Inside New Kids on the Block Singer Jonathan Knight’s Other Life as a Farmhouse Flipper

At age six, before Jonathan Knight found fame as a member of the pop group New Kids on the Block, he got to work designing a barn. “My mom just gave me baby pictures and there’s a bunch of me designing a circular barn with animals around it,” the singer and star of the new HGTV show Farmhouse Fixer star tells AD. “I was obsessed with circular barns!”

These days Knight and his partner, Barry’s Bootcamp instructor Harley Rodriguez, own a Massachusetts farm with a restored 1700s barn. It may not be circular, but it is a nod to his childhood. He grew up in Dorchester with chickens, sheep and the “crowning jewel”—a pony his mom, Marlene, gifted him.

Thanks to weekends spent accompanying his carpenter dad, Allan, to work and summers in Canada at a cottage built by his grandfather (who welded together bunks for Knight and his siblings, including his NKOTB bandmate Jordan), he developed an interest in architecture early on. In fact, Knight was set to enroll in an architecture course when his boy band shot to global stardom in the ’80s. Countless hits, albums, tours, and a 14-year hiatus later, Knight now has the best of both worlds, having renovated over 200 houses while still performing with NKOTB.

Farmhouse Fixer, which sees the restoration expert team up with interior designer Kristina Crestin to restore historic New England farmhouses, is a world away from boy band life, but both feed Knight’s penchant for spreading joy. “Seeing the look of sheer joy on homeowners’ faces when they walk in is like walking out on stage to a crowd that’s just so happy to see you,” he says.

Below, Knight tells AD more about his journey from pop star to farmhouse flipper.

Architectural Digest: How did you transition to flipping houses after NKOTB’s 1994 disbandment?

Jonathan Knight: I was 25 years old and my career was over. Stumped, I thought, How do I reinvent my life? The flipping craze had started and a friend asked if I’d flip a house with him. It was so cool to be in Boston neighborhoods renovating houses that were falling down. We ended up going from house to house, then doing subdivisions and condos. It got too big. My heart wasn’t in new construction, so I ventured out with a business partner who does older houses with character and history, and I fell in love with it.

Where does your inspiration come from?

I'm obsessed with Escape to the Chateau. I always dreamed of moving overseas and finding some dilapidated house to renovate. Harley laughs because everywhere we travel, whether it’s India or Australia, I come home saying, “We’re moving here.” I love anything old and historical and if I was a billionaire, I’d buy 100 houses all over the place, just to have different styles.

Tell us more about your farm.

My mom had a two-bedroom farmhouse and couldn’t care for all the land anymore, so we snatched up her house then bought two across the street—mom’s in one and my sister’s in another. We have a little family compound! My nephew got married in the garden shed and me and Harley planned an outdoor wedding last year, which got canceled. My sisters come help me plant vegetables and my nephews ride the lawnmowers. It’s a great hub for home and family.

Are there any elements of your six-year-old barn design in it?

We abandoned the circular thing! But I still want a silo. We were in New York yesterday looking out at water towers and my friend goes, “These things are so ugly.” I’m like, “Are you kidding? All these structures on top of buildings are so cool.”

What’s Harley’s style and what are you most likely to clash over?

We don’t disagree much—mostly paint colors. I love dark, rich tones and he likes bright, crisp white with sunlight flooding through. But before the pandemic, we bought another house where I painted the walls dark blue with brass accents and he loved it. I’m slowly persuading him!

What’s your biggest lesson in renovation and restoration?

That it’s always going to be a bigger project than you expect. There are so many things behind walls that people don’t think about. We call it “the unsexy things.” Paint, cabinets, doors—those are sexy, but then there’s the heating, roof, electrical system. We had a house where the whole back wall was eaten by termites.

How do you give your tour bus a homely feel when you’re on the road?

It has to be loaded with houseplants all through! Plants, candles, and a comfy comforter.

If your bandmates asked you to fix up a house, what would be the most important feature?

My brother would need a piano music room, Joe would want a lounge area for his family, and Danny’s daughters have been hounding me to build them huge closets. Donnie has a pretty good eye for design, so I think he’s set. Joe also has a good eye for design, so I think my brother and Danny would need the most help…but if they know I said that, they’ll kill me!

Farmhouse Fixer airs 9 p.m. Wednesdays on HGTV.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest