So this weekend some friends of mine were in town and we were thinking of seeing or renting a movie. However, there was nothing interesting playing, and we didn’t feel like going out anyway. We ended up watching two hours of “Trading Spaces” instead.
What is the appeal of this show? I love it, I admit - it’s a blast to watch. I liken it to the Iron Chef - I have no interest in cooking, but Iron Chef is fun to watch.
I also freely admit that I watch hoping for a train wreck. I love when Hildy is the designer, because she’s so frickin awful. I wouldn’t have her design a doghouse. When she shows up I know I’m in for something gleefully tacky that hopefully the people will hate, but strangely, that doesn’t happen often enough.
How about you? Who are the designers you love or hate? Alex or Paige? Amy Wynn or Ty?
I love Trading Spaces! I don’t know why. I’m not even a decorating type of person. But Trading Spaces, like the Antique Roadshow, is like TV crack for me.
Paige. Hands down. She’s so cute.
Ty. He’s mine. I love that man.
I think my favourite designer is (I never remember their names) that big guy, who comes across as gay. Really good at painting, and a lot of fun. I just love it when he assigns a ton of homework and then says he’s off to sit in a hot tub.
My wife is watching that show every single day when I get home from work. I admit, it’s fun and cute and interesting. But that’s about it.
My wife’s fave designer is the Asian guy. I don’t really pay much attention to many of them except Paige (who’s hot :p) and the older bearded guy, because he looks a lot like Cajun Man.
I’m getting so addicted to this show. I love watching Hildy vs. Vernon shows. Vernon will always try to do something relatively tasteful, while Hildy just says “Aw screw it, bring out the circus tent”.
I have to put my vote in for the original BBC show, “Changing Rooms.” The budget is less, the houses more idiosyncratic, the people are more aggro and the designers are waaaaay bizarro.
I love this show! And I do not decorate. I guess I watch for the train wrecks too. Frank is probably my favorite, the orangey kitchen he did was very pretty, although I wouldn’t let him decorate my house. If he could just come by and paint some things, that would be ok. Vern (the Asian guy) is good as well. Paige, I do not like at all, give me Alex any day. As to Hilde, even my kids were wondering if she was going to try to paint the couches and chairs in the latest episode. She has severe paint problems. I am also addicted to “Changing Rooms” which is the original BBC show on which “Trading Spaces” is based. In an episode about 4 months ago, the couple was accusing the designer of keeping all the money for herself as they did not like her cheap ideas. It was a hoot. I wonder what percentage of neighbors change their rooms back after the cameras leave.
Frank is clearly the most fun- and seriously talented as an artist.
Alex was fired for a reason.
Amy Wynn in a tool belt operating heavy woodworking equipment = hubba hubba!
I wonder what happen to the “lamp lady” designer- she did a couple shows and had a pleasing amount of train wrecks. Then was no more.
Anyone notice the carpenters get alot more work this season- last season Ty spent half his time goofing off. This season he looks perpetually stressed out-- even when Hildy is throwing herself at him (which is like half of the show).
Frank is clearly the most fun- and seriously talented as an artist.
Alex was fired for a reason.
Amy Wynn in a tool belt operating heavy woodworking equipment = hubba hubba!
I wonder what happen to the “lamp lady” designer- she did a couple shows and had a pleasing amount of train wrecks. Then was no more.
Anyone notice the carpenters get alot more work this season- last season Ty spent half his time goofing off. This season he looks perpetually stressed out-- even when Hildy is throwing herself at him (which is like half of the show).
All right, as a young, single, white male this is hard to admit but I’ve been addicted to this show for 2 seasons. My roommate hates it but I LOVE this show. I got cable partly because I wanted to see this show!
Paige or Alex: Alex stole my heart but in that, “I can walk all over you because I’m cute” way. Paige is a little annoying but seems much sweeter (which I’ll take over looks any day).
Ty or Aimee: Ty is a crackup and I love watching him goof off but Aimee is solid too.
