Trading Spaces: This Old House Meets Martha Stewart Living!
Written: Jul 15 '01
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Pros: fun, real people, practical ideas
Cons: too many re-runs
The Bottom Line: Trading Spaces on TLC is a fun home decorating show that will entertain you as well as give you fun ideas for your own home.
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| daisymae76's Full Review: TLC |
Do plain white walls and ugly floral couches got you down? Take a look around your living room or bedroom. Is it warm and welcoming or screaming for a makeover? Do friends get splinters when they sit in your worn out wicker furniture? Are your floors covered in mismatched throw rugs to hide the grape juice and dog pee stains? If you want to have some fun, but are willing to do a little work and ditch that hideous orange carpet forever, TLC might have just the show for you. All you need is a room to makeover and a willing neighbor who could also use some help in the home decorating department and you could be on the show Trading Spaces!
What's Trading Spaces About?
The idea behind the show is simple. Two neighbors need a room makeover. Two people from each house trade spaces and go to the neighbor's house to work with a designer and fix up the room for the neighbors. They have 2 days and a budget of $1000 (paid by TLC) to redo one room for their neighbors. When the 2 days are over, each team returns to their own home to see the magical transformations. Will they love their room makeovers? Will the neighbors still be friends after they've seen the results? It's fun and entertaining to watch!
Meet the Crew
Host- Perky, peppy Alex McLeod does a good job of checking in with the teams and designers and letting us know what's going on. She finds out if the teams are happy with the designs and if they think the neighbors will appreciate all the hard work.
Designers
Frank Bielic
Genevieve Gorder
Laurie Smith
Hilda Santo-Tomas
Douglas Wilson
Vern Yip
Dez Ryan
The designers are all fun and personable, but there are definitely some I like more than others. They are all creative and almost always do some unexpected original design. The style is usually modern, but not always. They try to take the homeowners' tastes into account and then add that special twist.
Builders
Ty Pennington
Amy Wynn Pastor
These are the builders, electricians, carpenters, etc. One of them works for both teams and it amazes me the stuff they put together in 2 days. They have built entertainment units, mantles, beds, couch frames, and tables. They also help with tearing cabinets out or adding built in lighting or fans.
What I Like
I enjoy watching home decorating shows, but Trading Spaces is one of my favorites. There is a designer who does most of the planning, but then it's just 2 regular people doing a lot of the work. It shows you that anybody is capable of making significant changes in their house if they want to. With a little help and guidance, your house can be fabulous. I have felt inspired several times after seeing this show. Things that look really difficult usually aren't as hard as I thought.
I also like that the show only provides $1000 for the budget because that is realistic. Most people don't have tons of money to invest into home decorating, but I know I can watch this show and get good, creative, inexpensive ideas for my own home. Since they redo the entire room top to bottom, you can get ideas for an entire room theme or look for a neat accent piece you like. They are always making funky laps or throw pillows that are creative and inexpensive. Borrow a small idea and jazz up a room in your own home if you aren't looking for a major change.
This show is real. It's real people doing the work so they tell you exactly how hard it is. They say when something is ugly or doesn't work. It's very entertaining to watch. I love to hear the reactions to the finished rooms. Some people get so excited and scream or cry. Others looked shocked and unsure. It's fun to watch most people get so excited about their new rooms.
What I Don't Like
There isn't much I don't like. I like everything about the actual show. My complaint is with TLC. They show too many re-runs. There are certain episodes that I have seen 3 or 4 times.
Details
The show airs:
weekdays 4-5 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m.- noon
Sunday noon- 1 p.m.
TLC.com
If you want to check out the show more, you can go online to TLC.com and click on Trading Spaces. You can meet the crew and find out more about the show. There is a chat board and updates from after the show. Did the neighbor really like the red walls or did she paint over them after the show was over? They also have an application you can fill out and send in if you and a neighbor want to go on the show.
Check out Trading Spaces on TLC. It's a different show than most home decorating shows. It's creative, entertaining, and inspiring!
Recommended:
Yes
Average Program Rating: TV G -- general audiences
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daisymae76
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Member: Christine
Location: Northern California
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