Photo courtesy of Tay Whiteside/Black Dog Salvage
With post-pandemic home sales and renovation projects at an all-time high, it’s a great time to take a “reno-cation.” Combining domestic travel with home décor exploration and immersion, reno-cations are all the rage on the home front.
Whether a “fixer upper” from Chip & Joanna Gaines’ show “Fixer Upper,” a luxury stone house from the “Salvage Dawgs,” the Pioneer Woman’s boarding house or a design center filled with hundreds of sinks, tubs and faucets, there is a reno-cation destination to suit all decorating desires.
Try these 10 destinations on for size.
Photo courtesy of Tay Whiteside/Black Dog Salvage
The Stone House at Black Dog Salvage – Roanoke, Virginia
The owners of salvage-business-turned-interior-design-destination, Black Dog Salvage (and the hosts of the long-running show, “Salvage Dawgs”) opened the 1911 Stone House next door as the ultimate showroom (and salesroom, in that much of the art and furniture is for sale) for their architectural salvage-inspired designs.
Stay in this lovingly renovated, upscale 3-bedroom guest house filled with upcycled and repurposed design ideas – think discarded doors as bed frames and window frames as mirrors – and peruse their 44,000-square-foot warehouse for your own renovation or new home build. Be sure to also explore the many amenities of downtown Roanoke and the countryside of Virginia’s Blue Ridge.
Photo courtesy of Meghan Aileen
Two Lanes Guest House – Columbia, Tennessee
“American Picker” Mike Wolfe spends his life looking for hidden gems in other people’s homes, barns, sheds and garages, then giving those forgotten relics second lives through restoration and refurbishment. Now, many of those picks can be found in his one-bedroom 1,100-square-foot loft vacation rental at Two Lanes Guesthouse.
Guests can see, appreciate and learn how to combine items of different vintages, designs and locales to create their own cohesive look, all while enjoying the charms of downtown Main Street Americana.
Photo courtesy of Laurel Mercantile
The Laurel Cottages – Laurel, Mississippi
Cousins and best friends with HGTV’s Erin and Ben Napier of “Home Town” fame, Mallorie and Jim Rasberry, along with the Napiers and other partners, Emily and Josh Nowell, are spreading the home town Americana gospel in the revitalization of Laurel, Mississippi. And nowhere is that more evident than at Laurel Cottages, their two Airbnb vacation rentals nestled on the grounds of the historic 1907 Gilchrist Home.
The first-floor Cottage and the second-floor Carriage House are specimens of cozy chic upcycling, refurbishment and charming design elements that were inspired by the television show and the couple’s retail venture, Laurel Mercantile Co.
Photo courtesy of Pierce Ingram
Wander Inn – Round Top, Texas
Top vintage designers Amie and Jolie Sikes, along with their mom, Janie, have been selling flea market masterpieces and roadside relics in their Junk Gypsy flagship store (and online), as well as sharing their upcycling how-tos on HGTV for years. Now, you can wander into their home décor playground with a stay at the Wander Inn on the back forty of JG HQ. With eight rooms and a farmhouse filled with their many finds and handcrafted gems, it’s the perfect base to be inspired.
Photo courtesy of City of Waco
Magnolia House and Hillcrest Estate – Waco, Texas
Chip and Joanna Gaines have created the blockbuster lifestyle Magnolia brand through home renovation programs, shops and markets, real estate and an inspirational magazine and television network. For true Gaines-style “farmhouse-chic” decorating inspiration immersion, stay in one of four homes that were renovated and featured on their über-popular television series, “Fixer Upper.”
From their flagship Magnolia House or the Carriage House, to the freshly renovated Hillcrest Estate, or the original carriage house of Hillcrest Estate, Hillcrest Cottage, these restorative destinations will inspire an authentic sense of home.
Photo courtesy of City of Waco
The Harp House – Waco, Texas
Featured as the go-to table maker and wood craftsman on Chip and Joanna Gaines’ “Fixer Upper,” as well as his own DIY Network show, “Wood Work,” Clint Harp and his home goods designer wife, Kelly, rent their former home (and original fixer upper on “Fixer Upper”), The Harp House.
The five-bedroom house is filled with handcrafted pieces like benches and headboards made from reclaimed wood, dining tables, custom cabinetry and artwork designed by Kelly. And it showcases many of the options available for purchase and shipping in their Harp Design Co. shop and showroom located next door.
The Pioneer Woman Boarding House – Pawhuska, Oklahoma
Blogger, author and television celebrity, Ree Drummond, a.k.a. “The Pioneer Woman,” has added innkeeper to her resumé with her eight-room “cowboy luxury” hotel, The Pioneer Woman Boarding House. The 100-year-old former J.C. Penney department store has been lovingly restored and renovated in true Pioneer Woman style, with different room themes (think horses in The Tack Room, cowboy chic in The Ranch Room, romance in The Boudoir and more) and lavish amenities.
Guests enjoy personalized morning coffee delivery, luxurious turndown service and in-room dining (and package delivery) from the Pioneer Woman Mercantile down the street.
Destination Kohler – Kohler, Wisconsin
Offering one of the original renovation vacations, Destination Kohler has been welcoming guests at their five-star luxury resort since the early 1980s. It combines a lavish stay in one of their three lodging options – including varied dining and shopping, as well as the soothing Kohler Waters Spa and 72 holes of championship golf – with access to their three-story, 36,000-square-foot bathroom and kitchen fixture Kohler Design Center.
Featuring hundreds of Kohler products and more than 20 display bathrooms and kitchens, many of which are functional, it’s a home renovator (and builder) inspiration playground.
Photo courtesy of Nicole Curtis
Vacation rentals from Nicole Curtis of “Rehab Addict” – Birmingham, Lake Orion, Oxford and Detroit, Michigan
With over 120 episodes of her binge-worthy “Rehab Addict” and “Rehab Addict Rescue” on HGTV, Nicole Curtis has literally transformed dozens of houses slated for demolition.
Now guests can see her handiwork up close and personal as rentals on Airbnb as Nicole (known as “Lucy” on the site), hosts guests in her luxury chic farmhouse, two-bedroom cottage, The Country Hideout five-bedroom luxury home featuring a natatorium, and her latest and greatest, the Detroit Castle. For Nicole, it’s the perfect solution to hanging on to her favorite houses.
Photo courtesy of Steve Thomas
Sea Cove Cottage – Port Clyde, Maine
Steve Thomas, serial renovator and Emmy award-winning former host of PBS’s “This Old House” and Discovery’s “Renovation Nation,” has brought his makeover magic to this charming fishing and lobstering village with the 1905 Sea Cove Cottage.
Lovingly restored in 2016, this energy-efficient house features a nautical-feeling shiplap gourmet kitchen, complete with Wolf range and Subzero refrigerator; three bedrooms, plus a separate entrance one-bedroom suite; an eclectic mix of antique and contemporary décor; lush gardens; magnificent sunset views of the harbor; and a quick stroll to the village center, beach and lighthouse.