OK - I waited 34 minutes to post this.
What did you guys think?
Wonderful and fabulous all around, IMHO. Except for Doug wanting to stain the table. WTF was he thinking?? It did turn out wonderful.
I’m a little tipsy, so I’ll post more later.
In some respects it was like watching someone pour a bottle of very old, very expensive wine into a small glass while most of it pours out all over the floor. That’s the problem with trying to fit in that much work into a two-day timeframe. They did get around alot of that with the small army of specialists they hired, but I still think that a $50,000 room could and should look much better than what they ended up with.
That said, the rooms were very nice. It’s only when put into the perspective of how much money was spent that it all seems a little underwhelming. There were also quite a few overpriced items here and there that could be replaced with something cheaper for an equivalent effect. I mean with that many expensive items (like in Laurie’s room) I’d almost be afraid to be in the room for fear of breaking something.
That was a great episode, but with all of the excitement of the $100,000, Paige Davis was even MORE annoying than usual.
I loved Laurie’s room! But if she does yellow walls one more time…! I was a little unimpressed with Doug’s room. I hated the color, but the sitting area was nice. Besides the new appliances, it seemed to be lacking the $50,000 look that Laurie’s room had.
I listened to the live webcast with the HOs and the couple that didn’t want their kitchen floor touched (per their pre-budget announcement interview) were so thrilled with the kitchen and the fact that so much money was spent on it, that they didn’t even care what they did to it. And both couples said they didn’t change anything about their rooms, except for the kitchen couple putting a glass top on Amy Wynn’s table (for fear that the kids would ruin it).
I hope they do this once a year. It was so fun to watch!
I liked the various fabrics that Laurie used, as I usually do, but pattern A on a chair next to pattern B on a couch next to pattern C on another chair was waaaay too busy. And that’s just in that odd corner. The whole room looked kinda cramped and busy when it was done, but I liked the pieces separately.
Doug’s kitchen was really lovely, and the living room (or sitting area, whatever) was very nice too but it looked too formal for an area that a family uses to just sit and watch tv. I’d rather he have put more casual furniture that the family wouldn’t freak about staining. And I LOVED that table in the end, it was stunning.
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Nutty Bunny, is your name a Kids in the Hall reference?
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YES! And you are the first person to ask me that. I was wondering if anyone would get it. Yay! 
Despite the fact that each designer had 50 large to spend, i found both efforts to be rather pedestrian.
And the chair and sunburst mirror that Laurie bought were hideous, in the finished room they looked like something the owners retrieved out of the basement just to fill an empty space.
However, i felt that both Amy and Ty did some excellent work considering they only had 2 days.
I loved Doug’s kitchen, particularly considering I normally hate Doug’s self-indulgent designs…
But Laurie’s rooms always look exactly the same! What is up with that? I’m sorry the curtain fabric cost $129 a yard, but it’s STILL STRIPED AND STUFFY. Ugh. And $2800 for an “antique repro” chair? Get real!
I dunno. Laurie’s rooms remind me why most interior designers don’t live where they work; everywhere you look, there’s stuff. Like every nook and cranny has to be stuffed with dust-catchers and objects…there’s nowhere to actually LIVE.
And I’m sorry, but for $50,000, I think Dough had her by a mile. He gave his “clients” a whole bunch of new appliances, new cookware, new plateware…a new diningroom table, etc…
While Laurie gave her people a big, overdone, overstuffed, way-too-busy museum I can’t imagine actually living in.
I did like the fact that Laurie actually bought a decent painting for once. That was a nice piece.
Doug seems to be getting a little better - he’s come a long way from that space-age home theatre debacle a few years ago.
Audrey, that’s my biggest problem with Lauri (Lari? Laurie? Whatever).
When she was opening the paint cans acting like it was going to be some huge suprise, I was thinking that it was still going to be yellow. And the curtains…it may be $120/yard fabric, but it was still UGLY.
