Trading Spaces - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

This topic replaces the old forum which has been vaulted at the location below:

https://forums.primetimer.com/forum/3436-trading-spaces-v/

[Cloud9Shopper]

I loved this show back in its 2000s heyday. I used to make sure I was home from school to watch it (after A Wedding Story, if I remember correctly) and that it could be recorded if I had to work Saturday nights, although I did try to stay up late to watch the encore. 

But the reboot just never did it for me. And I miss Frank. :( 

[Quickbeam]

The OG show was appointment TV in our house. I remember near the end people would get pissed that they didn't get Vern since his remodels were amazing. I also loved the disasters like the wine label kitchen for people who don’t drink.

[cynicat]

Or the walls that Hilde glued on straw!  

[caitmcg]

30 minutes ago, cynicat said:

Or the walls that Hilde glued on straw!  

Was that the Oakland craftsman where Hildi first hacked up the (original woodwork) mantelpiece, and then covered the walls of an allergic owner with straw? Even when she did aesthetically pleasing makeovers, she often seemed to use destructive materials, like verathane over latex paint.

[cynicat]

17 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Was that the Oakland craftsman where Hildi first hacked up the (original woodwork) mantelpiece, and then covered the walls of an allergic owner with straw? Even when she did aesthetically pleasing makeovers, she often seemed to use destructive materials, like verathane over latex paint.

That's the one!  I think toward the end of the show's run, she was famous for being the designer that no one wanted to work with, because she did shit like what you described.  She ran with that fame and took it way too far.

[CrazyInAlabama]

There was a lot of inside information that came out about the Hay on the walls Oakland episode.   The homeowners were livid when their little kids started getting the hay, and choking on it.  The neighbors pitched in and helped get the hay down, and had to wash the walls to get the glue off so it could be repained.   And as I recall the kitchen paint was horrible, and had puddles all over the counters and cooktop.   

Remember the black room/white room episode toward the end?  The designers ruined the newly restored woodwork that the owners had stripped many layers of paint off of.    Then the room where the new designer (Barry?) painted almost everything in a dining room turquoise, including the chandelier?  

[caitmcg]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

There was a lot of inside information that came out about the Hay on the walls Oakland episode.   The homeowners were livid when their little kids started getting the hay, and choking on it.  The neighbors pitched in and helped get the hay down, and had to wash the walls to get the glue off so it could be repainted.   And as I recall the kitchen paint was horrible, and had puddles all over the counters and cooktop.   

Remember the black room/white room episode toward the end?  The designers ruined the newly restored woodwork that the owners had stripped many layers of paint off of.    

Related to both your points, Oakland is my hometown, and there are a lot of North Oakland houses of that early 20th-century vintage with original woodwork and built-ins in general, and especially in Rockridge (the neighborhood where that house is; I know the exact block where it's located). Having grown up in similar houses, I hate looking at photos of listings in the area where all the woodwork has been painted white, but it's definitely the thing now, along with remodeling to open floor plans.

[Cloud9Shopper]

Surprised and disappointed the OG run isn’t available to stream anywhere. I’d definitely do a binge rewatch, even sitting through all the Hildi disasters again. (There was also the magenta/taupe room and the bathroom where she put flowers all over the wall, among many many others.) 

Vern was my favorite. 

I was so excited for the reboot and even watched the reunion in like 2018 or so but the reboot was nothing like the original. Just fell flat.

I did watch Paige’s episode of A Wedding Story (another TLC classic) on YouTube maybe a month or two ago. I remember how much that was hyped up in commercials and how everyone was asking her if her name would be Paige Page. 🤣

Edited July 14 by Cloud9Shopper