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Joanna Gaines has always maintained a relaxed and effortless vibe when it comes to her home, running her business, and the way she takes care of her family. However, Gaines’s efforts to truly appreciate all the little things life offers are most evident in her favorite spot at home, where she feels the most creative, comfortable, and at peace.

Joanna Gaines cooks in the kitchen of her discovery+ show.
Joanna Gaines | Magnolia Network/Discovery Plus
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Joanna Gaines’s home was a fixer-upper when she and Chip first purchased the property in 2012

The Magnolia founders’ farmhouse is in Waco, Texas, where she and her husband Chip raise their five children: Drake, Duke, Ella, Emmie, and Crew. The couple made significant repairs and renovations to the home during the first season of Fixer Upper.

The farmhouse, built in 1895, had great bones but needed some updating. However, the couple’s vision surpassed the challenges that lie ahead during the home’s extensive renovation.

One space in particular that Gaines knew she wanted to update was the kitchen. Although she loved the kitchen, she wanted to give the space some personality. She said to Parade Magazine, “I just wanted the space to evolve with the new addition, and I just thought it was time for a change.”

“Chip and I definitely feel like this is our forever home,” Joanna told Country Living. “The kids love it. We can’t imagine being anywhere else!”

Joanna Gaines never feels ‘overwhelmed’ in her favorite room at home

Gaines loves the serenity she feels while at home with her family. Even though there are always items to check off her to-do list, the Fixer Upper star has noted in issues of her Magnolia Journal Magazine that being at home grounds her. Making meals for her family, tending to their animals, and gardening are all ways Gaines centers herself when her work life becomes hectic.

However, she adores one spot most of all, and it’s the one where she never feels “overwhelmed.” No surprise, it’s her kitchen. 

“It’s the heart of the home for me,” she said in an interview published by HGTV. “No matter how much is going on, I don’t feel overwhelmed because the palette is very clean and fresh. I love the farmhouse sink and looking out the window at the animals and cows while I work.”

“When we renovated the house, we made sure we kept all the original molding and trim, flooring, and shiplap walls to preserve the character,” Gaines admitted.

The couple tackled an even more significant challenge by renovating a castle located in Waco, TX

On top of running a design empire that includes a home accessory line at Target, books, magazine, television shows, and their streaming network, the Gaines added one more challenge to their list: renovating a historic castle.

The couple purchased the historic Cottonland Castle in 2019. According to Wide Open Country, the castle’s exterior comes complete with a 9-foot oak door that weighed in at 400 lbs. 

Gaines spoke of how she grew to love the idea of the building’s renovation in an essay for Magnolia.com.

“No doubt, this is a fixer-upper unlike any other we’ve ever tackled,” Gaines wrote. “Even though we haven’t the slightest idea of what it will become, what Chip did know all along, deep in his bones, and what I have learned to see too, is this: If you look past the cracks in the masonry, past the rotted floorboards, past the wilderness taking over the backyard, there is a lot of beauty to be found in this old castle.”

The castle’s painstaking Herculean renovation will be the subject of the eight-episode special Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle, airing in September on the Magnolia network.

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