In some ways, though, I thought she was at a disadvantage - she had that one room, while Doug really had a larger space to work with. This doesn’t change my opinion of the curtains, but maybe I can forgive the cluttered/overstuffed look of the room. Look at the difference in budgets - she had $700 left, while he had less than $100. Did she really put that $2800 chair in the room? I missed it - where did it go? (I recorded it for a friend, so I could always check the tape.)
I loved Doug’s room. I thought the dark colors with the light fabric, counters and cabinets was great, and the new floor was wonderful.
I thought Doug did better at bringing in the outside help and using it - but in the end, it didn’t seem a lot like Trading Spaces. How much did the HOs really do in this episode? The one woman sewed, and both groups did some painting and carpentry stuff. Maybe it just didn’t get shown, because with so many people trooping in and out it was hard to focus on them.
I didn’t think the rooms turned out all that special either, but one thing I did enjoy about the show was the lack of friction. There was so much less stress and everyone was happy. Even Doug didn’t act like a prick! I guess I just like to see people win (even people that are already doing just fine). One of the reasons I always liked watching The Price is Right.
I wouldn’t even WANT a $2800 chair in my HOUSE!
Doug’s family got lots more for their money. Of course Doug had more area to work with. I thought Laurie’s room looked crowded too.
I want a hardwood floor…
I got a kick out of how excited Paige and Laurie were. They were like kids in a candy store.
I was horrified that Doug covered up the patterned tile floor, especially since it was very clearly stated it was not to be touched. I guess “Don’t touch” can mean “Cover it up.” I was relieved that the HO’s weren’t upset.
It was like winning the lottery, and I can see Doug and Laurie having a hard time going back to $1000 budgets.
Laurie could have spent less on tchotckes and more on substantial stuff.
I loved Ty’s cocktail table. Very nice. But his sophmoric attempt to steal Amy Wynn’s tools was stupid, and Doug stealing Laurie’s tiles was unforgiveable, whether or not she borrowed his electrician for eleven minutes.
Very nice effort, I thought, and they’ll repeat it on Saturday. But I still want to see Vern. He’s MIA and I’m getting concerned.
WEll, consider this; the family whose room Laurie designed just got themselves a two-week cruise. All they have to do is sell that ugly-ass chair on eBay. You know some Trading Spaces fan will hork up $5000 to have a peice of TS history, and the family’s headed for the West Indies.
Doug’s work was more impressive by far. Not even close. He did two rooms, not one, and they got gorgeous steel kitchen appliances out of it. Those appliances alone probably ran around $5000-$7000, AND he replaced all the cabinets. Laurie basically wasted her money on ridiculous things, like the $1800 sunburst mirror that she could have had a kid from shop class do for $100 and a Radiohead CD, or the $2800 chair you could probably find a reasonable facsimile of for $250. Her one major victory was replacing the mantle, which looked great but doesn’t account for all that dough. She threw money away by the thousand, and ended up with a room not that much better than most of the $1000 rooms.
NOTE TO LAURIE: The paint was yellow.
If Laurie had done my room, I would either spread that furniture throughout my house or sell it as soon as possible.
Either way that room is too busy.
Doug’s room was nice, but too dark. And I’m glad they fixed Amy Wynn’s table.
Laurie - absolutely blech…you can give that woman a $100K for herself and she’d still deliver a crappy room.
Doug - ok…too dark and those Rothko ripoffs would have looked better with a framed painted or nailed around them.
Why oh why though spent $50K on those homes??? They have had so many other rooms that would have looked better if $50K was wasted on them…and yes I wish they had Gen and Vern take care of the $100K instead of Doug and Laurie
Besides who else was completely driven up the wall by the plugging odf Home Depot…I wonder how many times they had to reshoot each time Doug had to “thanks to the Home Depot-at-home-service guys”??
The Pergo is a floating floor resting on a decent sized pad-- the floor is safe. The tiles were ok, but were that great. Only because the rest of the rooms were so crappy did they stand out at all. And runnung the tile into the living room- huh?
Well anyway- on to the rooms.
Doug did it right. I spent the money on the right things- the kitchen came out wonderfully, nice cabinets, great appliances, wonderful flooring. The plaster job was stunning. Even the accoessories worked well. I loved how he redid all three rooms. The HO’s were really stoked. Loved the blue lamp. The Table table out really nice. Doug got the skills- you can see why people hire him.
