HGTV Fixer to Fabulous Dog Friendly Kitchen Renovation

Two newlyweds, just months after their Napa wedding, turned to “Fixer to Fabulous” renovation experts Jenny and Dave Marrs to transform their outdated ranch. They’d saved $200,000 to make major changes to their all-brown first home that’s stuck in the past. The couple detests brown, giving the home designers a chance to give the home a full facelift inside and out, with personalized touches throughout. 

The front of the home features a courtyard which, at first glance, feels outdated, but has major changes coming. The couple quickly noticed that neighbors spend time outside having cocktails on their patios, and the courtyard would mean some serious neighborhood bonding over their favorite wines.

“A pergola will create some shade and give the courtyard some character,” Jenny says. They planted vine that would eventually wind up the edges of the courtyard too. “They put down roots, so we put down roots for them,” Dave says. He focuses on giving the home “architectural features” that serve as a consistent motif throughout the home. In this case, archways from the exterior inspired a barrel-shaped shower in the bathroom.

The trim contributes to the modern vineyard theme, which Jenny says adds character, on the new all-blue exterior as well. The renovators sought out wine barrels to custom make an outdoor table in the courtyard too. The pergola in surprising modern black contrasts the blue and white exterior paint.

The focal point of the home, once you walk through the courtyard’s new french doors, is the massively remodeled kitchen which previously suffered from some seriously outdated cabinets and flooring. The new countertops are quartz, and the skinny island is black walnut, one of Dave’s favorite materials to integrate because of its unique and pronounced grain. Dark accents frame the in-home windows that separate the kitchen from the living room, a surprising architectural addition to the room that increases visibility.

But their golden retriever is the one who inspired the most unique kitchen feature. A built-in dog food and water bowl has its own faucet for refilling the water with ease, complete with a matching quartz finish. Dave jokes, “You want me to run plumbing for a pot filler for a dog?” But finally agrees with Jenny, that “it’s cute.” She was intent on personalizing the home for their stage of life, which currently involves their dog as their only and most important child. The off-blue kitchen cabinets continue the blue theme from outside, staying true to the idea that the whole house should feel cohesive.

It may not be a Napa vineyard, but it’s close enough for this new couple to live up newly married life to the fullest, creating their own stories.

“Fixer to Fabulous” airs new episodes on Tuesdays at 9/8 central on HGTV and Discovery+.