S09.E01: Not Our First Rodeo

[Koffee Kup]

8 hours ago, valdawn said:

I really wish Hildi wouldn’t have come back. Seriously asking, has any of the people on this show like ever really liked her design? She just seems to be ridiculous just to be ridiculous, and she’s rude too.

I will not watch anytime she is one of the designers, I turned channel at about 15 minutes in. I find her to be self absorbed with contempt for the homeowners which for me does not make good TV.

Doug also did not listen to what his team wanted, the color palette was the exact opposite.  

[meowmommy]

10 minutes ago, fountain said:

Stringing them was weird but in the bowel was kind of interesting.

I know this was a typo on your part, but honestly the eggs looked like a string of intestines hanging out.

34 minutes ago, Not4Me said:

I see Hildi remains contemptuous of her clients and is still an asshole.

Hildi is an ass.  If you're going to have a snooty attitude, then you'd better have the talent to justify it, and she doesn't.  Never has, never will. 

15 minutes ago, hoosiermommy said:

Doug's first conversation with his team sounded forced and like an attempt at rehabilitating his image from the first go-round.

How long does anyone suppose being nice is going to last?  I'm sure it's just a matter of time before we're back to prison walls, lounging around while the HOs work, and toilets as art. 

[WhitneyWhit]

I was underwhelmed by both rooms. I liked the colors of Doug's room, but the space was too small for them, it made the room look even smaller than what it actually is.

Hildi, Hildi, Hildi, ole girl hasn't changed one bit. Again, I liked the colors, and I even liked the pattern, but she, as usual, went overboard. I think using the pattern as perhaps an accent wall, or creating some art pieces with it would have been fine. but it was too much. Like Doug, her room was too small for what she did.

[vibeology]

So Bell Fibe crapped out for about 20 minutes just after the show started. I watched the last forty minutes but recorded the replay. They cut out almost all of Ty's chastising Hildi. Cut out him calling out punishing the homeowners. Cut out him pointing out she could paint the ceiling a solid colour. It might just be that was the easiest scene to cut to shorten the episode down, but I think it was a choice. Hildi was being cruel and unreasonable and in every repeat that will air, viewers won't see her being called out on it. #Choices

[absolutelyido]

29 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

Hildi is an ass.  If you're going to have a snooty attitude, then you'd better have the talent to justify it, and she doesn't.  Never has, never will. 

In my fantasy world, at the reunion they would have announced that they had a surprise for the designers and they were going to their homes and recreate some of their former TS designs. Hildi is up first and they would go to her house put straw on the living room walls, feathers on the bedroom walls, and replace all of her furniture with cardboard.  

[tobeannounced]

I watched a lot of the marathon that ran before the premier, and I was so tired of cheap, tacky, ugly design. I was looking forward to the updated version, but I swear those designs would have fit in with those of 15 years ago. Surely $2,000 spent on a tiny room could yield much nicer results. I mean, $500 for Carter to build a dresser? You could have found something just as nice or nicer for much cheaper ready made and used some of that money for nicer fabrics or accessories.

I totally get what people upthread are saying about being tired of the same old, same old by Property Brothers, the Gaines, etc, but what I loved about the early days of the original show was showing real people how they could make unique spaces they loved on a budget. This just seems to me to be mocking people who can't afford the big budget renos. Maybe I'm just wanting this show to be something it isn't. Can they bring back Design on a Dime?

Edited April 8, 2018 by tobeannounced

[Eagle Woman]

TLC: If you want to succeed, better read this message board. Once upon a time you had a charming and informative show, trading spaces...I watched it with my girls and built them models of their room and they scoured the sears catalogs and magazines for items like the rooms they loved on TS. Finally they actually spent one July re-doing their room and loved it.

