tasteful gray interiors throughout, and one of her more recent projects was the den, with light furniture offsetting the darker paneled walls and a huge statement mirror, illuminated from the light pouring into the room from the large windows, as her Instagram shows. Sherrod and her husband have also completely redesigned their exterior spaces with stunning results. The cozy patio overlooks a pool adorned with sun loungers and is fed by two (yes, two) waterfalls.

With all this housework going on, it's unsurprising that Sherrod needed some space to think, particularly during quarantine. So, true to form, she designed one herself! Sherrod revealed her meditation space, saying that she "created it out of a little storage closet in the back of my laundry room" in a chat with House Beautiful. Such a space, serene and decorated with comfy pillows and calming succulents, is achievable by anyone, says Sherrod. "Maybe not everybody has, you know, a big house or a spare room. But just about everybody has a closet."

Genevieve Gorder's abode exudes city style. Her New York City home works wonders with the natural proportions of the city's apartments, with Gorder making the most of vertical space; her kitchen has three rows of cabinets going all the way to the top of the ceiling and is accessible by a stylish ladder, shown in a 2015 YouTube tour of the home. Gorder's multi-purpose stove sits opposite her Calacatta marble island, and next to her Bauhaus-style food storage.

Elsewhere, Gorger's dining room features mullioned French windows that look out onto a block-long garden that delivers birdsong to the apartment — "big deal in New York," says the "Dear Genevieve" and "Design Star" host. In her bedroom, the multi-influence style continues, with a large closet that's accessed by Moroccan hammam doors. And Gorder doesn't forget the look when it comes to her then-6-year-old daughter's room. Inside, a swing is hung from the ceiling, costing only $20 according to Gorder, supplying a tasteful centerpiece as well as a fun toy to play with. Touchingly, her daughter sleeps in Gorder's grandmother's bed, which Gorder repainted, and which she too used to sleep in as a child.

If you don't recognize the name Andromeda Dunker, you'll know her voice if you're an HGTV fan. Dunker has been the voice of network favorite "House Hunters International" for years — "leading you," as she says to BuzzFeed News, "through this journey as a narrator. That's kind of how I see it. If I were to come out more as a personality of my own, then it kind of breaks it."

When it comes to Dunker's abode, though, it screams personality. The house is immediately colorful and eclectic, with bare brick walls covered with books, ornaments (including a model sailboat), and hanging plants, seen in a YouTube tour of her home. Across from her corner sofa sits a beautiful piano, with a basket of vibrant quilts nearby to keep things cozy. Dunker's retro-style kitchen pairs turquoise cabinets with regular wood effects and a vintage stove. And, true to Californian living, Dunker has a pool in the back yard, next to which sits "Bar David," a bar area that connects directly to the kitchen. And, in a supremely cool fashion, Dunker also shows us a patio table that, by night, turns into a fire pit.

During the pandemic, HGTV's "Design Star" winner Emily Henderson and her husband, Brian, and two kids, Charlie and Birdie, moved out of Los Angeles and into a mini farm the couple bought in Portland, Oregon. The farmhouse was built around 1910 and is located on a three-acre property. Henderson has been detailing the home's makeover on her blog and on Instagram. As she explains on her blog, she's "figuring out how to lean in to 'farmhouse' in a way that feels modern and 'us,' something that isn't too safe but also not taking a risk or going after any trend that I would get sick of."

The home is in different stages of renovation. Currently, she's showing changes to the kitchen, which features marble countertops, white oak shaker-style cabinets, and a vintage wood island that was an old store counter. The room also has skylights, a vintage rug, and denim-colored tile that matches Henderson's favorite jeans.

The kids' bathroom was updated from a '90s-style bright blue room to a modern white and green space. The bathroom also has a clawfoot tub, gold-colored fixtures, and a vintage dresser which was turned into a vanity. Henderson is also inviting her fans to share in the renovation, such as asking them which curtains they'd use in the mudroom. 

