Two Steps Home Stars Reveal How COVID-19 Changed Home Renovations - Exclusive

It's an understatement to say that COVID-19 changed a lot — it changed just about everything in our day-to-day lives, and it's something that "Two Steps Home" stars Jon Pierre and Mary Tjon-Joe-Pin are very aware of. The coronavirus pandemic changed not only our ability to go out for dinner or catch a movie in the theater, but for many of us, it altered the way that we work. Working from home became the norm, and it's safe to say that a work-from-home format will be with us for the foreseeable future. This, of course, is on top of many of us just staying at home far more often. All of this is to say that the renovation priorities of Jon and Mary's projects have definitely changed, too.

Not only did Jon and Mary have to navigate filming their HGTV show, "Two Steps Home," in a pandemic, but they had to approach their projects in a new way. At one point, home renovations consisted of just kitchen upgrades or master bedroom touches, but now, the priorities and important spaces needed at home are so different. Luckily for Jon and Mary's clients, the dynamic duo know just how to make functioning and beautiful spaces. The stars of "Two Steps Home" sat down for an exclusive interview with The List, and they told us all about how COVID-19 has changed home renovations.

Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic impact how Jon Pierre and Mary Tjon-Joe-Pin went about filming the show — given restrictions that were in place — but the pandemic, in a way, forced them to focus on other parts of the home that might have been overlooked in a more traditional renovation. 

Jon told The List that they "really had to focus on the things that people don't just necessarily always want to do," and move away from the typical kitchen and bathroom renovations of the past. Calling it a "unique experience," Jon said that they had to work to renovate different parts of the home that their clients were "living in 24 hours a day" — so think living room, bedroom, and home offices. "Dealing with the COVID part for the purpose of the filming was one whole thing, but I think it gave us a really cool opportunity to renovate other parts of homes that don't normally get the same attention to detail," Jon said. 

So according to these experts, gone are the days of just focusing on what backsplash you want in the kitchen, or what tile you want on the bathroom floor. These days are about comfort, function, and a desk setup for that home office that we're all wishing we had.

In the first episode of "Two Steps Home," Jon Pierre and Mary Tjon-Joe-Pin are shown discussing the need for a home office in their client's dream house. Not only did their client, Adrian, run a baking company from home, but her need for a proper home office was crucial (especially given the pandemic). We asked Jon and Mary about the shifting priorities that they've witnessed when it comes to home renovations. 

Mary recalled that when she was a kid, there were parts of her house that "had plastic on it," that there were rooms that she couldn't go into. All of that has changed due to the pandemic. "People are actually going in every part of their house and finding really unique ways to make it their own and make it something just like a vacation getaway," she told us. 

With that in mind, Mary told The List that throughout the show, viewers will see "interesting spaces" that are showcased in a new, exciting way. In a strange turn of events, the coronavirus pandemic gave Jon and Mary the space and time to be creative with their approach to home renovations, and you'll be able to see all of it come to life on their HGTV show, "Two Steps Home."

New episodes of "Two Steps Home" air every Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV.