Joanna Gaines' 11 Most Stunning Design Choices From The Fixer Upper Lakehouse Series

Joanna Gaines is a home designer, a former HGTV host, and a celebrated author. So, when she and her husband Chip Gaines decided to renovate and bring their signature design style to a 1960s Texas lake house, we wanted to know more. From the breathtaking cliffside views to the spacious front courtyard, the design duo plucks the Waco, Texas fixer-upper straight out of the '60s and brings it back to the property's Spanish revival roots using its original blueprints to emphasize its unique design history and turn it into a modern showpiece.

From demo to design, the entire home renovation was documented in a new six-episode series on the Magnolia Network called, "Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse." It follows the couple as they breathe new life into the over 5,000-square-foot mid-century-styled lake house. Featuring five bedrooms and five baths, the property has a low-pitched roof, corbels, and brick exterior. With nature as their guide, the Gaineses bring a warm, welcoming color palette to the inside and outside of the house that spills over into every magnificent room. They turn this lake house into a midcentury escape, using earthy tones, modern furniture, warm-toned wall paneling, and terrazzo flooring.

This lake house courtyard screams for attention and sets the stage for the home's new interior design as the siding, trim, and columns are painted a moody dark green. Adding the globe sconce, the front door gets a touch of retro sophistication for a midcentury-inspired patio upgrade. The "Fixer Upper" crew decide to clear out the old garden to make way for a filtration pond, with a wall-mounted water feature. They add water lilies, Koi fish, and other aquatic plants as a sweet touch to the outdoor area. 

Joanna Gaines replaces the dated, decorative glass windows and then upgrades the boring stairway in favor of one made from cherry wood with a floating design, drama-inducing railings, and green carpet treads. The well-placed runner rug says, "Come on in and welcome to my home," featuring a brown geometric print that adds contrast to the white terrazzo tile and brass inlay floors and at the same time blends with the golden hue of the bench. The wood paneling on the door frames effortlessly blends with the new staircase and mid-century furniture. 

The library overlooks the courtyard, with the custom-built floating staircase acting as a scenic background, visible through the two wooden doors. Joanna Gaines uses neutral colors and midcentury-inspired lounge chairs from 2Modern to bring the room alive and connect the space with the rest of the home. She adds a moody green accent wall for a splash of earthy color to the cozy, neutral-toned room without taking anything away from the floor-to-ceiling display bookcase. You can catch the same vibe and DIY your own built-in bookshelves for a stunning reading room of your own.

The midcentury theme carries over into this back living space, with a sleek, green sofa acting as a pop of color against the natural wood palettes. It's paired with textured armchairs, another marble coffee table, and a wooden cabinet with design elements reminiscent of the era. The patterned area rug pulls the whole look together, adding warmth and texture. To make the water the focus of the outdoor scape, Joanna Gaines increased the window height to give it a panoramic view. This room's high-end, elevated style seamlessly segways into the kitchen.

The kitchen brings marble to the front of the stage. From the countertops to the backsplash, the timeless marble design makes the kitchen stand out even more against the Spanish-style terracotta and marble star tile floor. Joanna Gaines added new millwork, cabinetry, and the metal island, colored in a midcentury-inspired green and topped with a double bullnose edge marble. There are tons of creative ways to bring a midcentury design to your kitchen, but we love the modern furniture like the rattan bar stools, like these from Walmart, and the adorable wood accent table.

Perhaps the most stunning area of the kitchen is the hidden pantry Gaines adds. The wall, with its wooden millwork, cleverly helps disguise the paneled fridge and sink faucets with a pretty gold tone that matches the new stove. The custom shelves and cabinets give even more functionality to the space, while the green tile backsplash and marble countertop offer design continuity with the home. A pendant chandelier light fixture, similar to the Milo 2 Globe Linear Arc from Lights.com, hangs above the countertop to bring modern freshness to the kitchen.

There are many ways to add a touch of midcentury style to your bedroom without overdoing it. And that's just what Joanna and Chip Gaines have done. For the main bedroom, they add a built-in bed frame with a plush, oversized green velvet headboard. But to capture the midcentury aesthetic, they've installed earthy wallpaper, cherry wood millwork, and cabinetry in complementary hues. The vintage sconces and ceiling light fixture are minimalist additions that bring the entire space together while keeping the primary focus on the scenic balcony view. 

Joanna and Chip Gaines completely reconfigure the primary bathroom, taking it from outdated to all-out modern. Removing the glass block walls and Grecian columns and replacing them with partitions and reeded glass inlays, the space was completely transformed. The floating wooden double vanity, with its oversized, functional drawers, offers the bathroom a warm glow, while the dynamic pattern of the quartz countertop doesn't take away from the cabinet's natural beauty. The Gainses swapped out the green marble floor tiles in favor of the Belgian reproduction black terracotta flooring, which helped provide depth.

Joanna and Chip Gaines bring the original rec room back from history. It had been converted into a kitchen in the '90s, which doesn't work for the "Fixer Upper" hosts. The retro freestanding fireplace becomes the focal point of the space, with its cream-colored conical hood that pairs perfectly with the black-and-white checkerboard floors. With the addition of the cherry wood wall panels and curved accents, the rec room's feel is stately and cozy. And again, the plush, green built-in sectional offers a cohesive theme with the rest of the house.

The pool area was a depressing, murky mess before Joanna and Chip gave it a complete makeover. The backyard space has plenty of lush trees to provide shade and a great view of Lake Waco once the landscaping was pruned and spruced up. After the curvy pool was drained and cleaned, the whole outdoor landscape came right back to life, with a serene aesthetic. The yellow lounge chairs and matching yellow umbrellas, like these from Anthropologie, surrounding the pool are a bright, cheery addition to the oversized gathering space for enjoying sunny days and star-filled nights.