Ah, the good old days of pre-pandemic interiors. Remember when you couldn’t swing a throw pillow without hitting a “Live, Laugh, Love” sign on an exposed brick wall? You can credit this mid aughts aesthetic to its queen, Joanna Gaines, who was the originator of modern farmhouse design. Think: Whitewashed shiplap shelves, open-concept everything, and enough rustic adornments to make even the most cynical city-dweller consider buying a barn. We all bought into it—filling our carts with mass-produced farmhouse décor from HomeGoods—blissfully blind to the fact that our homes looked like cookie-cutter sets for a suburban horror film.
Even the Haters Need to Admit, Joanna Gaines Is Back, Baby
What’s next for the queen of modern farmhouse
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Published Jul 17, 2024
Sydney Meister for PureWow
But then, the pandemic hit, and we all seemed to come to our senses. We quickly grew sick of kitschy signs and chevron picture frames—and the aversion was heightened when we noticed the same signs and frames in the homes of our co-workers (thanks, Zoom). After months of lockdown, we’d do just about anything to not “gather”—and go to a movie by ourselves—while realizing that we’d lost touch with how we were living. Between the hubbub of kids and work and events and vacations, interesting decor was last on the list of priorities. But when life slowed down, our homes became a metaphor for what we were missing in our lives: a lack of intention and an appetite.
And Joanna Gaines, it seems, was right there with us. “Some years ago, Chip and I found ourselves in a world we’d never known with no instructions or road map. When our show took off, we couldn’t have imagined all the beauty and blessings that would follow for us and for our family—all of which we’re continually grateful for. But it didn’t take us long to realize that being a part of this new reality also meant being a part of the news cycle,” she shared in a blog post from 2021. So then, burnt out from filming 11 months a year and facing the strains of constant media scrutiny, Jo seemed to hit a low point (along with the rest of us). “Let’s just call it like it is: 2020 was rough. Not rough around the edges. Not rough in a lovable sort of way. Just straight up rough,” she noted in another post on December 31, 2020.
The media mogul, who once represented our “go, go, go!” attitudes, seemed to have abandoned her signature optimistic outlook. And ironically, her followers were abandoning the modern farmhouse look for the same reason: it felt inauthentic and downright insane to encourage staying positive when the world went up in flames. In turn, Jo adopted a new message that would come to define her post-pandemic ethos: “We get a say in how we respond to all that's happened in 2020... We get to decide how much goodness and beauty is shared throughout our homes, our cities, the world. Right now, wherever we are.” At the time of the post, it felt like a welcome moment of strength in the chaos that had come to define our reality. She touched on a collective urge for rebellion—but in a way that brings beauty, intention and freedom. So, for Joanna, this meant embracing a slower, more gratitude-centric approach to life and design.
Enter Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse. For those who missed it, Joanna and Chip have revived their beloved Fixer Upper series on HGTV—but with a transformed Chip and Jo. Gone are the days of cranking out a new flip every episode. Now, the couple focuses on one project per season, allowing them to dive deep into each renovation. The slower speed is more than just refreshing—it’s a reminder that design is about more than just boring paint samples and mass-produced decor.
This is evident in the design of the lakehouse itself. Joanna has embraced a moodier and more eclectic vibe, with darker, richer colors replacing the ubiquitous whitewashed shiplap. Think: plaster walls, rich greens and volcanic ash tiles. The restoration of the original home’s wood trim is particularly telling. Instead of painting everything white, she preserved and enhanced the natural wood elements, including walnut baseboards and a custom floating cherry staircase. This speaks to a thematic shift towards natural materials in her design. With warm hues and organic elements, her finished spaces feel more timeless with an emphasis on outdoor living.
Magnolia
Ultimately, Joanna’s transformation is a reminder that design is about more than what meets the eye—it’s about creating spaces that reflect who we are and what we value. In a post-pandemic world, that means embracing comfort, values and authenticity. No matter how turbulent the outside world is, interiors have the power to remind us that we’re alive—and in charge of how we live. Hence why, if you’re still clinging to "Live, Laugh, Love" signs, it’s probably time for a design intervention. Joanna’s new style is a reminder that homes should be about more than just Instagram-worthiness—they should be about life-worthiness.