Vern Yip, who got his start as a designer on "Trading Spaces," and served as a judge on many seasons of HGTV's "Design Star," makes his home in Atlanta with his husband, Craig, their kids, Gavin and Vera, and their two dogs. The couple bought the house in Atlanta's Brookwood Hills in 2009. Yip often showcases photos of his 6,700-square-foot home, which was built in 1925, on his Instagram page. The designer, who says he loves symmetry, has decorated the house with modern furnishings and many Asian antiques that he has picked up around the world. For example, he has two antique teak statues from a Burmese temple, a Bhutanese ceremonial mask, and an orange lacquered temple bowl (via Atlanta Magazine).

He's teaching his kids to appreciate the home and its furnishings, telling People, "We all like living in a beautiful house so for that to happen we all have to treat the house with respect." The living room features arched windows, a white fireplace, and fine art photography. Their library, which doubled as a pandemic workspace for their kids, has a bronze "Dying Gaul sculpture" that Yip bought while on a shoot in Rome. Pendant lighting and a cast resin animal bust complete the look.

During the early days of the pandemic, Jasmine Roth, known to HGTV viewers for her design skills on shows like "Hidden Potential" and "Help, I Wrecked My House," moved into a Huntington Beach, California, house with her husband Brett and their then-newborn daughter, Hazel. Roth, the founder of Built Custom Homes, built the house from scratch. It took three years to build and has lots of cool features, including a secret room.

"It's a bookcase, and then it moves to the side and you walk into a little speakeasy," Roth told Realtor. "We call it a wine-tasting room. It just has a bench in there and a window, and it's just real small. If you don't know it's there, you don't know about it."

She shares a lot of her home on her social media, including Instagram. The modern kitchen has pendant lighting, open shelving, and white countertops. It also has a trendy black island flanked by four camel-colored leather bar stools, and handy cookbook storage right next to the fridge. Plus, the wall leading up the staircase has personalized art featuring a custom crossword puzzle with words like "dog beach" and "good times." An open space reading nook and play area for Hazel is under the staircase.

A generation of fans knows Jonathan Knight as a member of the boy band New Kids on the Block, but now a new generation knows him as the star of "The Farmhouse Fixer" on HGTV. Rehabbing older homes was once a hobby, but it's now how Knight makes his living, in addition to occasionally going out on tour with his former bandmates.

The Massachusetts native and his husband, Harley Rodriguez, bought an Essex, Massachusetts, farm dating back to approximately 1760. Knight has bought many older homes in the neighborhood and now has 10 acres, including an 1890 home where his mother lives and a farmhouse for his nephew. He and Rodriguez are also building a new colonial-style home on the property (via The New York Times).

The farmhouse interior is rustic yet modern. The living room has a white-painted beam on the ceiling, a dark blue accent wall surrounding the fireplace, and lots of plants. The white kitchen features a wall of windows, allowing a lot of light to come into the room. An island with metal stools serves as the focal point of the kitchen. A green neon sign above the windows reads "Gathering Farm."

The farm, which features a lush greenhouse, also has ducks and goats. One Instagram post shows the goats playing inside on a cold day, with one goat standing on a sectional couch while another stands in the kitchen on the brick floor.

In 2022, Christina Hall, host of "Christina on the Coast" and "Christina in the Country," bought a 7,000-square-foot mansion in Newport Beach, California (via Zillow). This sprawling house cost $12 million to purchase, but seems worth every penny. It has five bedrooms and six bathrooms, an in-ground pool, an exercise room, and a private movie theater. Haack seemed to know it was perfect for her family the second she saw it since she put in an offer moments after it hit the market. In fact, she bid on it 60 seconds after it was put on sale (via New York Post).

Not only does the house have lots of space, but it also has intriguing architectural features. Since it's in California, there is a huge emphasis on indoor/outdoor living, with the living room and kitchen having retractable walls that open up into the backyard. The hallways are also constructed out of glass, blurring the lines between the inside and outside. There are also a series of balconies, opening the bedrooms to the backyard.