Designers: The best? Vern by far. That dude is very tastefull and every room he has ever done is awesome. Anyone see the huge clock he made out of candles? Or the chandalier (sp) out of wine glasses. The tackiest: Genevieve. She stole that one when she installed subflooring and a moss wall in that guys room. Frank is a blast but not my style at all. Hilde is cool but I’ve rarely ever seen her do a room that is nice.
Anyone remember that designer that was only on for one or two episodes last season? She wore thick black horn-rimmed glasses and designed the two worst rooms I have ever seen! Can’t remember her name though.
And let’s not forget Doug! The biggest a-hole of the lot! I can’t stand that guy. Get a clue!
I started hating Hilde when her big idea was to glue straw to a wall. The people who had to do it mentioned that the homeowners had small kids and would likely pull it off. Her response “well, just tell them not to do that!” Yeah, she has experience with small children :rolleyes:
The SO and I have taken to watching this show whenever, and arguing about whether the design choices are ultra-tacky or kinda cool. We keep telling ourselves that it’s useful, in a way, because we’re getting to know what each others’ tastes are for when we decide to do some decorating, but, really, we’re just hoping somebody goes postal at what’s become of their family room.
Completely addictive. I can see myself in a year or two, begging on streetcorners for a thousand bucks so I can redo a living room…
Vern is by far my pick for best designer – and personality. Who wouldn’t just feel good being around him?
Worst? Hilde. Worst concepts, worst designs, worst attitude. She seems like one of the coldest, unfriendliest people I could imagine meeting.
Ty is delish. He’s just like the goofy, skateboard guys I used to fall for back in the day.
Paige is annoying as hell. She tries to force the homeowners to say the room is nice when they really want to start screaming. For example the big disaster “Hay Room” courtesy of Hilde. The two owners were speechless at the sight of real hay glued to their walls. They didn’t know what to say so Paige kept pushing “but can we just at least agree that the room is pretty?”. NO! WE can’t agree! The room looks like crap!
I really hate Frank - I’ve never liked anything that he’s done, ever. All he ever seems to do is throw a bunch of stupid, tacky paint onto everything in the room. The rooms look pretty much the same as when they started, only with a bunch of cartoony shit all over the place. Plus, he’s sometimes got this dark edge to him - I can see him flipping out someday and killing everyone.
Doug is an ass, but It make me laugh. I remember one episode where the people specifically didn’t want the fireplace painted, and he threw a fit about it and did it anyway. But I have to agree, if you’re not up for randomness and possibly getting something you may not like, don’t sign up for the show.
My nightmare scenario if I was to ever appear on the show would be to have Doug and Frank as the designers - having to work with doug and having Frank redo my place is my idea of hell.
Vern Yip is the best designer, because he does more prep-work before the job than any of the others. He really tries hard to make the two days go as smoothly as possible.
He is an architect, and it shows whenever he hands off one of his blueprint quality plans to the carpenters. Also, he really seems to know his materials.
Every single time he appears, he leaves the room more elegant and expensive-looking than before he started.
I keep wanting to see the Hay Wall episode. I’ve heard about it but never saw it.
Someone said “Alex was fired for a reason.” What was the reason?
I gotta say Vern is my favorite as well. He’s the one who seems to think the most about how the people will use the space rather than just wanting to decorate it.
Then I saw Trading Spaces. At first I was a recreational user, no big deal…I was in control. Then I realized I needed it…I was thinking about it all the time. At work I needed a fix…I was restless, I couldn’t focus, my work suffered…I could never get home by 4 to see it…my whole life revolved around it, spiraling deeper and deeper…there was no escape…all I cared about was how to blow the next thousand on the good stuff.
I was a Trading Spaces junkie.
I had to get help. I didn’t have the strength to go cold turkey, but I was able to get onto some This Old House and The Woodwright’s Shop to ease the need for a TS fix.
Now I’m down to one day a week. I feel like myself again.
Although, last week I watched it twice, but I was just feeling down. I didn’t need it, it just helped to perk me up. Hey, I’m still in control! No, really!!