S09.E06: Pizza Boards & Industrial Doors

[ams1001]

4 minutes ago, Thalia said:

I loved the wall color so much that I recorded the episode on the replay to catch the name.  The designer said it was "polished silver" and I looked it up and that is by Valspar.  Unfortunately, when I looked at it on the computer it comes across as a flat gray.  Like you, I was getting a bluish/green/gray vibe from it, and I would like that for my living room.  It was beautiful on my television screen. 

And I just didn't like the HO with the new living room, at least post-reveal.  It is too bad they didn't get Genevieve.  Apparently they wanted a play room and NOT A LIVING ROOM.  WHICH THAT WAS.  I couldn't tell if the man was afraid to like it.  It seemed like he was waiting for the wife's reaction.  I feel sorry for the red team couple.  They're going to catch a lot of grief from their friends. 

Yeah, I watched the rerun at midnight and heard the name. On my TV it definitely looked like a blue-gray; a bit like my kitchen but with more gray in it (my kitchen is Lake Placid by Benjamin Moore which is a light blue, though it looks a little deeper with a touch of gray on my walls than on my computer screen). Just looked up Polished Silver and it's a lot more gray than blue in the pictures on google image search than it appeared on my TV.

I hope they don't take it out on their friends. I said this last week but they should realize that the plan is already set and the homeowners don't have much input, just from their own experience working on the other house, even if they don't realize that going in. So blaming your friends is silly. If I were on the show and my friends didn't like the results, I would offer to help them turn it into something they like better after the fact and not take it personally (especially if I suspected they might not love it, which I think the red-shirt wife did).

[Enigma X]

@Thalia, it seemed to me too that husband was stalling for the wife's reaction.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

And yes, I saw the little shelves on the side, but I also thought there'd be shelves in the front that would be exposed when the doors were closed and hidden when the doors were open. 

I like the storage being on the sides better; they're going to shove it full of a bunch of practical stuff, not attractive stuff you want to look at head-on on open shelves, so this way whether the doors are open or shut, it's a clean-looking unit, rather than being a distracting jumble of toys, blankets, DVDs, whatever when the doors are closed. 

I've seen several references to the dining room couple's "playroom" -- was it said on the show that's what an adjacent room was?  Because it seemed to me that you could see into two rooms from the dining room, and both where cluttered to the hilt with kid stuff.  Was one of them indeed a playroom, or does their whole house just sport the daycare center look the living room couple was apparently hoping for?

[absolutelyido]

25 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

They're called peels!  Not pizza boards!  Sheesh!

Let's ditch Sabrina's carpenter.

The living room was fine, other than the two useless side chairs that Laurie parked in front of the armoire/containment vessel.

I have a feeling the side chairs were intended to go in the nook by the window. But the neighbors chose the bench from the Overstock room which Laurie put by the window, so she then put the chairs in front of the wall unit.  

I watched the repeat again this afternoon, and I think the living room couple was pretty clear on what they wanted. In the interview at the beginning they said they wanted "a lot of space for the kids to move, a lot of space for us to spread out", and "functional, not a lot of furniture".  That's pretty much the opposite of what Laurie gave them.

[MrsCastle]

Quote

I have a feeling the side chairs were intended to go in the nook by the window. But the neighbors chose the bench from the Overstock room which Laurie put by the window, so she then put the chairs in front of the wall unit.  

That is what I thought as well

[Bastet]

In the pre-reveal chat with Paige, when that bench came up, Laurie said it was perfect because she needed something for that window nook.  But she may have just been being nice, rather than saying, "It's a small room and I'd already planned all the furniture it needed, and then from the whole tent they go pick another piece of damn furniture!"  She should have just left the chairs out.; it's not just that they looked funny where they were placed, they weren't comfy, have guests sit in chairs to begin with.

31 minutes ago, ams1001 said:

(especially if I suspected they might not love it, which I think the red-shirt wife did).

After she saw her room, and Paige talked to them about heading over to see what the living room couple thought of their room, Red Shirt Woman said they were going to love it.  Maybe just wishful thinking in the euphoria of loving her own room, or maybe she genuinely thought that even though her friend has truly terrible taste, once she saw that her beloved TV stand had been incorporated into what was now a styled room instead of a yard sale mishmash with puke green walls, she'd like the result.