BUt gradually TLC decided they needed conflict and drama. And a mean old witch, the now aging wrinkly skinned Hilde began torturing people. Instead of cute ideas from frank and genny and beauty and balance from Vern and Laurie, and us happily watching with our popcorn bowls and a sketch pad...we felt sad and depressed.  Doug wasnt funny, he was sarcastic and rude. Hilde guilty of inflicting emotional pain and ugly "designs" on our friendly homeowners, with whom we identified. The conflict didnt spark interest but made us turn to other channels.

With this first show where you have a chance to hook new viewers, you are doubling down on all the bad errors and instead of letting Paige be Paige, and the people like us, the homeowners be listened to and the designers look like they actually learned something in all these years, and a happy ending,you are ruining a charming little show we have loved and missed all these years.....

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, fountain said:

Stringing them was weird but in the bowl was kind of interesting.

I think if she'd just used the ones in the bowl, colored to match the room, the egg idea was okay.  I thought they looked really weird strung out like that, and at first, I didn't even realize what they were.  I thought it was a piece of construction material that they had inadvertently left behind.

16 minutes ago, absolutelyido said:

In my fantasy world, at the reunion they would have announced that they had a surprise for the designers and they were going to their homes and recreate some of their former TS designs. Hildi is up first and they would go to her house put straw on the living room walls, feathers on the bedroom walls, and replace all of her furniture with cardboard.  

Don't forget the plastic flowers stapled to the wall in the master bathroom!!!

[guilfoyleatpp]

1 hour ago, Not4Me said:

I hope the homeowners didnt get salmonella poisoning from blowing out those raw egg yolks, yuck. That “art” is probably going to rot after awhile.

Hildi could have taken a far more minamalist approach using the pillow patterns as inspiration. That paint job looked like ass because the couple had very little time (or artistic knowledge, not their fault) to pull off that pattern. Instead you walk into the room and you might have seizures. 

I see Hildi remains contemptuous of her clients and is still an asshole.

I said the same thing to Mr. Guilfoyle about Hildi's room being seizure inducing.  

We used to blow out eggs too...but we also rinsed them out. 

The paint job was terrible. Hildi does have nothing but contempt for the homeowners and this show. I was gleeful when she fell on her ass trying to make the bicycle art piece. 

During the reunion Doug said something about how homeowners interfere with their design ideas and then asked if they would do that with a plumber. Well, um, most of the plumber's work is invisible, Dougie, so your attempt at allusion is inaccurate from go. 

[Mabinogia]

12 hours ago, absolutelyido said:

They said on the reunion that Hildi never want to do something that had ever been done before. Often it hasn't been done for good reason.

This is the problem I have with these "never done before" ideas. There is a reason no one before has blown out eggs to use as a chain hanging from a ceiling for no apparent reason. It's a BAD idea! 

I get why she wanted the ceiling painted, because with the mirror, which she was using to make the room seem bigger, a white ceiling would ruin the visual. the trouble with the room wasn't painting the ceiling, it was painting everything that pattern at all. I kind of think, if she'd just done the ceiling like that, then some throw pillows and the curtain and kept the walls white it would have looked better. But that much pattern in a room that small is horrifying. Mama is going to have nightmares if she sleeps in that room, especially once those egg shells start to smell. haha

I hate to break it to Hildy but that tire track art looks like tire tracks on a white sheet, not art. I did like the bed. Giving the small room a Murphy bed was a good idea. It's the only thing I would keep in that room. 

I actually really liked Doug's room. I like that he didn't go with the usual concept of beachy but went more Tahitian. It was dark, but it was a bedroom. I like my bedroom dark because I sleep in it. I like it dark when I sleep. I probably wouldn't change anything in that room, at least not for a while. I do tend to get bored and change things up after a while. 

Paige is still not my favorite show host, she's way too cutesy for me, but it was nice to see everyone else. I think this was a good start, though I may skip Hildy episodes from here on, unless she's with a designer I really like. I just can't with her. She thinks she's sooooooo clever and she's just not. I will never get over putting furniture on the ceiling, a perfect example of "it's not been done before because it's fucking stupid!" 

