Joanna Gaines is known for a lot of things: Giant clocks, whitewashed shiplap, peach cobbler. But it’s clear that, within the last year or so, there’s been a definite change in her style, away from neutral modern farmhouse and toward a moodier, more eclectic aesthetic. Think: Plaster walls, rich greens and volcanic ash tile.
One thing I never thought I’d see? A Joanna project that looked anything like my actual home.
Some backstory: I live in a craftsman-style townhouse in Brooklyn, built in 1910 to be the cookie-cutter working class abode of its day. Everyone on the block has the same layout, and—assuming nobody installed a drop ceiling—the same crown moldings and coffered dining room details. The house is beautiful (if I do say so myself!) but it’s also dark, ornate and made of up lots of little rooms as opposed to one big one. In other words: It’s a far cry from the sun-drenched Fixer Upper open-concept plans you know and love.