[biakbiak]

11 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Laurie said it was perfect because she needed something for that window nook.  Bu

Which was funny because I thought the bench looked bad there because it was too small and the scale was off.

[jcbrown]

58 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

They're called peels!  Not pizza boards!  Sheesh!

Thank you! That was driving me nuts.

Agree with everyone that Laurie's built-in was too big for the space. I liked the idea to use the doors on it on the kitchen pass-through and mount the TV on the wall. That stupid unit the HO was so in love with could have gone in the alcove where the bench was, maybe.

And add me to the list of those shaking their canes at the absurd amount of kid crap these HOs insisted on keeping immediately at hand. Where will the kids play? How about somewhere else in the house? If they're such snowflakes they have to be allowed to race through the common areas at will, they surely have their own space(s).

Edited May 13, 2018 by jcbrown

[meowmommy]

3 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

What I have learned is a homeowner loves a piece (brick fireplace, painted buffet with TV on it) then don't hide it. 

Crying Pam and now Crying (what's her name?).

2 hours ago, Dobian said:

Laurie's was surprising, because on the old show I think she had one of the highest approval ratings.  People disliked what she did rarely if ever. 

Well, there was Brown Jessie.

I didn't understand why Laurie reused the glass table inserts instead of replacing them with a thin sheet of plywood.  Anybody, not just a kid, is likely to slap something down on that table and shatter the glass that they can't see.

1 hour ago, Kerri Okie said:

Or I would have wall-mounted the TV and built a smaller (not as deep) surround unit with the barn doors to cover the TV and provide some storage, and moved the buffet elsewhere in the room.  Just because it was currently being used as a TV stand doesn't mean it still had to be used as a TV stand.

So much this.  It wasn't so huge that it had to continue to be the focus of the room.  Laurie could have possibly even swapped it out for some other piece of furniture in their house with a smaller footprint.  It's too bad that she didn't have Joanie build a traditional wall unit with shelves and a cabinet, with sliders over it, because that would have looked amazing instead of a giant box encroaching on their space.  The poor husband kept saying, is...this...permanent?  

Sabrina's room felt very Joanna Gaines.  Which I guess is what the HO wanted.  

Edited May 13, 2018 by meowmommy

[Wings]

8 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Which was funny because I thought the bench looked bad there because it was too small and the scale was off.

And useless! 

Edited May 13, 2018 by Wings

[dorcastrilling]

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

Ha!  Yeah, she mentioned being pregnant often enough when she was during the original run, and managed to work reference in again during the reunion that preceded this revival.

Oh my stars - you mean not every sharp corner, sheet of glass, hinge, or floor lamp (?) was a death trap that needed to be eradicated from the home until the kids hit puberty?  And that parents supervised/corralled when the kids were too young to understand rules and then taught rules once they aged?  And that the occasional accident wasn't a disaster?  It's a miracle any of the four of you survived to adulthood, never mind all of you.

If I could like this post 1000 times I would.

[ams1001]

30 minutes ago, Bastet said:

After she saw her room, and Paige talked to them about heading over to see what the living room couple thought of their room, Red Shirt Woman said they were going to love it.  Maybe just wishful thinking in the euphoria of loving her own room, or maybe she genuinely thought that even though her friend has truly terrible taste, once she saw that her beloved TV stand had been incorporated into what was now a styled room instead of a yard sale mishmash with puke green walls, she'd like the result.

My main reason for thinking that she didn't think they'd love it was a couple scenes I mentioned above where she was just kind of watching the others getting all excited over what they were doing and the look on her face seemed to be saying, "you people are nuts." Though maybe the camera just caught her at a couple off moments and I'm reading too much into her expression.

[Wings]

One thing I liked was both designers painted the walls a light neutral color.  I hope to see some white walls in the future, lots of them!   The Property Brothers are my gold standard.

Laurie got the memo that she must use the white chest but room to spread out either didn’t make the dossier or she ignored it.  Her furniture was huge, leaving no space at all.   