Laurie’s room was pretty nice, but the space really was too small- so she ended up with a bit too much stuff in there. The yellow was fine. Why the hell she installed that expensive flooring then cover 75% of it up is a bit baffling. Loved the painting. Loved all of ties stuff- Laurie was smart to give him free reign over the designs. The furniture she picked was quite nice- there just might have been a bit oo much of it. The drapes were too fussy (and expensive) for that room.
Cons:
Home Depot and Sony plug-a-thon. I expected the “freebies” sound exfect from Monster Garage at any moment to blare from the TV.
Paige had an annoying case of the shrieks for the first aprt of the show. Only when she started getting tired did she return to normal. The thousand dollar showing thing was stupid- pure time wasting drivel.
I was quite jealous. 
I hate Laurie.
I hate Laurie.
Hate, hate, hate, hate.
I was screaming at the TV within 3 minutes of the beginning of the episode, when Paige said Laurie was taking Doug shopping in Beacon Hill. You’ve got $50,000 and ALL OF BOSTON AND ITS SURROUNDING SUBURBS, and you go right for the heart of kitchzy crap. I knew then and there that whoever got Laurie was screwed. And when she was running through that (first of many, I’m sure) ridiculously overpriced “antique” store saying “I’ll take it!”, I knew I was right. I loved the male HO repeatedly asking “So, what does something like that run, Laurie?” $4900 for a couch… $4500 for a loveseat… $3500 each for chairs… plus that $2800 repro (which went under the $1800 sunburst, Lsura), $90 for a lampshade (prompting the hilarious comment by the female HO- “Yeah, but we’re living in the land of Laurie, where that’s chump change…”)… in a room that ALL FOUR HOs repeatedly said the HOs marmaduke-size dog lounges in. On the furniture.
Laughed out loud at the following exchange:
Laurie: And the reason we’re using this pleated drape…
Obnoxious, stuck-up sewing guy: Gathered drape.
Laurie: Yes, gathered drape…
Too bad she couldn’t justify a hundred and twenty nine-freakin’ dollars a YARD for fabric. AUGH.
Okay. Breath. In… out. In… out.
Doug did a great job. And he was actually quite pleasant- look what a little money does for a guy! I was heartbroken for Amy Wynn when her table came back sanded but ruined. Poor thing. Come here… let me comfort you. Umm… I mean… never mind. Only one potential snit- the female HO with the countertop- but it was handled very professionally by Doug, and she actually listened to him. Whew. I liked his big board keeping track of all the projects- really pandered to my OCD. I loved the kitchen- open, lots of counter space, all those clean lines and steel appliances… soooooo jealous. Amy Wynn’s table was beautiful. Overall I liked the entire room, although Mr. Kitty felt that the living room area looked too much like a doctor’s office.
Additional thoughts…
Lowes must be pissed. All those seasons as sponsors, and they get completely shown up in one fell swoop by the men and women in orange.
Wow… give Ty some real materials and less screen time, and look what happens (anyone else catch Laurie’s “Why can’t you do this all the time”?). Not a temper tantrum in sight. And the work he did was really nice- mantle, table, shelves.
Did Amy Wynn do anything besides that table?
I wonder, if the kitchen HOs had originally been on a $1000 episode, if they would have done a full kitchen-dining-living room remodel. During the pre-show interviews, they talked about getting just the kitchen done (and in fact that was one of the big things about the floor- they didn’t want it touched because it went all the way from the kitchen to the mantle), but also talked about the colors in the other rooms. But I’ve seen shows where they’ve had similar “great rooms” and have had to figure out where to stop the remodel and tie it in to the existing part that they aren’t going to redo. Anyone know the scoop on this?
It’s okay, ivy… Laurie was finished with the tile. She clearly said it didn’t affect her budget, she was just going to return it anyway. And judging by the area he was working in, Doug maybe used a few pieces, not the full two boxes she was kvetching about. And she deserved it. Just for being a bitca.
