The great thing about private lessons is that I can tailor them to their needs: we can work in ways that they like and we can go with themes that will interest them or be useful to them. So at the moment I’m doing “in and around the home” with the mum, because they are looking at houses right now, and of course they’ll have to do loads of decorating etc. once they move.
I always like to recommend some television to go with the theme (yeah, my homework is tough!), and was hoping the Dope could help me with that. I don’t really watch tv*, so normally we stick to what I know. But I’d like to get her into a decorating show, something fun and relaxing, but a good way to learn some home & decorating lingo. It’s something she’ll enjoy, which is always the best way to learn.
Tl;dr:
Which are your favourite home & decorating programmes? And why?
The only thing I know is Escape to the Country, which isn’t really decorating, but house hunting. And wrong country, of course.
My favorite design show is Candice Olsen’s “Divine Design.” She consistently does high quality, beautiful work.
Not design shows per se, but shows I quite enjoy, are “Property Brothers” and “Income Property.” They gut and renovate houses, so it includes both architectural and design elements. I could watch these type of shows all day.
However, technically speaking you won’t be learning AmEnglish, but rather Canadian English, as all of these shows are Canadian. So you have to be willing to think oot-side of the box. (What’s up with the Canadian monopoly on HGTV? From the prices of the houses they renovate, you’d think it’d be a lot more affordable to do a US based show.)
As far as American shows, I really enjoy the new show “House Hunters Renovation.” And “Design Star” (seasonal) is a lot of fun.
Thanks PunditLisa, these sound great! I’m going to see if I can find some good episodes.
Canadian is fine with me, I just want her to hear things other than my very English RP. Incidentally, do Canadians say couch, sidewalk and yarrrd (for garden)?
Americans say garden too, it just means a spot where various items are planted, like a vegetable garden or a flower garden. The enclosure, the general area of open space behind and in front of the house, is a yard. A yard can include a garden. The reason I mention this is that “I’m going out to sit in the garden” is a fully understandable sentence to Americans in a way “park behind the lorry” is not.
Anyway, there aren’t any decorating shows that are really popular right now in the US. Property/House hunting shows are more the thing. “Design on a Dime” is ok. Old “Trading Spaces” episodes are entertaining, as long as you enjoy the occasional epic train wreck.
I would recommend House Hunters. While it’s not decorating, it does include tours of houses and discussions of the typical rooms and features of homes and neighborhoods.
In general, Canadian cable specialty channels have to have 50% Canadian content, and it’s relatively easy to sell Canadian shows to U.S. specialty channels.
So the U.S. ends up with a bunch of Canadian home improvement shows on the home improvement channels and a bunch of Canadian children’s cartoons on the children’s cartoon channels.
Thanks everyone, I’ll be engrossed in the telly for a while!
Yeah, I know the distinction. It’s mainly for the kids that I need to watch that I stick to “yard”: they’ll just learn key words and phrases. The mum’s English is actually very good already, we’re just brushing up & learning specifics. It’s a good call to mention the difference to her though, for when they’re house hunting.
In BrE “yard” is also used, but specifically for a paved area. It calls to mind “livery yard” or “farmyard” or generally an area surrounded by outbuildings and where tools & animals would be kept.
Both “yard” and “garden” actually come from the Anglo-Saxon “geard”, so they’re pretty much the same thing Just a fun fact, in case anyone was wondering.
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The web site of HGTV (that the Home and Gardening channel) has a bunch of full episodes for free, and most of them are designing ones.
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There is a whole channel just for that??!! :eek: :eek:
Wow, thanks! And free episodes too, just what I need!
Just a fun fact, in case anyone was wondering.