[Kerri Okie]

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

Oh my stars - you mean not every sharp corner, sheet of glass, hinge, or floor lamp (?) was a death trap that needed to be eradicated from the home until the kids hit puberty?  And that parents supervised/corralled when the kids were too young to understand rules and then taught rules once they aged?  And that the occasional accident wasn't a disaster?  It's a miracle any of the four of you survived to adulthood, never mind all of you.

This is what drives me bonkers about the people on shows like House Hunters: "Oh no, we can't have a house with stairs/countertops with corners/an upstairs master/etc because of the 2 year-old!"  Folks, your toddlers are only going to be toddlers for a year or two.  They'll learn how to climb stairs, maneuver around furniture, and sleep through the night long before you'll be ready to buy another house.  

 

Quote

 I didn't understand why Laurie reused the glass table inserts instead of replacing them with a thin sheet of plywood.  Anybody, not just a kid, is likely to slap something down on that table and shatter the glass that they can't see.

I thought maybe she was going to do some etching on it.  Hiding it seemed more dangerous than simply leaving it alone.

[100Proof]

The living room looked fine enough. Only thing too much was the mirrored sliders. Maybe just a pair of collapsible louvered doors would've been better. Laurie should've just painted the walls yellow and purple, applied all kinds of cardboard alphabet letters, barnyard animals, dogs & cats, spaceships and stars on the walls then furnish with plastic kiddie furniture, a hobby horse and a sit 'n' spin. The two idiots would've LUUUUVED it.

[Zanne]

2 hours ago, Thalia said:

I loved the wall color so much that I recorded the episode on the replay to catch the name.  The designer said it was "polished silver" and I looked it up and that is by Valspar. 

Valspar is the absolute worst. I've had nothing but bad experiences with it. After it dries for over a week, if anything touches the wall, the paint will still peel away. It chips easily. I've sworn off it.

 

2 hours ago, absolutelyido said:

I have a feeling the side chairs were intended to go in the nook by the window. But the neighbors chose the bench from the Overstock room which Laurie put by the window, so she then put the chairs in front of the wall unit. 

I'm not sure if there was enough space, but maybe Laurie could have shoved the must-keep sideboard in that window nook. It would be out of the way, but still in the room.

[SHD]

I'll admit, I've never heard of down-filled couches. It looked super slouchy and like it would hard to comfortably sit in. I loved Laurie's indignant reply when Paige was all "Is this old? So there's no dust mites in it, right" (paraphrased) comment.

[jcbrown]

43 minutes ago, Zanne said:

I'm not sure if there was enough space, but maybe Laurie could have shoved the must-keep sideboard in that window nook. It would be out of the way, but still in the room.

That's what I suggested upthread. Glad I wasn't the only one with that thought.

32 minutes ago, SHD said:

I'll admit, I've never heard of down-filled couches. It looked super slouchy and like it would hard to comfortably sit in. I loved Laurie's indignant reply when Paige was all "Is this old? So there's no dust mites in it, right" (paraphrased) comment.

I always wonder about bedbugs. I would not bring used upholstered furniture into my home.

Edited May 13, 2018 by jcbrown
fixed quote

[meowmommy]

30 minutes ago, SHD said:

I'll admit, I've never heard of down-filled couches. It looked super slouchy and like it would hard to comfortably sit in. I loved Laurie's indignant reply when Paige was all "Is this old? So there's no dust mites in it, right" (paraphrased) comment.

And Laurie was all, oh, it's from a consignment shop, no, a high end consignment shop, and they're really particular, when you know she never gave dust mites a single thought when she was buying it.  

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, SHD said:

I'll admit, I've never heard of down-filled couches. It looked super slouchy and like it would hard to comfortably sit in. I loved Laurie's indignant reply when Paige was all "Is this old? So there's no dust mites in it, right" (paraphrased) comment.

I have a downfilled couch and it's literally the comfiest thing ever, I sat on coservatively 250 couches before I finally found it. Everyome who sits on it declares it the comfiest sofa! 

[Zanne]

2 hours ago, jcbrown said:

That's what I suggested upthread. Glad I wasn't the only one with that thought.

They need to invite us to decorate a room! But no Valspar paint.

[SHD]

2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I have a downfilled couch and it's literally the comfiest thing ever, I sat on coservatively 250 couches before I finally found it. Everyome who sits on it declares it the comfiest sofa! 

