Chelsea & Cole DeBoer on Secret Sauce to Their Marriage & ‘Down Home Fab’

Almost a decade ago Chelsea and Cole DeBoer first met at a gas station. Cameras followed their relationship blossom through the lens of Teen Mom 2. The power couple have since moved over to the neighborhood of HGTV with their own show Down Home Fab. The series, now going into its second season, sees Cole and Chelsea juggling family while growing their renovation business in Sioux Falls.

Between Chelsea’s eye for design and Cole’s project management and construction skills, they are a one-two punch. Being parents themselves, the duo can also relate to many of their clients and what they want out of these property transformations. During the premiere, the DeBoers meet a widower who lost his wife to cancer. They’ll help the father of three renovate the home in a way that aligns with the vision she had for the place before she passed.

Here the two open up about their relationship and projects they tackle this season.

Do you find a lot of your clients recognize you from Teen Mom 2? 

Chelsea DeBoer: I feel a lot of them do because of the area. This is such a small town.  Everyone knows everyone. If someone is on TV, it’s a big deal. Most people do know us from that.

What is it like working together? 

Cole DeBoer: When we talk to other couples, they may say, “I don’t know how you guys work together every day.” We work so well together. We run ideas by each other. I think when it comes to work, we have fun together and run with it.

Chelsea: I think the reason why it works for us is because we do make it fun. A lot of couples don’t get to have quality time as much as we do. Any time we can run to lunch and make a little date during the work day we do. We’re lucky we get so much alone time, even though we have so many kids.

How would you describe your approach going into Season 2? 

Chelsea: For me, it was just being confident in my decisions and not being afraid to speak up. I’m not someone who speaks up very much, but these are my designs. I want them to be what I have in my head. I’m coming to these projects with more confidence and not being afraid to say something when I have to.

Cole: We had to find trust in ourselves. We took on some very big tasks and had to have the confidence to tackle them.

Will we see a lot of the kids in the episodes? 

Chelsea: It’s the perfect amount of showing our family. I think it would be an unrealistic thing for us not to show our kids and family life because it is a balance. It’s such a major part of our life. I hope people can relate to seeing us find a balance between work and family life. The kids aren’t in it a whole bunch, but they are making cameos. I love that.

Cole: It’s more of a check-in. With our family and farm animals and all we have at home. It’s an update of what’s new as we go on.

In the premiere, you’re helping a widower. Take me through that project. Did you feel the added weight to get things right? 

Chelsea: These kids and Derrick have been through so much. The last thing they need to worry about is having a comfy place to come home to. We felt that pressure. I know it was hard for Derrick. He questioned if he wanted to change his house because so much of his life with his wife was there. Knowing he was unsure about that, it added a lot of pressure. We focused on keeping her spirit alive in there and hopefully taking the weight off of his shoulders with the project.

Cole: That project had a special place in our hearts. We felt the pressure. We work hard on all our projects but we definitely wanted to nail that one and wanted it to mean a lot to that family.

What can you tease about the other clients we’ll meet and the challenges you face? 

Chelsea: I feel like everyone is different and every house is very different. Everyone has unique stories, and I love that. We touch on a bunch of different stories.

Cole: I love this season because it’s a lot of variety.

Chelsea: There are newer homes, older homes. We love to knock down walls and open things up, but in some cases, we don’t. There is some variety. There is a couple that was just getting married. There is a couple that was having a baby. Lots of big moments in people’s lives.

Cole: When you have these milestones, it means a lot for us to help them with the next chapters they are going into.

HGTV

How is it bringing your personal experience to these jobs? 

Chelsea: We can relate. Even the couple that were having a baby. We have been there. We know how stressful that is. We put ourselves in that position. You want to come home to a house that looks amazing, ready for baby. We try to put ourselves in each other’s positions.

Cole: It does become personal when you take on these projects. We think about how each homeowner would feel and step into their shoes.

You were a judge for an episode this season on Battle on the Mountain. How has it been getting to know your fellow HGTV personalities? 

Chelsea: It is so fun for us. We are HGTV superfans. Going on these shows and having the opportunity to meet other hosts, people who have been on forever is so fun for us. Everyone has unique talents and different experiences, so listening to everyone has been helpful for us. I’m even asking them for pictures and then sending them to our parents. They are so excited to see us meeting everyone. We’re just observing it all.

Cole: Being a guest is so much fun. Not only meeting the hosts is fun, but also the crew. Chelsea and I talk to everyone. We make friends everywhere.

How do you feel about potentially competing against those people one day? 

Chelsea: I would do it. I would be kind of scared though.

Cole; We would be a little nervous, but we’re confident in our abilities.

HGTV

Has any of your former Teen Mom 2 castmates asked for help with their own homes? 

Chelsea: Honestly, no. I don’t think I’ve heard from anybody about that, but it’s totally fine.

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You’ve been together going on a decade. How do you reflect on that milestone? What’s the secret sauce? 

Chelsea: I honestly think the secret sauce for us is making time to reflect on that. There are multiple times we’re in the car or we’re on a date night. I try to take in that moment and think about where we are and how far we’ve come. Being grateful is such an important piece to being successful.

Cole: Whether we’re by ourselves or together, we take a step back and reflect on where our lives have been and where we are now. We appreciate how amazing things have been for us.

Down Home Fab Season 2 premiere, March 21, 9/8c, HGTV