When it comes to television, viewers now have more options to choose from than ever before, and design shows are no exception. In a genre that at one time consisted mainly of This Old House on PBS (before the launch of HGTV in 1994), there are now dozens, if not hundreds, of shows focused on renovation, real estate, architecture, interior design, and everything in between.
These days, the issue is choosing which program to binge-watch first—and figuring out how to do so, given the numerous streaming platforms these shows call home. Here, we’ve rounded up an extensive, though not exhaustive, list of design-centric series you might enjoy, plus, we tell you where to tune in.
Home Town Takeover
Where to watch: Airs on HGTV on Sundays at 8 p.m., or catch up here.
Fans of Home Town (more on that later on) won’t want to miss this new spin-off, in which Ben and Erin Napier head to Wetumpka, Alabama, to renovate the entire town. Together they will renovate 12 different spaces in the town, including homes, restaurants, stores, public spaces, and more, and they will welcome a variety of celebrity guests to help along the way. Expect appearances from Sheryl Crow and a variety of HGTV stars like Tamara Day from Bargain Mansions and Mina Starsiak Hawk from Good Bones.
Marriage or Mortgage
Where to watch: Netflix
The more deranged the premise, the better the reality show. Isn’t that what they say? No? Well, anyway, this Netflix concoction takes the framework of Love It or List It and tweaks it a bit, creating a show where couples look at houses with a real estate agent and wedding venues (and caterers, decorations, dresses, etc.) with a wedding planner, and then decide if they want to put their money toward a down payment on a house or on a wedding.
Dream Home Makeover
Where to watch: Netflix
Shea (left) and Syd McGee in their own home during an episode of Dream Home Makeover.
You’ve seen this show’s premise before. Syd and Shea McGee are a husband-and-wife team doing home makeovers for clients in Utah, plus giving viewers a glimpse into their own lives running their design business, Studio McGee, and parenting their young children. That being said, if it’s not broken, why fix it? This is formulaic television at its finest, complete with the dramatic before-and-after shots you crave from a show like this. The McGees confirmed recently that season three will begin filming soon.
