Joanna Gaines Unveiled a Stunning Mini Renovation: ‘The Whole Thing Was Fast and Furious’
Joanna Gaines announced the completion of a new renovation project. She shared the results of what she calls a “mini reni” (mini renovation). Here’s what the Fixer Upper star accomplished during her latest home design.
Joanna Gaines completed a mini renovation
Joanna shared the details of her recent design project. She wanted to focus on renovations that wouldn’t take a lot of time but had significant results.
“A couple of months ago, I decided I wanted to take on a few spontaneous and quick—no Demo Day required (sorry Chip!)—home renovation projects, highlighting small adjustments that can make a big impact,” says Joanna on the Magnolia blog. “So, I got the team together and we tackled our first “Mini Reni.”
Joanna and her team finished the project in just 7 days
For this project, Joanna focused on refreshing the home of a couple who just had a baby. She wanted to provide a space for the family to be able to come home and relax with their new bundle of joy. The Magnolia team had just seven days to get everything done.
“This is the home of a couple who just had a baby and were feeling overwhelmed by all that needed to get done before they moved in,” says Joanna. “We got the keys a week before they were set to move in, so we were mostly working with a blank slate. We updated three rooms: the living room, a bedroom, and the dining room and had seven days to complete the project.”
Joanna continues, “The whole thing was fast and furious—we did some cosmetic updates and brought in some beautiful furniture and accessories. I’ve been designing homes for the past 20 years and one thing I know to be true: Sometimes all you need is a few days or a few key pieces to turn a room into a space you love.”
Joanna had to work with a tight budget
Joanna had a tight renovation budget, but she made it work. She revealed she had just $5,000 to re-do the living room. The smaller budget meant she had to make some tough choices, like whether to replace the floor or repaint the walls. Joanna chose to go with repainting the walls. She says she wanted to give the space an updated look.
“The existing tile floors made the room feel cold, so I picked a moodier paint color for the walls and then at the last minute decided to also paint the ceiling for a more dramatic look,” says Joanna on her blog. “I found a large area rug that not only softened the design of the room, but also helped ground the space by minimizing the visibility of the dark grout lines.”
Since the wall color was darker, Joanna decided to go with neutrals for the furniture. “I chose furniture with neutral colors to create contrast against the walls and make the space feel more casual and comfortable,” says Joanna. “Since we couldn’t update the windows, we added roman shades to give the room a subtle and warm texture. And lastly, we updated the light fixture to modernize the room and give the den a centralized focal point.”
Why Joanna Gaines loves mini renovation projects
Joanna posted about the renovation on her Instagram page. She says she loves to work on projects like this because they don’t take a lot of time but have eye-catching results.
“I love flips like this—approachable, fast, and minimal work but still high impact,” she says on Instagram. “We lovingly referred to this project as a #MiniReni and I can’t wait to share more with you! Head to the blog to see all the before + afters and to find tips for how you can transform your own space–no demo day required!”
Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.