[AZChristian]

3 minutes ago, guilfoyleatpp said:

Hildi does have nothing but contempt for the homeowners and this show. I was gleeful when she fell on her ass trying to make the bicycle art piece. 

Because of the truth of the first sentence, I was right there with you on the second one.  And the fact that they kept it in the final cut would seem to me to be an indication that the production staff might agree.

[Tippi]

I had to laugh when Hildi wrecked her bike.  So pretentious riding around in her little strappy heels. 

[mtlchick]

Hildi's was horrible, which wasn't a surprise.  Doug's wasn't bad, I just felt the room looked smaller.   I think if it was a larger room it would have worked better.  

 

I do like the Wayfair product integration though. 

[meowmommy]

Just now, AZChristian said:

And the fact that they kept it in the final cut would seem to me to be an indication that the production staff might agree.

I am a bad, bad person, but I was only sorry she didn't break a bone.  Which would still not have been enough karma for the monstrosities she's inflicted over the years.

[MaKaM]

2 minutes ago, Tippi said:

I had to laugh when Hildi wrecked her bike.  So pretentious riding around in her little strappy heels. 

People who show up for renovation and construction in strappy heels are people so concerned by their image that I disregard basically everything they have to say as most-likely self-serving. See also: Christina and Aubrey on Flip or Flop who tour flea-ridden hellholes in sandals.

 

ETA: There is some value in saying "trust me" when a designer has an outside-the-box idea because it might actually turn out okay. The problem is that we all know that Doug and Hildi's work doesn't usually end that way. And the designers that say "trust me" also usually have a larger budget for better quality materials. Burlap on the walls is interesting--kinda like a textured wallpaper but it is only fastened at the edges. How much can you brush up against it before it starts to pill, pull, or separate? Just use wallpaper next time. And Doug's "trust me" wasn't too misplaced in this episode but really, I think it was the artwork that looked best in the room. And that dresser.

Edited April 8, 2018 by MaKaM

[Pjxf99]

1 hour ago, Tippi said:

I had to laugh when Hildi wrecked her bike.  So pretentious riding around in her little strappy heels. 

Yes!! I'd forgotten some things about the original run of this show,  including how much I hated Hildi always running around in ridiculous heels.  I'm sorry,  but that screams,  "I don't do any real work."

[jette]

I agree with your sentiment about spending $500 for Carter to construct a dresser, tobeannounced. I would have liked for it to at least be a different color! After going to all that trouble to build something "new," it sure looked a lot like the same dresser with different drawers...in the same dang space, with a big ole lamp next to the tv that's gonna have to be moved whenever the homeowners want to watch something. 

[meowmommy]

12 minutes ago, jette said:

I agree with your sentiment about spending $500 for Carter to construct a dresser, tobeannounced. I would have liked for it to at least be a different color! After going to all that trouble to build something "new," it sure looked a lot like the same dresser with different drawers...in the same dang space, with a big ole lamp next to the tv that's gonna have to be moved whenever the homeowners want to watch something. 

As someone newly underfunded, I have spent a lot of time in local thrift stores lately, trying to find a dresser.  I've seen many really beautiful dressers for around $200, and more dressers that have great potential for less than that.  What ever happened to the concept of trash to treasure?

[Mumbles]

Doug seems to have mellowed just a little bit. In the first incarnation of the show he often came off as dismissive or even snotty about the homeowners. That didn’t come off as much. And his design was lovely.

I loved how Ty stood up for the homeowners to Hildi.

The homeowners seem more assertive this round. I wonder if it’s generational? 

[seacliffsal]

Carter also made the platform bed and extended headboard for the same $500, so it wasn't just the dresser.

I wonder if they are able to film in smaller rooms for this series due to improved technology and smaller cameras.  I think these rooms were the smallest ever featured.  I agree with others that Doug's design would have worked better in a larger room, although I did not think it was too bad.  Hildi's design on the other hand, would not look good (IMO) no matter how large of a room she had to work with.  I think she was really made at her homeowners not finishing their 'homework' as it meant she would have to do some work.