RickJay… I think their contact forbids them from selling the items on eBay. I wonder, however, if the HOs can give the item as a gift to a friend, who may decide that they hate it, who then may decide to sell it on eBay, and who then may, out of guilt, donate the proceeds to the HOs.
Was it just me, or was there one really hot Home Depot floor installation guy? The one with the short dark hair and the accent, who was joking about leaving early? He was kinda yummy… certainly high above the calibre of HD guys we have around here. Maybe I need to move back home. 
Not what it was hyped up to be, but not the train wreck it could have been. There were moments I did want to force-feed Paige some thorazine, but I suppose she gets paid for that sort of attitude. ::shudder::
-BK
What bugged me (and it bugged me A LOT!) was how many times we got to hear Laurie say what fun it was to spend so much money and how she mashed into our faces the extravagant costs of her really very pedestrian pieces. It was all about money, money, money. . . and her, her, her. She did not design for the family that lives in that house! She spent ridiculous amounts of money on formal furniture for a family that includes little kids and a “Marmaduke-like” dog. (Has to be a Great Dane. . . or some other huge canine!) And the husband is a firefighter, for Pete’s sake!!! How comfortable can this family be in this family room full of expensive silks???
And once she was done, the place looked like a furniture showroom. Could she have stuffed anything more in there??? Lose the expensive crappy sunburst mirror! Lose the curlicue reproduction chair!! Lose those really ugly Vah-Zes on the so-so mantle. Lose the curlicue sconces on the wall next to the mantle. Lose the bookcase thingies jammed in to corner between the poufy $129-a-yard custom made draperies (that are lined AND inter-lined!!!). There’s just too damn much stuff in here, Laurie, you jerk!
And how long to we give that floor before kids or dog nails scratch it to pieces? Same for the custom made seagrass rug. SEAGRASS. . . with all that formal furniture?
Tai’s entertainment center was interesting, but I thought his cocktail table was a bit much. (What if the dog sits on it or one of the kids falls on it?) I enjoyed the explanation of computer controlled routing, however.
I would have done leather couches, good lighting. . . and maybe splurged on a nice, but subtle, Oriental area rug.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
OK, Doug’s Room(s). . . Good kitchen; good floor; not crazy about the dark teal color or whatever it was on the walls. The wall finish was OK, but way too putzy. I liked his furniture, but thought it was too light colored to be really practical. But then, with sophistication, practicality marches right out the door, right?
And I didn’t mind the Home Depot and Sony references. Home Depot is The Major Sponsor of the show now, and Sony kicked in a lot of expensive goodies. So, fine. Let them have their moments!
The 2-hour show was rather draggy. Paige had to be on amphetamines! Her “perkiness” found its way into “hysteria” several times. Bring back the $1000 makeovers!
Working in broadcasting, I can tell you that either 1)Lowe’s passed on sponsoring this year or 2)Home Depot threw money at Banyan to become the sponsor that Lowe’s wouldn’t or couldn’t match. It’s not like Lowe’s came, check in hand, only to have the door slammed in their face. I bet Banyan wanted more money from Lowe’s due to the success of the show (perfectly legitimate considering the popularity) and Lowe’s said no. I’ll bet Home Depot was chomping at the bit to get in.
Definitely agree that Lauries room was too damned crowded. Even Ty let her have it for that. But wow that floor was beautiful (would have left off the rug though). The big simple painting was nice. And I thought everything Ty did in that room was superb. The fireplace, the coffee table, and that entertainment senter was very cool.
I’m not a big fan of Laurie in general, but being a southern gent through and through, I fell in love with her for about 2 minutes when she knelt down too look at something on the floor, looked back up at the HO’s and exclaimed “Y’aaaaaaall!” Yes, in the south, that IS a whole sentence and she nailed it!
My main complaint with Doug’s room is the placement of the TV. a) it’s going to get hot above the fireplace and probably screw it up, b) it’s too high for proper viewing, and c) none of the chairs face it. Serious neck cricks.
And mmm mmm I wants me some Amy Wynn in a little tank top. Sighhhh…