Chris Harrison and Lauren Zima bought their house in the summer of 2020 when it was just a slab overlooking a spectacular view. The former Bachelor host and Entertainment Tonight host and producer have since turned that land into not just a house, but a home built to fit their personalities, and with the help of the Kelle Contine Interior Design team, found décor to complete the character. Built from the ground up, everything is intentional, from the wine room (Chris’s favorite) and spa-like master bathroom (Lauren’s favorite) to the writing on the wall in the powder room, a media room with a wall of candy canisters from Rabbet Labs filled with favorites from Jelly Bellies to M&Ms to their joint office and work by local artists telling stories on the walls throughout.
We caught up with the couple, who got engaged in October after three years of dating, at their home on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon where sunlight spilled in through the copious windows, just right. I felt first-hand that their love that is palpable as it radiated from the smiles when they look at each other, and we chatted about everything from Chris coming back home to Texas and why they chose and love Austin, to their home, love story and next chapters.
What was the impetus or inspiration behind moving to Austin?
CHRIS: I always knew I wanted to eventually move back home to Texas. I’m from Dallas, my family is here and now both my kids will even be in college at TCU (I’m so proud!). The question for me became if I would settle back home in Dallas. Since I was young, I’ve loved Austin, and when I knew my future was with Lauren -- that was the real deciding factor. I realized that I wanted us to start a life together somewhere neither of us had lived, to build our own unique memories, just with us. I took her to Austin and she fell in love with the city too.
What’s your favorite thing about Austin so far?
CHRIS: My favorite thing about Austin is what’s always been my favorite thing about Texas - the people. I love being back home with good, fun-loving people…I would be remiss if I also didn’t mention the food, sunsets, music and now Austin FC.
LAUREN: The people, for sure. Everyone is so welcoming and so genuinely cares about each other. To be honest I had to get used to it!
What is your favorite room in the house?
CHRIS: Am I allowed to say the wine room? Lauren and I love our wines and Napa is a very special place for us; it’s where we got engaged. The wine cellar was something special I added to the house myself, and I think it came out beautiful. We worked on the design with our builder, Heyl Homes, and the art hanging in it is a map of some of our favorite Napa vineyards.
LAUREN: My answer may be equally unusual, but it’s our main bathroom. I wanted it to be serene and bright. We picked a classic white marble with grey veining and added under-cabinet lighting to get that ‘escapist’ feel. But I love it most because it’s where we start and end our days together; we have some of our most personal talks and biggest laughs brushing our teeth in the morning, getting ready to go out for the evening or getting ready for bed at night.
When you’re at home, where do you spend the most time?
CHRIS: Can I say the wine room again? In all seriousness, when the weather's nice I love sitting outside. One thing I’ve gotten used to living in Southern California is being able to enjoy the outdoors. Our California room is comfortable, relaxing and has quickly become the spot where everyone likes to gather and enjoy a cocktail.
LAUREN: I also love that our den connects right to the California room; the den is just perfect for entertaining or relaxing. We wanted it to be a place where California and Texas met, which is why we chose these two stunning photos -- palm trees and a bull rider -- from Steve Wruble, an amazing photographer out of Dallas. The couch is the perfect place to curl up together and watch movies, and everyone seems to love the candy bar! I wanted a really fun, different, "adult" way to make it feel like a movie theater in here, and Rabbet Labs made it possible and built this for us. It's chic but playful!
And I love your joint office!
LAUREN: One thing I love so much about Chris is that he always puts me first, and I’m always his partner in everything, automatically -- I never have to ask to be seen or advocate to be included. I noticed as we were looking at houses, some people would assume the office was for the man. Chris made sure everyone knew this was our office from the get go; the custom steel desk is built for two, for us to work opposite each other and with each other.
Who did the designing?
LAUREN: We worked with our builder, Heyl Homes, and their in-house designer on the structure and finishes. They were wonderful and do everything with such attention to detail and quality. For the interiors, we met with several firms but chose Kelle Contine Interior Design to work with and Kelle and her team have been phenomenal. They made choosing all the interiors such a fun process and really listened to our taste while guiding us along the way. We felt so taken care of. One thing that was important to us was to include work from some local companies and designers, and they found awesome people.
Do you have the same decorative tastes?