If I lived in that neighborhood and the production company left the bicycle tire marks on the street, I would be mad.  It was a stupid project, not only because it was ugly (again, IMO), but they had to ride far beyond the fabric and cardboard that Hildi laid down in order to turn their bikes around.  I know that the producers do not have to fix any rooms due to the contracts that the homeowners sign, but I wonder if they have to make repairs to a neighborhood as the neighbors do not sign away any liability for damages.

[Mabinogia]

27 minutes ago, jette said:

After going to all that trouble to build something "new," it sure looked a lot like the same dresser with different drawers...in the same dang space

I wondered what the point was of making the exact same dresser just with different drawers. It was the same size, as you said, in the same spot, basically the sameish color. What a waste of money. 

 

7 minutes ago, Mumbles said:

Doug seems to have mellowed just a little bit. In the first incarnation of the show he often came off as dismissive or even snotty about the homeowners. That didn’t come off as much. And his design was lovely.

The thing I liked about Doug this time around was that, while he did little "drama" things, like the burlap and the colors not being what they expected, he did actually give the homeowners the tropical theme they mentioned, just not in the way they expected. I like that. When they give the client what they want but in an unexpected way. Maybe Doug finally figured out how to balance the drama/shock with actually doing something people might want to keep for more than a night.

What I don't like is when they totally dismiss everything and just do what they want. Like "deconstructed penguin". That was Hildi wanting what Hildi wanted and just forcing it into the theme. 

[Nordly Beaumont]

2 hours ago, guilfoyleatpp said:

During the reunion Doug said something about how homeowners interfere with their design ideas and then asked if they would do that with a plumber. Well, um, most of the plumber's work is invisible, Dougie, so your attempt at allusion is inaccurate from go

It was actually Gen that said that.

 

47 minutes ago, Mumbles said:

Doug seems to have mellowed just a little bit. In the first incarnation of the show he often came off as dismissive or even snotty about the homeowners. That didn’t come off as much. And his design was lovely.

I feel like maybe he's not as thin skinned as before. It seemed like in the old episodes you had to flatter Doug and praise his design to get him to be friendly to you. Argue with him or dismiss his ideas and he was snotty (which I didn't mind, I like snotty Doug, he amuses me). But this time he was able to work with a homeowner who wasn't 100% on board and be nice to her this time. So I agree that he's mellowed.

[Snickerdoodle]

4 hours ago, fountain said:

Eggs are blown out to make Ukrainian eggs (which I know how to say but not how to spell).  We made lots as kids with the wax and dye and now 30 plus years later they are fine and not rotting but we did rinse them out a bit.  I didn’t really think that part was crazy as it is a pretty common thing, it is interesting to read that no one here has ever done that before, I guess being Ukrainian it is just something we did as kids. Stringing them was weird but in the bowl was kind of interesting.

We actually did the egg thing in elementary school if you can believe it. We then wrapped the shells in yarn.  My brother also did it when he had the same teacher, and 30 years later my mom still has them in her china cabinet. 

 

As for the rest of Hildi’s room, I liked the colors and even liked the pattern, but it was a crappy paint job. The lines weren’t straight at all. If it were my room I think I’d paint over the ceiling.  I would also ask for the leftover paint so that I could fix up the edges.  I thought the bike art looked stupid. It looked like they just hung a used drop cloth on the underside of the Murphy bed.  I would get rid of that “piece,” although it did look fun to make. 

 

Doug’s room turned out much better than I expected! 

[Kemper]

I know you could find a wonderful dresser at Habitat or ANY thrift shop for way less than building one.  Paint a "used" one and maybe change-out the hardware.  While the "Designer" puts the homeowners to work doing painting or such, maybe said designer could pop out to a couple of thrift stores and buy wood furniture and paint it.  I do love the idea of the Murphy Bed.  I am happy to see all the designers come back except for Hildy.  She (and Doug) were the main reason I only tuned in for the reveal.  I knew hers would be awful and didn't want to see her elitist attitude with the homeowners.  Sounds like Doug has mellowed, though.

Wouldn't it be a novel idea to have a design show on that we could actually learn something from?  Basic stuff...how to make the space seem larger and/or more airy; how to place furniture; basic painting; how to furnish on a budget if you don't have a carpenter handy.  Pretty, well-thought out economic fixes for stuff we all have issues with in our houses.  What fabrics work for what rooms/area.  Didn't one of the Trading Spaces people used to visit thrift stores for sofas, tables, etc.?  Hopefully the upcoming shows won't make a viewer irritable.  The designers are maybe a kinder, gentler group.  But I guess the awfulness is what brings the ratings.

[Enigma X]

I am not familiar with this whole egg thing. I mean what happens if someone accidentally steps on one or brushes too hard against it? Will it crumble? Yeah. Hildi's design was impractical and awful. I like Doug's but I like dark colors.

And I have always loved the way Ty brings these designers back to earth. I never felt it was rude. It seemed as if they always wanted the carpenters to do way too much, and he had to be blunt with them for them to get it.

I agree about the manufactured  drama being something that will cause me to stop watching. It is why I stopped before.

[fountain]

1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

As someone newly underfunded, I have spent a lot of time in local thrift stores lately, trying to find a dresser.  I've seen many really beautiful dressers for around $200, and more dressers that have great potential for less than that.  What ever happened to the concept of trash to treasure?

One of the biggest issues with TS is the time for paint to dry. Probably building and staining a dresser takes less time than the paint/stain prep and then painting/staining of an older piece.  Paint rushed just is a horrible finish. I didn’t realize the dresser cost $500, you can buy a lot of new dressers for that cost from a variety of different stores.  Although I thought the dresser looked decent quality and it would be plywood and not mdf or foil like from bulk stores.

I buy lots of things from places that aren’t too expensive and then I change them up a bit, if I buy an ikea cabinet I use my own knobs, add a paint finish, etc.

ETA I rewatched a part on my Tv with a better picture and paused it and I think in Hildi’s room the walls were textured.  That would have been why they didn’t tape as I was wondering why they didn’t just tape.  Those textured walls are weird, we don’t do that in my province.

Edited April 8, 2018 by fountain

[tobeannounced]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

Carter also made the platform bed and extended headboard for the same $500, so it wasn't just the dresser.

That makes more sense. I just remembered they were talking about the dresser and Doug said he would give Carter a quarter of his budget.

[guilfoyleatpp]

Also, regarding the eggs...a few decorative eggs here and there may not smell, but dozens of them strung together haphazardly (were they like hanging sculptures or were they on a lamp arm? still not sure), could collectively make a noticeable odor. 

[MaKaM]

3 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

I am not familiar with this whole egg thing. I mean what happens if someone accidentally steps on one or brushes too hard against it? Will it crumble? Yeah. Hildi's design was impractical and awful. I like Doug's but I like dark colors.

And I have always loved the way Ty brings these designers back to earth. I never felt it was rude. It seemed as if they always wanted the carpenters to do way too much, and he had to be blunt with them for them to get it.

I agree about the manufactured  drama being something that will cause me to stop watching. It is why I stopped before.

Eggs are incredibly strong---in one direction. Pressing on the dome, you have to exert a lot of force to crush it. They are delicate when empty, but no more than when full. I emptied eggs as ornaments and decorations around easter time. Check out these beautiful carved eggs. You can do it with a dremel tool, I think. The hanging ones looked idiotic but a bowl of painted or carved eggs could be a lovely art piece.

