Joyful Spaces · InkBlot Narratives

Why Now

This isn't a niche story.
This is everyone's story.

You may not relate to having a disability now — but all of us, or someone we live with, will eventually experience some kind of age, accident, or health-related mobility issue. Our homes fail to reflect this reality, and their design actively excludes members of the disabled community — the only minority group you or your family could become a part of at any second.

Every day, 10,000 Baby Boomers turn 65. 85% plan to stay put in their homes and communities. 1-story homes are already outselling 2-stories by a 3:1 margin in St. Louis and across the American midwest. The market for accessible design isn't coming. It's already here.

67M American adults living with a disability

1 in 4 US adults — the potential audience for this series

1 in 8 Americans use some type of mobility device

3:1 1-story homes outselling 2-stories in the American midwest

The Concept

Beautiful homes.
Built for every body.

Joyful Spaces follows Gretchen and Tiffany as they combine their skills to help an underserved and exponentially growing group of aspiring homeowners. Starting with the heart of middle America — St. Louis, Missouri — these two powerhouses are passionate about finding and renovating homes to be accessible to both traditional buyers and the disabled.

Universal Design isn't meant to replace the kitchen, bathroom, and curb appeal projects that renovation shows are known for. It supplements them — and demonstrates how incorporating accessibility is a terrific investment in resale value. Reveal day won't just celebrate incredible aesthetic transformation. It will celebrate measurable improvement in a family's quality of life.

Our Stars

Two former OTs.
One powerful mission.

Gretchen Kingma

Real Estate Agent · Co-Host

A mother of two, Gretchen found her passion for accessible housing when her father developed a debilitating form of cancer. While trying to honor his dream — to own a home with a pool — she left her job as an occupational therapist to help other families in similar situations find their dream homes. She hasn't looked back since.

Tiffany Dill

Interior Designer · Co-Host

Also a mother of two and former occupational therapist, Tiffany spent years helping disabled people function within spaces not designed for them. Her own experience with disability — her parents discovered her hearing loss before kindergarten — helped inspire her focus on how design could fundamentally improve people's lives at home.

The Format

9 to 11 minutes.
A whole family transformed.

Every episode of Joyful Spaces takes a client family from their first meeting with Gretchen and Tiffany through demolition, design, and a reveal that's about far more than aesthetics — it's about a measurably better life.

Meet the Client

Gretchen and Tiffany tour the family's existing home, understand their accessibility challenges and budget, and help them find a short-term accessible rental via Expedia or Airbnb while the project is completed.

~2 minutes

The Plan

Gretchen and Tiffany present their detailed renovation plan — building materials, new features, creative accessibility solutions. Tiffany's sketches and motion graphics preview the structural changes.

~1:30 minutes

Demo Day

Sledgehammers fly as the crew strips the home down to clear the way for accessible new features — and maybe discovers an unexpected problem or two along the way.

~1:30 minutes

We Have a Problem

Creative design and budgetary solutions to whatever demolition uncovered. The tension that makes great renovation television.

~1 minute

Renovation Montage

Cabinets, countertops, accessible showers, refinished floors, fresh paint. Gretchen and Tiffany conduct a symphony of work.

~45 seconds

The Reveal

Before-and-after shots illustrate the scale of transformation. The reveal isn't just beautiful — it's a measurably better life. A check-in 2–3 weeks later shows the family thriving in their new space.

~2:30 minutes

Sample Episodes

Every family is a different
kind of extraordinary.

Episode 01

Family in Transition

A family rebuilds after a car accident leaves their teenage son with life-changing disabilities. Stay put with a full remodel — or make a major move? Gretchen and Tiffany help them choose a path forward.

Episode 02

Wounded Warrior Flip

Gretchen acquires a foreclosure perfectly suited for a universal re-design flip. After Tiffany transforms the kitchen and primary bath, the winning bid comes from a family whose father was wounded in service to his country.

Episode 03

Pregnant with Possibility

A young couple expecting their first of what they hope will be a sizable brood searches for fixer-uppers they can grow into — packed with accessibility features that add resale value and make family life easier from day one.

🚪

Wide Hallways & Entries

Doorways and corridors designed for wheelchair access without sacrificing design.

🛁

Accessible Kitchens & Baths

Countertop heights, roll-under spaces, and walk-in/roll-in showers built for everyone.

📐

Ramps Replace Stairs

Structural changes that open the home to every member of the family, now and in the future.

💡

Smart Home Technology

Voice control, automated doors and lighting, and systems that make daily life independently manageable.

Universal Design

It's not about what you
can't do. It's about what
you can.

Universal Design is a framework of concepts that can make any home accessible to everybody. It doesn't replace the kitchen and bathroom projects viewers love — it enhances them. And it's a smart investment: accessible homes command a premium in resale markets that are already trending in one direction.

Brand Integration

Organic partnership opportunities
built into every episode.

Hospitality Partners

VRBO · Expedia · Airbnb

Increasingly, buyers displaced by a renovation turn to leading OTAs to find accessible short-term rentals. Each episode of Joyful Spaces features an organic opportunity to showcase their leadership in accessible vacation rentals — as Gretchen and Tiffany's clients find the perfect accessible place to stay while their home is transformed.

Value Proposition

Authentic, In-Story Placement

The brand integration isn't a spot or an interstitial — it's woven into the story. Clients genuinely need accessible accommodations. The search is part of the episode. The payoff is authentic, not forced — the kind of integration that audiences respond to and platforms want.

Why InkBlot

This story is personal.
For all of us.

Producer

Luke Terrell

Film artist in residence at Cotting School — the first educational institution in the US exclusively for children with disabilities. A past participant in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge and a contributor to Hearts of Glass, a documentary about a vertical farm that hires community members with disabilities.

For the past eight years, Luke has worked part-time as a caregiver in the disability community. This series isn't research. It's his life's work.

Producer

Aaron Bowden

Grew up exclusively in homes with accessibility modifications due to his sister's spina bifida disability. Aaron has spent his life navigating the world of accessible design from the inside — not as an observer, but as a family member who lived it every day.

InkBlot Narratives developed, produced, edited and delivered 2 seasons and 23 episodes of highly rated HGTV series Listed Sisters — plus pilots on HGTV and DIY. More than 20 years of television series and specials for Amazon Prime, Discovery, National Geographic, History Channel, A&E, and NBC Universal.

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JoyfulSpaces

This isn't a niche story.This is everyone's story.

Beautiful homes.Built for every body.

Two former OTs.One powerful mission.

9 to 11 minutes.A whole family transformed.

Every family is a differentkind of extraordinary.

It's not about what youcan't do. It's about whatyou can.

Organic partnership opportunitiesbuilt into every episode.

This story is personal.For all of us.

Every home should be aplace of joy.

Joyful
Spaces