The "Property Brothers" star Jonathan Scott bought a stately white mansion in Los Angeles with partner Zooey Deschanel in 2020. The couple calls it their "forever home" and has slowly renovated it to be modern, vintage, and cozy for their big family. The five-bedroom, eight-bathroom home was initially built in 1938 and has a Georgian design. It has a sprawling yard complete with sycamore trees and a  60-year-old rose garden. The couple threw themselves into making it their own, with Scott focusing on construction and Deschanel zeroing in on interior design. "It was really hands-on for both of us," Deschanel said in an issue of Drew + Jonathan Reveal. "Many Saturdays, we sat searching for the right details to add to this home."

But it took a lot of work, especially since it was such an old home. Scott said they wanted "to pay homage to the architect [Gerard Colcord] and what was intended with the property," but "with two choppy additions in the '70s and '80s, the home no longer functioned well by current standards." It has since been completely renovated with all the newest appliances and safety features, and the family is enjoying their historic home.

Over in Tennessee, HGTV star Christina Hall has a farmhouse of her own to show off with her husband, Josh. Her spinoff series, "Christina in the Country," details the couple's renovations in the vacation house she bought there. Hall sees her Tennessee house as her "fresh start," considering it's the total opposite of her life in California. "It's the best," she told People, "It's definitely where we'll retire. I would love to do the opposite [of what I do now]: I would love to live there full time and then have a cute little beach cottage in California, in La Jolla, that we hop back to." She added, "I've been in California my whole life, and this was truly a fresh start."

This spectacular farmhouse leaves nothing to be desired with 5,000 square feet, over 23 acres of land, and amenities like an in-ground swimming pool. She has also added chickens to the farm and plans to add miniature donkeys and goats. The price tag for such a charming country retreat was $2.5 million.

The home features six bedrooms, 5.5 baths, a casual and formal dining room, a kitchen fit for a queen, a brick fireplace, and a beautiful southern wrap-around porch. It also has French doors, exposed beams, high ceilings, and huge, elegant chandeliers. In fact, one of the chandeliers was created out of an elaborate display of antlers. The house's interior boasts brick, stone, and clean white walls, with Christina's signature contemporary design flair throughout. 

"Holmes on Homes" star Mike Holmes lives in Ontario, Canada, in a 2,000-square-foot house that was built in the '70s but has been completely renovated. Some of the projects he's tackled have included new countertops, new flooring, and a fireplace. There have also been major changes to the outside of the home, including an elaborate limestone deck with recessed lighting. Two distinct pavilion areas were installed — one as an entertainment and dining area and one as a bar and kitchenette area. Holmes also added an outdoor fireplace, a waterfall, and a hot tub!

Not many details are known about the house itself, or many pictures of the interior. But based on Holmes' YouTube videos, his living room has charming exposed beams and some hardwood and brickwork. We know he typically likes quartz countertops for the interior, but he put in porcelain countertops in the extensive outdoor living areas. He speaks highly of this choice and says it's nearly indestructible! Hopefully one day we'll get an official tour of the inside, but for now, we'll have to be happy with what we've got.

Jillian Harris, who most of us know from HGTV's "Love It or List It (Vancouver)," has done a fantastic job renovating her farmhouse. One of the most interesting things about her interior design is that so many of the pieces have a deeper meaning. For instance, a framed newspaper article from 1931 is on the wall from the same year the house was built. In fact, most of her decor is made up of antique or vintage pieces with some sort of significance. These personal touches throughout the farmhouse create a nostalgic atmosphere and vibe.

There are lots of woven items like light fixtures, bamboo blinds, and wooden slatted window coverings. Blanket ladders and woven laundry baskets add charm and coziness. The amount of detail and meticulous care that went into designing these rooms is obvious. One bedroom, with a beautiful brass bed from the 1900s, even had original wallpaper, but most rooms were repainted, including floors and ceilings.

The kitchen was done in a delicate cherry blossom patterned wallpaper, and the appliances were all done by a Canadian-based company specializing in appliance reproductions. For example, the refrigerator and stove are 1954 replicas in the color bisque, and they are stunning. Probably the most surprising thing about the whole project is that it was all done on a budget. The floors and countertops are laminate, and the tile backsplash is peel-and-stick. What truly amazing results!