 

But yeah, I said in the other thread that constant drama gets as boring as gray-and-white everything. If Hildi could show that she was a competent designer 80% of the time, it would be easier to forgive her the drama 20%. I'd actually like it if they explained why X color works or Y furniture is appropriately sized for the room or whatever. Heck, I've seen some stenciled subfloors on pinterest that are an improvement on carpet. it would be fine for Hildi to go nuts with something like that if the carpet was rose shag to start with. But violating perfectly good walls with crap like cardboard (poorly applied) is just mean.

[sabretooth]

The lack of straight lines on Hildi's walls was driving me nuts. With the amount of white space in the pattern, they could have used tape and gotten the crisp lines that pattern demanded. If I were the room-do-er couple, I would have been pissed as hell about painting half that wall in that pattern only to have the Murphy bed cover it up. The patterned wall would have been fine as an accent wall, but with the multiple walls, ceilings and decorative touches, it was just TOO MUCH. 

[SHD]

6 hours ago, fountain said:

Eggs are blown out to make Ukrainian eggs (which I know how to say but not how to spell).  We made lots as kids with the wax and dye and now 30 plus years later they are fine and not rotting but we did rinse them out a bit.  I didn’t really think that part was crazy as it is a pretty common thing, it is interesting to read that no one here has ever done that before, I guess being Ukrainian it is just something we did as kids. Stringing them was weird but in the bowl was kind of interesting.

The egg-blowing thing was around when I was a kid. And I did see the homeowners putting the eggs in a bowl of water after, so they were rinsed out. But it's true I don't hear about people doing that much anymore.

[txhorns79]

Quote

Doug seems to have mellowed just a little bit. In the first incarnation of the show he often came off as dismissive or even snotty about the homeowners. That didn’t come off as much. And his design was lovely.

I appreciated that they had Paige speak to the wife to make sure all was okay.  The burlap looked better than I thought it would, but I agree the set up, while not bad, made a small room seem smaller. 

The one good idea Hildi had was the Murphy bed.  I liked trying to make the room more than just a rarely used guestroom.  The rest was terrible.  As others said, Hildi went way overboard with the design (which looked amateurish and rushed (which is not meant as a knock at the couple because they aren't professionals and have only limited time, but is terrible as a permanent design)), when doing an accent wall may have been better.   

Edited April 9, 2018 by txhorns79

[alexa]

On the topic of Doug’s room wasn’t too bad—but who would want burlap on their walls and a dark brown ceiling?  Why are some of them so opposed to paint or as someone else suggested wallpaper?  Why must they put odd materials on the walls and staples or glue?  

[Zanne]

26 minutes ago, alexa said:

On the topic of Doug’s room wasn’t too bad—but who would want burlap on their walls and a dark brown ceiling? 

I'm thinking of all the dust that burlap fabric will collect. How do you clean that? Beat it with a rug broom or use a vacuum?

[fountain]

12 minutes ago, Zanne said:

I'm thinking of all the dust that burlap fabric will collect. How do you clean that? Beat it with a rug broom or use a vacuum?

Probably a vacuum with a drapery attachment. Personally, I clean my walls and touch up the paint a lot, but tons of people I know don’t wash their walls and don’t even think about it.  These people wouldn’t even think of cleaning the burlap.

I have seen burlap glued on as wallpaper and painted over IRL.  It was used sort of in place of textured wallpaper to cover damaged walls.  It looked nice painted.  I am not sure if Doug’s could be painted if it was only stapled at the edges.

I don’t like non-white painted ceilings so that I would paint back white in both rooms.

Edited April 8, 2018 by fountain

[Snappy]

I ended up liking Doug's room better than I expected. Hildi's was hideous! Deconstructed penguin? Was she on crack? She definitely goes for shock value and doesn't consider the homeowners in the least. At first I was embarrassed for her when she slipped, but when I saw her shoes, I thought, "Stupidhead."

[Mabinogia]

6 minutes ago, Snappy said:

Deconstructed penguin? Was she on crack?

