HGTV has got a huge hit on its hands with the Texas-based Fixer Upper –- and it’s not hard to see why. The endearing Chip and Joanna Gaines run a renovation and remodeling business out of a Waco storefront as well as their own home, do beautiful work restoring old, beat-up homes with loads of potential, and boast a sweet cadre of kids to boot. Fixer Upper’s first season was a ratings bonanza for the network, and the second shows no signs of slowing down.
One question neither the network nor the Gaineses have addressed directly is whether or not the newly-fortunate families on the show get to keep all the furnishings that Joanna uses to decorate the house when we see the finished product at the end of each episode. There’s always a bevy of furniture, a cavalcade of lamps, and a host of floral sprays, mantel frames, and sundry other touches to make each house feel like it’s already a lived-in home. But do the people on HGTV’s Fixer Upper get to keep the furnishings?
Unfortunately for the many fans of Joanna’s decorating style, the short answer to that question is: No, the families don’t get to keep the furnishings. Every piece comes from Magnolia Market, the storefront Joanna runs in Waco, and is indeed added to the house to make it feel as cozy as possible before the new owners move in. In fact, savvy viewers have noted that bigger pieces -– couches, overstuffed armchairs, dining room tables -– are sometimes used in multiple episodes.
Because they come from a shop, though, the pieces are available for purchase -– either by those new owners, or by eager viewers. Magnolia Market’s website offers almost every piece you’ve seen on Fixer Upper, and oodles more. And, because Joanna and Chip have so many craftsman contacts from the greater Waco area, you can order any wood or metalworking piece you’ve seen on the show as well.
Joanna herself recently addressed the topic of Magnolia home furnishings in a Q&A session on her blog. Here’s what the Magnolia Mom had to say:
Heather Teems asked: “Hi Jo Jo! Something I’ve always wondered when watching Fixer Upper- do the clients keep the furniture and everything in the home? You always stage it so well but usually ‘staging’ a home means that it goes once the new owner moves in. Just curious!”
Hi Heather! It all depends on the client and their budget. Our show features real clients with real budgets. The furniture budget is not part of the renovation budget, it’s something some clients add at the end. About half of our clients already have all their own furnishings (some of which I use for the reveal), and others buy the items I decorate the home with. The main reason I decorate the rooms for the reveal is because I want the clients to get the full picture of how to maximize their newly renovated space.
(Photo credits: Do the people on HGTV’s Fixer Upper get to keep the furnishings via HGTV)
