Trading Spaces 11/1: Or, Mmmmm, Handy Andy

Cafe Society
#1

Atlantic City, Doug redoing a sunroom, Frank redoing a hideous kitchen, with Changing Rooms carpenter Handy Andy.

My MIL is English, but half the time I couldn’t understand Handy Andy. Now, Mum’s been over here for over 40 years, so her accent has softened, but Ivylad was laughing at me because I couldn’t understand Andy.

I was disappointed in Frank’s kitchen. It was truly the ugliest room I have ever seen, and Frank could have done much much more. He kept that godawful carpet and painted vines on stained ceiling tiles? He kept the atrocious backsplash and bought 98 cent cabinet hardware? He should have painted the backsplash a more neutral color. What the hell did he spend the money on? And did he put the dishwasher in the armoire? Now, that’s practical. :rolleyes:

Doug seemed to have copied that Florida patio he did over the summer, with the nautical theme in the sunroom, but I liked the new effect. Why oh why does TS take down ceiling fans? They do serve a purpose, you know! I thought the wall color was a bit much at first, but the white floor softened it. It’s a good thing the HO’s don’t have kids.

Still no Vern. :frowning:

#2

Yeah, I thought Frank’s result looked more like a “before” picture. Like I would’ve loved to see what happens after you walk in and see the painted paneling. I did like the 98 cent cabinet hardware though, I thought it was very pretty.

Doug’s room was…eh. I just don’t like the combination of mustardy yellow and navy blue. How the hell does that look good?

#3

I liked the nautical look in Doug’s room, but not the bright yellow pillows with the mustard yellow walls. I liked the bright yellow pillows with the navy, but not the lemon yellow with the mustard yellow. I thought they clashed.
I thought the walls should have been a lighter color, maybe more lemony or sunny yellow to match the pillows.

Frank’s room: Ugh, what a hideous mess he had to start with! That carpeting should have been ripped up first thing. It was just UGLY. And the backsplash was even worse. The new hardware was pretty, but if it was so cheap, he should have had money to replace the carpet. I wonder what was underneath it. Even if it was subfloor or concrete, it could have been painted and it would have been better than that awful carpeting. If it had been painted white it would have brightened the whole room up quite a bit.
And the vines on the ceiling - well, it was Frank.

And, yeah, still no Vern! And where is Genevieve? At least there’s no Hildi. At the TWoP board, they’ve said there’s another new designer, Laura Day, a woman who likes clean lines and simple designs. We should be seeing her in a few weeks, I guess after the British invasion is over.

I missed a few minutes in the middle - what was with the water guy looking for the water main?

And that Handy Andy is quite the cutie.

#4

Frank needed to turn off the water so they could install the new countertop. There was no shut-off valve under the sink, they crawled under the house and couldn’t find it, and then they called in the water company to shut it off at the meter. Again, no luck. As I understand it, the house was a fairly old one, and Frank was concerned if they ever had a water main break they would be SOL. Andy ended up having Frank hold up the sink so they could slide the formica under it.

#5

Thanks, ivylass I missed that bit. I was like the HOs, wondering if there was a flood or something.

I liked Doug’s comment - when Paige got stuck on the floor where they were peeling up the old vinyl floor and she asked, “Where’s the tacky spot?” and Doug said, “At the other house.”
:smiley:

Just imagine if Vern had done that kitchen. New hardwood floors, new cabinets, and all new countertops. And probably new dishes, too. And all for about $998.96, right?
::sigh:: I miss my Vern.
Even Genevieve could have pulled it off. She does great kitchens.
I just cannot believe he left that gross carpeting and backsplash. How nasty is that old carpeting? Yuck.

#6

Huge mistake to leave the carpet. The kitchen was better, but until the carpet goes, it will always be an ugly kitchen. I even wondered if they told Frank to leave it for the drama, since the HOs really wanted it gone and surely expected it to be gone.

On my TV, the yellows weren’t bad together, but who knows what they were like in real life? I liked the room in the end, although from the glimpse I got of the rest of the house, it didn’t exactly flow well. I really liked the male HO of this pair. He was a huge help to Frank and seemed like a nice guy. Bad hair, but a nice guy.

#7

I agree pretty much with everyone else’s assessment here, although since Frank gets my goat so much I’ll also throw in that yes, the new hardware was pretty, but completely wrong for that room. At the very least it should’ve been gold tone, and to really make it fit, his kitschy-ass freehand painting should’ve been of something Celtic. (Was it not a Celtic knot?) The homeowners seemed to go gaga for it, which makes me wonder what they didn’t like about the original room. My response would’ve been: “Are you shitting me?!?” My obligatory Frank :rolleyes: Seriously, a 10 year-old could’ve done a better job with that. It had nowhere to go but up, and he somehow managed to not even do that.

Doug’s room was decent, but the homeowners didn’t seem to like it much. I think they wanted something more formal. The guy said he was happy because the island was gone, which really he could’ve just ripped out himself if that was the case. Heh. I thought the floor turned out really nice though. I’m tempted to do that in my kitchen, and just keep repainting it once a month or so when it gets dirty, heh heh heh. I loved when he was sitting on the porch and said: “Say, what’s that guy doing in your yard?” all innocent-like. Handy Andy’s little corner table turned out nice though, considering how time-consuming it looked. The banquettes themselves looked nice too. Oh! I also loved when the homeowner said “You didn’t PAY for that, did you?” to Doug’s ottoman. LOL! (I actually liked it, but it obviously wasn’t what any of them were expecting, and why should they when he kept calling the room “Mediterranean?” You keep saying this word – I do not think it means what you think it means!)

#8

One does not need to understand Handy Andy. One merely needs to appreciate his Handy Andyness :cool:

Actually it’s a shame you couldn’t because he gets some witty comments in. It’s also fun just to watch his face when the designers are laying out their plans to him.

#9

:stuck_out_tongue:
No, I didn’t get “Mediterranean” at all. I was thinking “Southern Californian Nautical.”
Frank’s kitchen was more Mediterranean to me. Mediterranean needs warm reds and grape vines. Someone (Gen maybe?) did a Mediterranean-themed kitchen a while back where they did a seating area almost like a restaurant booth, with a lattice thing over head with fake vines across the top, complete with tiny Christmas lights woven in. It looked like you were sitting in the Macaroni Grill or some other Italian chain restaurant.

#10

I broke my hand. With great effort, I typed out a post. Then it hampstered to the netherworld. :frowning:

TS is often way too formulaic (is that a word?). Frank gave himself an extra challenge: Take the ugliest bits & make them work. I appreciated that.

I liked Paige in the skirt.

Doug’s fan removal was just malicious. He is way overdue for a beating.

Where in Britain is Handy Andy’s accent from?

#11

Oh! I agree, Paige looked so nice in that skirt. She’s a “pretty” woman, and it sorta gets my goat that they encourage her to look so flashy all the time. I guess she gets to pick her own clothes but I get the impression they lean on her to show a lot of cleavage, etc. The more things change, the more they stay the same, am I right ladies? :wink:

#12

Lower Andycappton, I think.

#13

I’ve loved Handy Andy for three years, when I found out that my television got BBCAmerica.

::swoon::