Are Chip and Joanna Gaines Inspiring People to Steal Reclaimed Wood?!

Michele Petry
Photo credit: Getty Images

From House Beautiful

A crime spree has been stretching across the farmland of rural Kentucky, and some people are pointing fingers at none other than Chip and Joanna Gaines. Not as the criminals, of course (they've never recommended or encouraged people to steal). But it's been speculated that the "farmhouse chic" look popularized by the beloved and influential HGTV personalities-and soon-to-be television network moguls-has kicked off an insatiable craze for rustic, reclaimed barnwood. And barnwood thieves have apparently been helping themselves to whatever they can find.

The desire for authentically old planks of wood to create Fixer Upper-style interiors has become such a problem that law enforcement officials throughout Kentucky-which, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, has more old barns per square mile than any other state-"have seen some barns stripped down to their frames and aluminum roofs." Cases have been reported in at least 13 Kentucky counties so far, says the Courier Journal. And because the crimes usually happen under cover of night, and the stolen wood is unmarked and not trackable after the fact, there's not much police can do to stop it from continuing.

Just how badly do people want that shiplap-happy style Jo has made famous? The weathered-wood look certainly has its appeal, but come on, people-it is not worth committing a crime for! There are so many other decor styles to choose from. Let's give these barn owners and police officers a break and start a new trend. Wallpaper, anyone?

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