I loved her reaction when the couple were horrified by the idea of a deconstructed (implying dead) penguin. Like the thought hadn't crossed her mind that she was basically comparing her concept to an animal that had been torn apart. 

[Dobian]

It's baaaaack!  Trading Spaces never should have left in the first place.  It's great seeing them all again, just like old times.  Great choice to lead off with Doug and Hildi.  The Hildebeast was in top form with a total train wreck that would cause an epileptic to have seizures, lol.  And she still has this thing about eggs, what is it with her and eggs?  The one good thing about the room was Ty's bed unit.  The mirrors would have been a good idea if she had been sensible and gone with solid color walls and left the crazy pattern for the ceiling.  Doug's room was actually cohesive and had a consistent theme, and Carter's dresser and drawers really complimented it.  Looking forward to the season.   

Edited April 9, 2018 by Dobian

[Maverick]

42 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

I loved her reaction when the couple were horrified by the idea of a deconstructed (implying dead) penguin. Like the thought hadn't crossed her mind that she was basically comparing her concept to an animal that had been torn apart. 

 It might have gone over better if she had termed it an 'abstract representation of a penguin'.  

 The wall full of mirrors was a horrible idea.  

 I can't believe they did such tiny rooms.  Just wait, there's going to be a special episode where they redo an entire house.....and entire Tiny House!

 I noticed Hildi took out a ceiling fan and replaced it with.....nothing.  Some things never change.

[TexasTiffany]

On 4/7/2018 at 8:12 PM, chick binewski said:

Oh dear. Hildi's already talking about decapitated penguins.

 

On 4/7/2018 at 8:14 PM, Nordly Beaumont said:

"I see it as a deconstructed penguin" "I get it, but that's so sad!"

That part was awful. What did she mean? Like, deconstructed as in "my image is of penguins put in a blender"? 

The fabric might have been okay if they'd only done the ceiling or one wall as a focal point. Replicating it and covering most of the room with it was a sensory explosion of chaos. What could have been an interesting room was Hildi beating us all over the head with her brutalized penguin idea. Hildi likes people being shocked by her designs rather than people being pleased. 

I was expecting to not like Doug's room, since I still remember his prison bedroom. After the reveal and seeing how everything came together, I was pleasantly surprised. It did look and feel like an island resort. I didn't know he had it in him. I only remember his previously horrible ideas. 

 

23 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Who wants strings of egg shells hanging down plus a bowl of white eggshells? I also thought the black and white art work looked awful. They had all those nice accessories from Wayfair to choose from plus $2,000 and a carpenter-they could have done way better.

Hildi has a knack for making things look like cheap trash. The eggshells were a waste of money and time. Did they sanitize those egg shells? Ewww. How about taking items and making them look more expensive? I wish she'd try that next, but that doesn't seem to be her style. 

Add me to the list of people liking the Wayfair corner! It's almost like a consolation prize; no matter if they change the room they at least got a green lamp. 

[auntjess]

Is burlap on the walls a fire hazard?  I'd think it might be, and also what it was put up with.
I'm sure that hay and artificial flowers weren't safe?  
Sorry, but in the years after I saw this, I switched my allegiance to Mike Holmes, and I bet a lot of their crap was not "up to code."

[Pepper the Cat]

12 minutes ago, auntjess said:

Is burlap on the walls a fire hazard?  I'd think it might be, and also what it was put up with.
I'm sure that hay and artificial flowers weren't safe?  
Sorry, but in the years after I saw this, I switched my allegiance to Mike Holmes, and I bet a lot of their crap was not "up to code."

OMG! I can hear it now!

” This lovely couple agrees to go on a reality makeover show. What they got was stuff nightmares are made of. So I’m here to make if right!”

and then he would go on about the hay in the wall. And the fire hazard. And the code.

And then he could fix it

[JDAlexander]

10 hours ago, Pjxf99 said:

I had to laugh when Hildi wrecked her bike.  So pretentious riding around in her little strappy heels

I have to admit I laughed, rewound it and laughed again!

