Trading Spaces

I cannot explain how much I loved this show, and I don't know why exactly. If there is one reason, it's that everybody seems so likable even if they are tired and harried.

I especially like Alex McLeod as host in the first season. Maybe it's because she's the original host. I like Paige Davis well enough. However I always found her a little too hyper, a little too outgoing, a little too happy.

I do have to say after a couple of seasons, it does get tired and repetitive. Seriously how many different ways can you redo a room? At least, it was fun for awhile.

Through the good and the bad this show always managed to have a good time. Some of the designs were downright gorgeous (anything by Genevieve/Laurie) and some hideous (Hildi). The homeowners were usually good people and good sports, which makes the show enjoyable to watch. And Paige is such a fun and engaging host. I've definitely gotten some design inspiration from this show!

Living in England, I became a fan of Changing Rooms, the show on which Trading Spaces is based. Both shows include the same elements which make it so exciting: two days (time constraint) in which neighbors (putting their relationships on the line), with the help of designers (putting their reputations on the line), redecorate a room in each other's houses. The American version, our Trading Spaces, is different than Changing Rooms, in that it's longer (an hour as opposed to 30 minutes), and it is very American. The neighbors openly disagree with the designers - there's no editing for harmony here! I absolutely adore this show. Alex McCleod is always lending a welcome hand in each room, and a breath of fresh air when things become too stressful in one house. All of the designers have unique tastes - but always create an amazing space no matter what their "motivation." And the carpenters, both Amy Wynn and Ty, are such characters! A woman carpenter - awesome.

It's entertainment, but it's instructive - you see normal people, under a constrained budget and time (like most normal people anyway), creating amazing rooms. It's a boost of confidence!

For the life of me, I don't see where they spend $1000.00 dollars in any of these rooms!! The designers must go to a fabric store and purchase THE most expensive fabric and make one lousy pillow out of it or something, because these rooms just look awful. Hilda is the worst of the lot, as she wants everything painted black!! And who could forget her famous hay-covered walls?? LOL.

Have you ever noticed that these designers never really lift anything heavy when starting to decorate the rooms? If it weighs more than a pencil or a sheet of paper, forget it. Maybe the designers don't want to chip a fingernail or something. And why don't these designers stay and help their "team" get things done the first night?? What is it with all this "homework"??? I would be grabbing someone around the neck and threaten to wring it, if I was told to do all this work while "rich designer" is leaving for the night!! I keep watching and waiting for ideas on decorating, but so far.....nothing!! "Changing Rooms" is a much better show.

This show is absolutely horrible for a number of valid reasons:

For starters, it shows you how interior decorators are a homeowner's worst nightmare as they seldom take a person's lifestyle and create something that fits into it --- they are always doing something that is way out of the mainstream without taking into account a homeowner's personal tastes or consulting with them about it; of course, the nature of this show is for it to be a complete ambush, but it's twice as bad when the ambush is by dimwitted designers with cheap, bad taste. The show also reminds me too much of "The Today Show" with its preening, fawning and BS humor; you would have to be a naive, shallow person to enjoy the playful nature of the show --- I'm sure women represent 99% of the viewership. It's twice as long as it needs to be, assuming it should even be on the air at all.

But the main structural problem (pun intended) is, because of the cheap budget the show is on, that's exactly what you get --- cheap designs that look like something straight from kindergarten art class in a tasteless parallel universe. The host is equally nauseating, like she was plucked straight from cheerleading class at the local junior college. All of the designers are not only morons, they are posturing jerks with childish attitudes & no talent to be proud of --- the proof is in their work. Finally, if you really want to see this kind of crap, tune to BBC's original "Changing Rooms"; though they have 90% of the same problems, they do it a little less nauseating.

I personally recommend BBC's "Ground Force" if you like light-hearted home improvement shows, mainly because the girl on that show is very sexy & she never wears a bra, plus they do good work for the most part, and I also recommend "Gardening By The Yard" (which doesn't even have an entry on the IMDB for some reason) hosted by Paul James on HGTV, which is a lot better & highly entertaining show. Paul is very enjoyable, has a great voice & personality and is very knowledgable --- you will definitely learn something from him and get a good laugh with a clever adult sense of humor. If you want a serious home improvement show that's light fare and highly accessible/tasteful, tune into Bob Vila's "Home Again" or "Before & After" with Pat Simpson. Stay away from "This Old House" as it's just plain boring now. And click fast to an adjacent channel when "Trading Spaces" comes on.

Basically, don't support these idiots by watching their show --- it's a huge step backward in terms of entertainment value, not to mention interior decorating itself.