STORY BY JOANNA GAINES
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MAGNOLIA NETWORK
You’ve likely heard me say that Chip and I are homebodies. It’s as true today as it’s ever been, and our kids are no different. There are very few places any of us would rather be than home. But as long as the kids have been school-aged, we’ve made spring break our annual family getaway.
For those of us in Central Texas, there are generally two camps of spring breakers—those who seek the beach and those who hit the slopes. In our house, the vote was unanimous. Six hands shot up at the promise of a winter retreat, so off we went in search of snow. It was, by the way, music to Chip’s ears since he grew up skiing the hilltops that bordered his hometown (you can read more about that on page 32 of this issue of Magnolia Journal). After a few years of trialing different ski towns, we landed in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
Slowly but surely, those snow-capped mountains carved themselves into the rhythm of our family. Going back year after year has somehow come to define who we are and what we value: home, but also the perspective we gain away from home, chicken noodle soup on the stove, ski runs that make your limbs sore, unfinished puzzles on the table, the crackle and pop of a roaring fire, watching the snow fall slowly from the sky.
Now, we’ve made this annual trek to the mountains for more than a decade, and somewhere along the way Chip and I started to wonder if Colorado was meant to be a bigger part of our family’s future. With the kids getting older and going off to colleges in different directions, we kind of loved the idea of having a central place where we could all gather together, a place with all the same comfort and intention and care as the farmhouse in Waco. And so, because Chip has always loved real estate, he started looking, casually, at properties in and around our favorite mountain towns. We were in no rush, and we weren’t even sure we’d ever go through with actually buying something. Nothing really caught our attention until last spring just before our annual ski trip.
When Chip stumbled across this house, with its stone columns at the driveway entrance, guest cottages out front, and access to a river that runs through the back, we quickly made plans to see it in person. From the moment we pulled in, I saw even more than what we’d been looking for.
Beyond a gathering place for our own family, I could see our parents and extended families here on weekend getaways, wanderlusting their hearts out. And friends who feel like family making themselves at home. I could see this place outliving us, housing our kids and their families on spring breaks decades from now. It seemed like the question that had been stirring just below the surface, What if we made another kind of home here?, was answered with a yes. From a practical perspective, the house had just the right blend of good bones and square footage that we love in a project—not to mention a classically rustic, cozy cabin feel that we could easily sink into.
The right opportunity presented itself at the right time, so we took the leap. We bought the property and invited our Fixer Upper crew to tag along and document the renovation. This was a new challenge for us, our first major home renovation outside of Texas. Colorado comes with its own unique learning curve, like the fact that it snows about six months out of the year, and material deliveries on mountain roads can get a bit dicey. Then there’s the travel back and forth, which has made for a few hilarious airport stories. (Bound to happen when you’re stowing tile and trim samples in your luggage!) But, because the kids are older now and more independent than ever before, Chip and I have more flexibility to say yes to new opportunities outside of our ZIP code.
For the home’s design, I wanted to prioritize a look and feel that fit the landscape but with a practicality that would meet the needs of all the things we love to do here—like cooking, playing games, skiing, reading, and fly fishing. As with our home in Waco, I’ve learned through practice how to balance beauty and usability, how to create spaces that let you retreat but also help you grow.
When I think about the farm, I can see all the memories we’ve tucked into each corner, the decades of stories we’ve written there. Walking around that house is like looking in a mirror. But this new space in Colorado feels like a chapter unwritten, its outline and details only just beginning to appear.
As intentionally as I’m thinking about the design on the front end—dreaming and creating backdrops for what we’ll need and want from this family retreat—I know that the deep, layered feeling of home will come later. It’ll envelop us once we’ve gathered here a handful of times, made our marks on the floors. Once we’ve claimed our favorite spots in the sun and hung photos on the walls. Once family and friends have left their signatures in the guest book and added their own foraged finds to the mantel. It will feel like home the more life that’s lived here.
ELLA’S TURN: Over the past few years, Ella (left) has really come into her own when it comes to developing her own personal style. I love her eye, so I asked her to design the small cottage adjacent to the main house (middle, right). It was so sweet to share this experience with her before she went off to college.
FISHING ON THE FLY: You can take the boys out of Texas, but you can’t take Texas out of the boys. Chip and Crew love fishing together at home, but this river behind the property is the dreamiest spot for them to practice a new hobby: the art of fly fishing.
Watch the premiere of Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House December 9 on Magnolia Network and HGTV, or stream on HBO Max and discovery+.
This story has been adapted from the winter 2025 issue of Magnolia Journal. To see it in print, pick up your copy here or on a newsstand near you. Then, start a subscription for inspiration year-round.