[meowmommy]

27 minutes ago, auntjess said:

Is burlap on the walls a fire hazard?  I'd think it might be, and also what it was put up with.

I don't speak from any level of expertise, but unless they covered up a heating element or electrical outlet, the burlap doesn't seem any more hazardous than wallpaper or a tapestry hung on the wall.

[mlp]

Quote

Deconstructed penguin? Was she on crack? 

She must have been on something.  Every penguin I've ever seen has been black and white.  

[grisgris]

I know. There needs to be a show like "Botched," only for interior design.

What bugs me about the designers is how they seem so clueless about time management in relation to their design aspirations. You'd think that they'd have a better grasp at this point. There is no way that Hildi's design could be implemented in that short amount of time with amateur painters.

The level of arrogance was off the charts.  I found Doug to be just as arrogant as he has been in the past. He just has a better way of disguising it.  I think Hildi has been well covered, so I have nothing new to add to the other comments.

I give a thumbs-down to both rooms.  The chosen designs weren't mean for such small bedrooms.

OBTW, "deconstructed," is a term I frequently hear on Food Network, which is the chef's clever way of restating "epic fail."

[friendperidot]

"Deconstructed" is used in fashion design a lot too, it usually means missing pieces, seams exposed, an unfinished look, I don't care for things being deconstructed.

And I agree that one wall painted to look like that fabric would have been more than enough, just making pillows out of that fabric would have been enough. I didn't hate the fabric, it was just a lot of look.

[Asp Burger]

I didn't think either room was great, but I also didn't think either one was a disaster. They both had some nice elements.  

Come on, Hildi and Doug as the worst designers on the original series? I'm always stunned by how Kia skates by when people recall this show. Was it because she joined the cast a couple years into it, or was she just so over-the-top terrible that people have forgotten her as a self-protective measure? At least with Hildi and Doug, there was a chance you'd get something good. With Kia, you were screwed, and you might even get an unfinished version of "screwed," because in addition to her massive deficits of taste and vision, she couldn't budget time either.   

The idea that one carpenter was doing everything was always fraudulent. Families who were on the show have blogged about the large carpentry teams, and how Ty (for example) would just do a certain amount for the camera. So all that's changed is that there are more on-camera carpenters now.  

[LexieLily]

1 hour ago, Asp Burger said:

I didn't think either room was great, but I also didn't think either one was a disaster. They both had some nice elements.  

Come on, Hildi and Doug as the worst designers on the original series? I'm always stunned by how Kia skates by when people recall this show. Was it because she joined the cast a couple years into it, or was she just so over-the-top terrible that people have forgotten her as a self-protective measure? At least with Hildi and Doug, there was a chance you'd get something good. With Kia, you were screwed, and you might even get an unfinished version of "screwed," because in addition to her massive deficits of taste and vision, she couldn't budget time either.   

The idea that one carpenter was doing everything was always fraudulent. Families who were on the show have blogged about the large carpentry teams, and how Ty (for example) would just do a certain amount for the camera. So all that's changed is that there are more on-camera carpenters now.  

Please refresh my memory about Kia. I don't remember one room of hers.

[Asp Burger]

12 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Please refresh my memory about Kia. I don't remember one room of hers.

That's a kind of mercy. 

If anything is going to trigger a memory, "Easter bunny grave bed" might do it. That was her most notorious room. Her big thing was to do a "theme." If one of the family members had been in the military, for example, she would make curtains that looked like parachutes, and cover the furniture in camouflage fabric. Another time, she said she had an Egyptian theme in mind, and it it turned out to be the most obvious Cecil B. DeMille Egyptian references imaginable. Similar with "Indian" theme.

In general, she was cheap and tacky, and I cannot remember one good room, and I must have seen a dozen. Back in the Television Without Pity days, there was a lot of perplexity on the boards as to (1) how she got there in the first place and (2) why she was allowed to stay.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Asp Burger