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Joanna Gaines's Style Evolution: How the Fixer Upper Star's Designs Have Changed over 5 Seasons

Joanna Gaines's Style Evolution: How the Fixer Upper Star's Designs Have Changed over 5 Seasons

See how the expecting mom's style tastes have changed since season one of her her hit HGTV show

By Mackenzie Schmidt

February 23, 2018 06:00 PM

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Can You Spot the Changes?

Credit: Joanna Gaines/Instagram

So you think you know Joanna Gaines’s style . . . but when was the last time you spotted a wall of that oft-cited shiplap in one of her rooms? What ever happened to those giant clocks? And was “weekend blue” always her go-to hue?

Here’s a look at how Jo’s eye for interiors has evolved since the earliest days of Fixer Upper to the show’s current (and final!) season.

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Spelling It Out

Oversized letters were one of Joanna's first signature elements circa 2013, spotted on her Instagram even before the first episode of Fixer Upper aired. This "fArM" display stood out in the Magnolia office, but her love for salvaged sign letters was perhaps most notably on the original Magnolia store, opened in 2003.

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Always on Time

Another OG Joanna favorite (seen here in 2014): the super-sized clock. Inspired by European train station clocks, these extra large statements seem to have fallen out of favor with the designer of late, as her style has shifted away from more ornate decor. (One wall-mounted timepiece that's still around is the one that takes pride of place in Joanna's own living room.)

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Writing on the Wall

Credit: Joanna Gaines Instagram

These words of wisdom in the Gaineses' own house were quintessential Jojo circa 2014. She's spelled out everything from "home" and "farmhouse" to "Today is a good day for a good day" in clients' homes.

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Far from "Farmhouse Modern"

Credit: Joanna Gaines Instagram

With the hindsight of a 2018 Fixer Upper fan, this pale, ladylike space is clearly more shabby chic than "farmhouse" anything. In Joanna's own bedroom, creamy colors, super-distressed white wood, pleated bedding and a delicate chandelier dominated circa 2015.

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Put Some Shiplap on It

Credit: Joanna Gaines Instagram

These white-painted wood boards will be forever associated with the Texas designer — they seemed to pop up in every episode for a few seasons — but shiplap and beadboard (also pictured here in a room from 2015) have become a far less common sight on the show.

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A Little Bit (French) Country

Credit: Joanna Gaines Instagram

Trellis patterns (in the rug and mirror), carefully clipped topiaries, and curtains puddled on the floor call to mind French Country style in this 2015 space — something far more formal than Joanna's current rooms.

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Turning to the Dark Side

Credit: HGTV

This kitchen from season 2 of Fixer Upper (2015), saw her experimenting with rustic, industrial style. While it wouldn't change Joanna's overall outlook, the custom shelves made of black pipe would come to replace traditional cabinetry in many a Gainesian cook space.

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Time-Tested, Jojo-Approved

Credit: Joanna Gaines Instagram

A few design elements have stood the test of time. Three can be spotted in this 2016 space: black metal railings, a chalkboard feature and wood-slatted walls. A version of each also appears in the Gaines's own farmhouse.

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Black Built-Ins

Credit: Joanna Gaines Instagram

Painting a wall black seemed out of the question just a few years earlier. But these days, Joanna has found a new favorite treatment in coating cabinetry in super dark hues, like these in Magnolia Market, or the ones in the lounge of their second vacation rental property, Hillcrest Estate, which debuted in 2017.

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Black and White All Over

Credit: Courtesy HGTV

In the season 4 finale (2017), Chip and Joanna transformed a $12,000 shack for the executive producer of their show that was also decidedly modern, with a stark black-and-white scheme, Scandinavian-inspired chairs and industrial shelving.

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Utility Player

Credit: HGTV

In her "all-time favorite" fixer upper, Joanna diverged from her own aesthetic more than ever to suit the style of her sister, Mary Kay, and her family. There's not so much as a distressed corbel in this totally midcentury-modern home from 2018.

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Farmhouse 2.0

Credit: HGTV

The Copp house, featured in season 5 in 2018, was quintessential "modern farmhouse." The imperfectly finished wood table is the second coming of Joanna's earlier heavily distressed sideboards. The potted plants replace the formal topiaries of yore. And the black lantern takes the place of what might have been an antique chandelier a few years earlier.

To see how Joanna's style continues to evolve and influence a legion of design lovers, tune in to Fixer Upper Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. EST on HGTV.

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By Mackenzie Schmidt

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Joanna Gaines's Style Evolution: How the Fixer Upper Star's Designs Have Changed over 5 Seasons

1 of 13

Can You Spot the Changes?

1 of 13

2 of 13

Spelling It Out

2 of 13

3 of 13

Always on Time

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4 of 13

Writing on the Wall

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Far from "Farmhouse Modern"

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6 of 13

Put Some Shiplap on It

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7 of 13

A Little Bit (French) Country

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Turning to the Dark Side

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Time-Tested, Jojo-Approved

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Black Built-Ins

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Black and White All Over

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Utility Player

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Farmhouse 2.0

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