LAUREN: I'd call it a joy and a blessing to discover that we had pretty much the same taste in everything for the house. I don’t know how people go through this process if they don’t! Kelle Contine and her team would show us what they’d chosen for a room, and we would immediately have all the same reactions. Or maybe…Chris was just telling me we had the same taste in everything??
CHRIS: No, Lauren and I really do have similar taste in our decor. I guess you never really know until you jump into a project like this but from the get go we never disagreed. I give a lot of credit to the ladies at Kelle Contine. They really listened to what our overall theme was and made our decisions so easy. The entire process felt seamless.
When you moved in together, did you have to make some compromises on furniture or décor that came with you?
CHRIS: The only thing we’re debating is our art. Art is very personal to me and I look forward to filling our house with incredible art that Lauren and I find together.
LAUREN: The problem is we were having so much fun filling the wine cellar, we kind of tabled the art. But isn’t wine art?!
Chris, what was your first impression of Lauren?
CHRIS: My first impression of Lauren was that she was an incredibly savvy reporter; smart, and quick-thinking. And I learned she would always give me a challenging interview, but I really looked forward to her interviews for that reason.
You’ve given a lot of advice on love and dating, did you ask anyone for advice when dating Lauren - or before proposing?
CHRIS: I definitely didn’t need any advice in dating or falling in love with Lauren, but then again she makes it pretty damn easy to love her. Despite what I do for a living, I am a fairly private person. I actually didn’t tell anybody that I was going to propose until I called her mom the day before for her blessing. It was important to me to make that call before I proposed, but I also really wanted this to be a surprise and a special moment for Lauren and I was so nervous about anyone spilling anything. I told her mom and my kids. You’ll have to ask her but I think I pulled it off.
LAUREN: I was totally surprised. Of course, in the three years we’d been dating, we’d had conversations about getting married, but we’d never discussed timelines or specifics. The proposal and the whole weekend were so romantic and Chris put so much effort into planning it all. My favorite thing though, and what surprised me the most -- was something I haven’t shared before. When he proposed he handed me a letter. As I started to read it, I realized that he’d been writing this letter for months as he planned the proposal. Parts of it were written in LA, many parts of it were written here in our house in Austin. It was all about our relationship, our evolution and how he knew it was right. Reading the letter, that’s when I realized what was happening and of course started crying.
Have you started wedding planning?
LAUREN: Not at all! My sister is getting married here in Austin in April, so our focus is totally on their celebration until then.
What is your best memory from years on The Bachelor?
CHRIS: I’m incredibly grateful for my years on the Bachelor. That job will always hold a special place in my heart, as it changed my life. My best memories of the show have more to do with my family and personal life than the show itself. I think of all the amazing trips we got to take and the experiences I got to share with my kids. Whether it was swimming with sharks in Belize or eating chocolate tacos (what my kids called crepes) in Paris overlooking the Eiffel Tower, those are the moments that stand out to me. And now my greatest Bachelor moment was meeting the love of my life, Lauren. I’ll never forget the day that changed everything for us, which happened while I was shooting one of our specials on the Warner Brothers lot. She was there covering it for Entertainment Tonight, and during a break in filming we ran into each other at craft services and had a very personal conversation that changed everything between us.
LAUREN: Well, the truth is, and I’ve never said this publicly -- I was trying to run into him. In an interview we’d done not long before that day, for the first time I’d sensed a different vibe from him -- that maybe he was flirting a little. So, I followed my gut and I went to grab coffee at crafty hoping I’d run into him. He was there getting tea. So luckily, fate was on our side. And caffeine addiction.
Chris, what’s your next chapter professionally?
CHRIS: Stay tuned, because the next chapter is going to be even bigger than the previous one.
LAUREN: One thing that's connected us so much in our relationship is being in the same industry. We understand each other's jobs, we're both creative -- I'm really excited for what's next.
Any plans to write another book?
CHRIS: Writing The Perfect Letter back in 2015 was an amazing experience and the book has been incredibly well received. I’ve thought a lot about if I’ll pen another book and if I do … will it be a continuation of The Perfect Letter or will I head in a different direction? Stay tuned!
What are you most looking forward to in 2022?
Chris: The Next Chapter!
Lead Assistant and Talent Coordinator: Karen Elysa