Getty Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines in 2021
When “Fixer Upper” debuted on HGTV in May 2013, viewers fell in love with hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines for being so down-to-earth, relatable, and inspiring.
But some fans worry that fame and fortune has changed the couple. Joanna’s new social media post about one of her “favorite spaces” in their Texas farmhouse struck lots of fans as weirdly unrelatable, prompting many hilarious comments to remind the TV star they “live totally different lives.”
Fans React to Gaines’ Love of Her Laundry Room
On August 28, 2022, Gaines posted a photo of her laundry room on Instagram and Facebook, calling it one of her “favorite spaces” in her home. She loves it so much, she said, that it’s where she wrote much of her new book, “The Stories We Tell,” to be released in November.
The TV star wrote, “I brought a table and chair into our laundry room a few years ago when I realized the place where I wash and fold may be one of my favorite spaces in our home. It seems like no matter what’s gone on out there, how loud the world gets, I can always come back to the familiar quiet in here: the swoosh of the wash, the rumble of the dryer, the piles undone at rest on the floor. There is something about the ordinary, the profound absence of performance in this space that lets me be my truest self.”
The laundry room pictured has very few signs of it being an actual laundry room, save for the sleek washer and dryer and a woven basket on the patterned floor, with a few items of clothing tucked inside. The space reflects Gaines’ signature style, with white shiplap on the walls, hanging and potted plants, rustic decor, and big windows.
Gaines continued, “So this is where I journal, where I’ll come to solve a problem, say a prayer, or simply sort my thoughts. And it was here that I wrote down a lot of my story—free from the noise and any expectations. Feeling grateful today for this space and what it helped shape.”
Looking more like a quaint sunlit cafe than a typical laundry room, the post generated a great deal of swooning from fans — but also inspired many funny comments.
“Interesting,” one fan wrote. “My laundry room in the basement makes me wanna smash everything into a million pieces with a hammer … and I swear at it everytime…. we live totally different lives…”
Another commented, “God help me if I ever need to spend that much time in my laundry room!”
“My laundry room is where all my dreams die,” someone commented, “and reality always slaps me in the face.”
Many fans reminded Gaines that they don’t have the space or resources to create such a haven.
One wrote, “My laundry ‘room’ is a cinder block basement full of creepy crawlies,” while another joked she’ll try to make her local laundromat her “happy place.”
“That is beautiful,” someone commented. “Made me want to do the laundry until I ventured out to the garage where the washer and dryer reside.”
Another fan quipped, “A table and chair into my laundry room…what a fabulous idea. Bye bye washer and dryer!”
Gaines Has Shared Her Laundry Room Before
In an interview on the TODAY Show on November 6, 2018, Gaines took host Jenna Bush Hager on a tour of her family’s farmhouse and spent a great deal of time in her laundry room.
“What I love about this space is the irony that it’s the laundry room but it’s also one of my favorite rooms in the house,” Gaines said. “This is where I read, where I write, this is kind of my space.”
Bush Hager replied, “It’s sort of like your ‘woman cave.’ A place for you to work and think and, of course, do laundry.”
“And it smells good, it smells fresh,” Gaines said. “If you’re gonna have to do a chore, why not do it in a room you love?”
In addition to all of the funny reactions to Gaines’ love of her laundry room, her post also elicited comments from people who said they felt inspired to spruce up theirs and even some who’ve already done that.
“My laundry room is my place of peace and time with my thoughts,” one woman wrote. “Until I read your post Jo, I thought I was just crazy. Glad to hear there’s someone else who shares that tranquility.”