8 Tips from HGTV's Jenny Marrs on How To Create a Luxury Experience at Home

We all want to feel relaxed, restored, and rejuvenated when we’re on vacation. It’s why we spend good money to stay at a nice place! Have you ever wondered how to create that luxurious ‘I’m-forever-on-vacation’ experience in your very own home? 

Jenny Marrs, the hugely popular home design star of HGTV's Fixer to Fabulous, knows exactly what it takes to create a serene environment to relax in. She and her husband Dave Marrs’ are home renovation experts who recently restored an 1800’s house to become The Welcome Inn, a stunning vacation rental. (The year-long journey was featured on HGTV’s Fixer to Fabulous: Welcome Inn)

Co-founder, Steph MacDonald in front of Welcome Inn: Rogers

We were thrilled when their team reached out to us a couple of years ago, wanting to outfit The Welcome Inn with Authenticity50 products. (And featured our pillows on the show!) You’ll find our towels, blankets, pillows and sheets there for guests to enjoy. If you’re ever in the area, you should book a stay at their Airbnb! (I was fortunate enough to tour the Inn earlier this year, and it’s gorgeous.)

Jenny was busy filming another season of Fixer to Fabulous, but graciously took time to chat with me about how you can recreate the magic of a beautiful stay - like The Welcome Inn - at your very own home.

Authenticity50 Heritage Blanket on a sofa in the main living room of Welcome Inn: Rogers.

Co-Founder, Steph chats with Jenny Marrs

Products You Can Use to Elevate a Home

Steph: What types of products elevate a home and bring it up to a luxe level? 

Jenny: It’s the small details that really add something extra to a space. Lighting is important. Like bedside lamps. I think lamp lighting is a great way to liven up a bedroom, and it’s a good interchangeable type of thing. And if you have overhead lighting, you can get a dimmer. Adding pillows or other accessories to the space adds texture and layers. I especially love swapping out pillows for the season. And having candles! That adds a lot of warmth and makes the space cozy and comfortable.

What to Look for in Luxury Bedding & Bath Products

Steph: What do you personally look for when selecting luxurious bedding and bath products, or what makes a product stand out to you?

Jenny: I think quality is most important; even if it looks great, if it doesn't actually feel good, it's not something that you’ll really want to use. If it's say for bedding, you want to be able to feel cozy and warm in your bed. You don't want it to feel scratchy or uncomfortable.

When you think of going to a nice hotel, you have this amazing bedding. It’s about trying to replicate that at home. And the same goes for bath products. I think that's one thing I love about y'all's towels actually is they're just so thick and they feel luxurious. Like you're at a nice hotel.

Guests at the Welcome Inn: Rogers receive a complimentary gift basket from Authenticity50

Ensuring a Great Night's Sleep

Steph: How do you cultivate a great night's sleep for you and your guests?

Jenny: Use your pillow? Hello! I love your pillow. I really do. We're obsessed. It's ridiculous. I'm out of control with your pillow, but I really love it. It's so cozy. All my kids love the pillow. And I also again, go back to lighting; turning down the lights, having a dimmer..the type of bulb you use in your lights makes a difference.

Obviously, you don't want a fluorescent bulb. You want one that's soft, muted with light. We also have in our room, a really nice humidifier slash air purifier that runs through the night. We love it and we sleep really well with it. It has a little bit of soft white noise and makes the room feel nice.

Steph: Sounds like it keeps you at the perfect temperature.

Jenny: Yes, exactly. Yes. You need to sleep at the right temperature. You don't wanna wake up sweating and you don't wanna be freezing either!

Creating a spa-like experience in the Welcome Inn: Rogers using Authenticity50's Essential Cotton Towels.

Creating a Spa-Like Experience at Home

Steph: What are some ways to create a spa-like experience in your bathroom, any styling tricks?

Jenny: I think that getting rid of clutter on the countertop is key! It's nice to get rid of clutter because at least for me, I hate piles of stuff. Even though I sometimes have them. It's inevitable. If you live life, you have stuff. Especially with kids. I'm trying to keep the countertops clear. I feel like for me, when I walk in my bathroom, it gives me a little bit of sense of peace if they're clear. Same with my nightstand and bedroom. 

As far as styling, I think less is more in the bathroom and in the bedroom, if you want your bedroom and bathroom to be a place where you can relax and feel peaceful and serene. If you have tons of stuff and knick knacks and things, it's overwhelming and not good for creating a calming effect. 

Guest bedroom in Welcome Inn: Rogers using Authenticity50's Signature Sheets and Custom Comfort Pillows

Styling Your Bed

Steph: How can people style a beautiful comfy bed like you've done at The Welcome Inn? 

Jenny: I think layers for bedding is really important. Obviously you know, it's a seasonal thing and you’ll need to change them out with the seasons, but I've always loved layers. And actually, I don't use a top sheet. I will say I'm really bad about that! But I do love nice blankets, a quilt and a duvet. I like my layers! But again, I think again, less is more.

You know, there was a time when people had all of their pillows on the bed and it took 10 minutes to take them off to actually get in bed! But I feel like now the trend is much nicer and calmer, less cluttered…where you just have your sleeping pillows and a couple accent pillows. Less is more and a few comfy layers, to make me want to crawl in there and go to sleep.

The One Thing Jenny Marrs Can't Live Without

Steph: What's the one thing from home you can't live without these days and miss when you're away?

Jenny: You're gonna laugh, but of course it's my pillow. Dave is obsessed with the pillow now too. He's like, I think this summer I'm going to have to pack our pillow… Yeah. Gosh. He's obsessed like me… We usually do road trips with the kids, so I always, always bring my pillow with me no matter where we go. I really do. I love it so much. 

A50 team members, Deagan & Steph with HGTV Stars Jenny & Dave Marrs at the Grand Opening of the new Marrs Mercantile in Centerton, Arkansas.

Relax at the End of the Day

Steph: You have such a busy schedule. How do you wind down and relax at the end of a very long day? 

Jenny: When it's nice out, we like to go for a walk as a family. After dinner, I like to go into the pasture and check on the animals and it's just very calming for me. Just being outside, I think is really calming. Even just sitting on the front porch and taking some deep breaths. Luckily, where we live, we have trees and animals and it's nice and relaxing. So that's typically at the end of the day, what we like to do. My kids watch some TV, but Dave and I hardly ever do. 

And then I usually read an actual book before bed. I was just having a conversation with some friends of mine about having an actual book instead of just a Kindle or on your phone. I think it helps you to relax and it stimulates a part of your brain that's different. And if you have your phone, you get distracted with notifications, and the light isn't good for you at night. So I actually got a little book light that I just bought on Amazon for like $5 and it’s been great! Although Dave gets mad at me because he wants me to turn my lamp off so he can sleep, but it's great if you want to read a little before bed! 

Steph: These are all such great tips, thank you so much for sharing with us!

Wondering why Jenny is “obsessed” with our Custom Comfort Pillows and Essential Cotton Towels? Go check them out for yourself! Don’t forget to catch Jenny on HGTV’s Fixer to Fabulous. And if you’d like to keep up with Jenny’s awesome adventures, follow her on Instagram!