It was a moment in the car with her daughter that changed the trajectory of Chelsea DeBoer’s career.
“Once Aubree got to a certain age, I could almost feel a shift, and she was starting to speak up and give her perspective on how she was feeling about things,” recalled Chelsea of filming Teen Mom 2 on MTV.
The specific setting had the mother and daughter surrounded by GoPros while Aubree started sharing something personal, and suddenly “it clicked.”
“In that moment I was like, ‘Okay, I want to protect this,’” continued Chelsea, “and it was such a gut feeling it was time to really think about it and see if this was feeling right anymore.”
After 10 seasons, it was time to leave the show, which opened up doors to other opportunities.
One was to start thinking about their forever home with their family of six. The initial plan was to build on land they purchased in 2020 outside of Vermillion, where Chelsea grew up.
Then they visited a friend in the Worthing area.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s so beautiful over here,’” remembered Chelsea. “Our friends told us the farmer who owned it was potentially open to selling some more land.”
After getting in touch, the farmer said he could offer them 10 acres. Her husband, Cole, put on his negotiation hat.
“I persuaded him to give me 25, so we bought 25 acres,” he said.
The DeBoers began the building process, and that’s when they started to catch the design bug, specifically with a modern-rustic vibe. To his excitement (or dismay), they soon realized Cole could do a lot of the work with his background in construction.
“From then on out I was like, ‘I have this project and this project,’ and so it started then, really building from the ground up,” recalled Chelsea.
They found they truly enjoyed the process, and began documenting their progress along the way via social media to her 6.6 million Instagram followers.
“I remember everyone saying, ‘Good luck with your marriage; building a house is the worst thing ever,’” continued Chelsea, “but we actually found it so fun that once we were done with it, we were like, ‘Dang, I want to keep doing that.’”
That led to her dropping a direct message (DM) to HGTV. To the DeBoers’ surprise, the network responded with interest. The couple put together their pictures and videos of their home building and design process, and after seeing behind the scenes (and several meetings later), their show Down Home Fab was greenlit.
The couple filmed three seasons renovating homes in the Sioux Falls area, transforming them with their signature “South Dakota glam.”
Chelsea and Cole did everything from designing to project managing, which included getting their hands dirty with demo to finalizing details before the big reveal at the end of each episode.
While some can’t imagine working with their spouse, the DeBoers say they thrive off of it, which is palpable on air and through social media.
“When we’re done with work and our kids are out of school, it’s pure chaos. We try to take full advantage of being alone throughout the day,” said Cole.
“I feel like we do better together, for sure, and it’s also great having someone for all the high highs and the low lows,” said Chelsea. “We’re in it together, which is nice to have that mutual understanding. A lot of times if you work separately and you have something amazing happen to you, it’s not as exciting as it would be unless the other person experienced it too.”
An episode that stands out for the couple was from season two with Derrick Ortman and his family. Following his wife, Rachel, passing from cancer, Derrick wanted to start a new chapter in his home for himself and his three kids, and was chosen for the renovation.
“Just his whole story and being able to be part of that in a small way, that one just always…I always think back to that one, and we absolutely stay in contact,” said Chelsea.
Before and after filming, the couple had the entrepreneurial itch with businesses including Chelsea’s online lifestyle brand, Aubree Says by Chelsea DeBoer.
“I WENT FROM WORKING CONSTRUCTION, NEVER SEEING HER, TO NOW BEING ABLE TO BE WITH HER EVERY DAY.”
– COLE DEBOER –
“[Aubree Says] is everything I love all in one like jewelry, girly stuff, robes, and slippers,” described Chelsea. “That’s my vibe when I’m at home—I’m immediately changing into sweatpants and getting my slippers on. It’s been fun to do that brand and go into the girlier side, because I’m so into clothes and accessories and all that stuff, too.”
One of the biggest inspirations was also creating a place to find items they would use with their design projects.
“During the show we’re trying to furnish and find things to put in these homes,” she recalled. “We were struggling sometimes to find things we actually liked going in there, so we’re like, ‘Alright, we need to just curate our own, yeah?’”
The duo also wanted to create something bigger together outside of TV with local roots. An idea came to them to make their home décor and style available to anyone with their online and brick-andmortar home goods store, Down Home by Deboers, located on the outskirts of Tea.
“WE JUST WANT TO GROW IN THIS COMMUNITY.”
CHELSEA Deboer
The goal was to not only carry inventory that showed off their rustic modern design, but to also ensure the pieces were timeless. Some of their best sellers include Handmade Western Mini Plates, a Southwestern Cowboy row Blanket, a Tibetan Lamb Pelt and Tibetan Lamb Pillows, a Folding Goat Fur & Teakwood Stool, and more.
For those looking to freshen up a space or do a complete renovation like their show, Chelsea and designer Mary Tjon-Joe-Pin have partnered up to launch sister company, Down Home Design, where they can be hired for high-end residential projects.
“We’re taking on as many projects as we’re able to,” said Chelsea.
Along with local projects (noting they have quite a few in the Black Hills), Down Home Design has also taken on national clients.
“It’s so interesting; people from all over that I wouldn’t expect are like, ‘I want that country South Dakota glam vibe,’” said Chelsea. “We’re showcasing our style here in South Dakota all over.”
The DeBoers’ dream would be to take on A-list clients like country singers.
“Our dream clients would be country singers like Eric Church or something,” said Chelsea. “If someone would be open to just going full Old Western, that would be so sick.”
When they’re not working, the couple enjoys hanging out on their land with their four kids and plethora of animals, including chickens, goats, a pig, alpacas, and cows. The animals are great, they say, until Mother Nature gets in the way of schedules.
“We love—or I love—the surprise baby goats,” said Chelsea. “I don’t know about Cole, so much.”
“It’s not the end of the world, but when you’re leaving to bring your kids to school and then you’re like, ‘Oh, I gotta go help this baby goat be born,’ it’s a lot,” he laughed.
Looking into summer, the DeBoers love hitting up the pool and going to events with the family, including going to their favorite place—The Good Earth Farm in Lennox.
“It’s not that far from our house, and it’s so cute,” said Chelsea. “They have wood-fire pizza, and there’s a bunch of animals and things to do. We literally go there every weekend, because the kids can just run and the pizza is amazing.”
March 21 marked the two-year anniversary party for Down Home by DeBoers, and the pair say they want to continue their focus to grow their local presence.
“It’s been so cool owning a business in the Tea and Sioux Falls community and seeing how much people are so supportive of local businesses,” said Chelsea. “A lot of what I’ve done previously has been online, so being able to see actual people come in and interact with them has been amazing. I just want to really focus on that, and grow it to be the best.”
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“YOU JUST YOUTUBE AND FIGURE IT OUT IF THERE’S A NEW THING BEING THROWN YOUR WAY.”
COLE DEBOER
