Among television’s wide range of content are numerous series that explore architecture, interior design, and the many ways space shapes everyday life. Whether focusing on extraordinary buildings, creative designers, or the transformation of everyday homes, these shows offer both visual richness and meaningful insight.
Drawing on real-life experiences, renovation, and travel, they go beyond entertainment, offering design enthusiasts a compelling way to explore how space is imagined, experienced, and continually redefined.
These 10 TV series offer architecture and interior design enthusiasts a fascinating look into the worlds of space, style, and design.
1. Fixer Upper
Fixer Upper, a show enjoyed by architecture and interior design enthusiasts, follows Chip and Joanna Gaines, owners of Magnolia Homes, a local real estate and home renovation company in Waco, Texas. The Gaines couple finds neglected houses in desirable neighborhoods and renovates them for clients who cannot otherwise afford homes in these areas.
Each episode focuses on a client who wants to move for various reasons, presenting three different home options and explaining what can be done in each within the client’s budget. After the client chooses the most suitable home, the program continues with the actual renovation, discussions with the client, and glimpses into the Gaines family’s daily life. Each episode concludes with the reveal of the newly transformed home.
2. Grand Design
Grand Design, a TV program that revolves around the concept that architecture is not only about aesthetic preferences but also about courage, patience, and vision, features some of the most ambitious construction projects undertaken by individuals. Hosted by Kevin McCloud, the show follows ordinary couples who invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to build their dream homes.
Each episode showcases projects that go beyond the conventional understanding of housing, with couples constructing their dream homes step-by-step, sometimes in secluded locations, sometimes on top of another functional house. Showcasing the entire journey from dream to reality, Grand Designs approaches architecture not merely as a finished product but as an evolving process.
3. Artfully Designed
Artfully Designed, in which designer Natalie Papier, mural artist Racheal Jackson, and abstract artist Frankie Zombie create bespoke spaces for their clients in each episode, is one of the must-watch TV programs for architecture and interior design enthusiasts. Exploring the intersection of art and interior design, the trio adopts an art-driven approach to craft carefully curated and visually striking environments for their clients.
Drawing inspiration from across the color spectrum, Artfully Designed reimagines homes, creating highly expressive spaces. Moving away from minimalism and opting for a maximalist, colorful, and layered design language, the program emphasizes that space is a tool for personal storytelling.
4. Ugliest House in America
The TV show Ugliest House in America, where comedian and actress Retta tours properties nominated for their ostentatious designs and failed renovations, reminds us that design isn’t always learned from good examples. Throughout the show, Retta shares her assessments of each ugly house, commenting on failed renovations and horribly messy structures.
In the finale, one property is crowned the “Ugliest House in America” based on its appearance and poor functionality. As a reward, the homeowners receive a stunning $150,000 renovation, completed by designer Alison Victoria.
5. The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes
The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes, a TV series focused on showcasing some of the most remarkable houses around the globe, explores structures that redefine their relationship with nature and push the boundaries of architecture. Presented by architect Piers Taylor and actress Caroline Quentin, each episode of the program focuses on a different terrain type, such as “Mountain,” “Forest,” “Coast,” and “Underground,” and showcases multiple homes from around the world designed in that particular terrain type.
The series also includes footage and photos from the construction phases of these extraordinary homes and features interviews with the architects and homeowners who built them.
6. Love It or List It
Love It or List It, which revolves around the dilemma of whether to transform a home or leave it behind entirely, is one of the TV series that architecture and interior design enthusiasts will enjoy. Presented by designer Hilary Farr and real estate expert David Visentin, each episode approaches the critical decision a homeowner makes about their living space from two different perspectives.
While Hilary Farr renovates a home, David Visentin introduces homeowners to new properties, and ultimately, homeowners decide whether Farr has impressed them enough to convince them to stay or whether they want to sell their home and move in on Visentin’s recommendation. This contrast sets the show apart from typical renovation programs, encouraging viewers to reflect on functionality and the evolving needs of a space.
7. Tiny House Nation
Tiny House Nation, an American reality TV series hosted by renovation experts John Weisbarth and Zack Griffin, is a program that architecture enthusiasts will greatly enjoy. Offering creative and surprising answers to the question of whether more living is possible with less space, the program promotes an eco-friendly “tiny house lifestyle” that encourages people to use only the space they need. Weisbarth and Griffin travel across America, helping families build their dream homes no larger than 500 square feet (46m²).
8. Help! I Wrecked My House
Help! I Wrecked My House, a TV series centered on renovation projects gone wrong, follows the stories of homeowners who attempt to remodel their own houses but end up making things even more complicated. Throughout the episodes, Jasmine Roth and her team help homeowners who embark on large-scale renovations and end up living without bathrooms, kitchens, and bedrooms due to unresolved problems.
While finding ways to make these spaces functional again, Roth also brings a creative approach to each project, showing how design can be used to solve complex spatial challenges. The show clearly reveals that architecture and interior design are shaped not only by inspiration but also by knowledge and experience. Help! I Wrecked My House transparently presents the complex and layered aspects of the design process to the viewer.
9. Mediterranean Life
Mediterranean Life, a TV series that will be particularly enjoyed by fans of Mediterranean architecture, tells the stories of families starting a new life in Mediterranean Europe and searching for properties there. From holiday villas in Spain to lifetime homes in Greece, prospective homeowners explore their dream residences along the Mediterranean coastline, while the show effectively showcases Mediterranean architectural styles.
In the program, hosted by Joanne Colan, who guides those looking for a home, Mediterranean villas, with their open-plan layouts and terraces integrated with the sea, take the viewer to the luxurious living spaces of the European coast.
10. Abstract: The Art of Design
Abstract: The Art of Design takes viewers on a journey in the minds of prolific designers across various fields, showcasing how design evolves and inspires different disciplines. A must-watch for design enthusiasts, each episode immerses the audience in a different designer’s world, exploring their creative processes and sources of inspiration.
This two-season series, an introduction to design fields presented in a highly innovative way, features names such as architect Bjarke Ingels, stage designer Es Devlin, interior designer Ilse Crawford, shoe designer Tinker Hatfield, graphic designer Paula Scher, automotive designer Ralph Gilles, illustrator Christoph Niemann, and photographer Platon.
Together, these TV series reveal that architecture and interior design are not only about aesthetics, but also about how space is imagined, experienced, transformed, and lived, making them essential viewing for anyone drawn to the power of design.