Wow...that's great. Maybe the one Laurie got was just a little worn in or they were just sprawled on it awkwardly.

3 hours ago, jcbrown said:

That's what I suggested upthread. Glad I wasn't the only one with that thought.

I always wonder about bedbugs. I would not bring used upholstered furniture into my home.

I'm super paranoid since my friend bought a cool old pink sofa and after she got it home she realized roaches were nesting in it.

[Awfarmington]

I’m perplexed by homeowners who are so disappointed in the reveal. Have they not seen ANY of the previous episodes?? We’ve had some really nice rooms this season, but all previous seasons are one tacky room after another. Some are beyond tacky, like hay on the walls for example. One might think by now that you are signing up for the experience, and if you happen to get a nice room, that’s just the icing on the cake. 

[seacliffsal]

Laurie just seems so dramatic to me.  Whenever she talks she draws it out with lost of silences and exaggerated word holds.  She also seems just a touch out of her designing mode.  Having written that though, I want to emphasize how weird it was that the female homeowner hated the room so much.  Other than the huge shelving/cabinet unit, I thought the room was lovely (oh, like others I wouldn't want huge mirrors in the living room).  

Sabrina's room was just lovely.

[juliet73]

I think the mirrored barn doors that Laurie installed would be great in a master bedroom.  So many of these design shows - I'm looking at you Flip or Flop and House Hunters Reno - use barn doors in place of a standard master bathroom doors.  Or in place of a closet door(s) would look lovely as well.

[Diamond Girl]

Maybe Laurie missed it on the HO needs/request for a playroom but to come to her defense I loved the living room! It was classy, elegant and a different flair to the current farmhouse trend. 

The sliding door built- in was beautiful and I want to make one for my living room. It’s really hard to tell the scale of the piece from just seeing it on T.V.  It may not seem as large in the room as it appears.  Great job Laurie! 

When being on Trading Spaces it’s a risk and you don’t know what you're going to get. I think it should be more for the experience and having fun. If you get a room you like it’s an added bonus, if not, then it’s not permanent and can always be changed.

[Wings]

5 hours ago, meowmommy said:

And Laurie was all, oh, it's from a consignment shop, no, a high end consignment shop, and they're really particular, when you know she never gave dust mites a single thought when she was buying it.  

Dust mites are virtually everywhere.  They cannot be avoided.  They cannot live in latex foam and that is what my mattress is made of.  Not because of mites, just happens to be the most comfortable bed on the planet.  Not to be confused with memory foam.  They probably don’t live in that either but not a good mattress material. 

1 hour ago, Diamond Girl said:

Maybe Laurie missed it on the HO needs/request for a playroom but to come to her defense I loved the living room! It was classy, elegant and a different flair to the current farmhouse trend. 

The sliding door built- in was beautiful and I want to make one for my living room. It’s really hard to tell the scale of the piece from just seeing it on T.V.  It may not seem as large in the room as it appears.  Great job Laurie! 

When being on Trading Spaces it’s a risk and you don’t know what you're going to get. I think it should be more for the experience and having fun. If you get a room you like it’s an added bonus, if not, then it’s not permanent and can always be changed.

If you go back and watch again you might see how crowded the room is.  I paused it at every angle they showed and had a totally different take than the first time.  That room was jam packed.  The two corner chairs were the biggest culprit. 

Edited May 14, 2018 by Wings

[Madding crowd]

I don’t think the homeowners are idiots because they didn’t like the room-we all have different tastes and agreeing to go on the show doesn’t mean you have to love the result. I think the room was crowded and the built in pieces too big. The drapes and other fabrics were nice. Not everyone wants a super formal living room. Maybe they wanted a place to relax without having to move everything around. 

Edited May 14, 2018 by Madding crowd

[HunterHunted]

13 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I have a downfilled couch and it's literally the comfiest thing ever, I sat on coservatively 250 couches before I finally found it. Everyone who sits on it declares it the comfiest sofa! 

The homeowners had the most sour looks on their faces when Laurie revealed it was from a consignment place. I don't know why they were oblivious that they may be getting second hand goods. That's always been part of the show. They also had the weirdest question about how old it was. Nothing about it looked particularly dated. I'm left with the thought that both homeowners probably have terrible taste.

[alexa]

I think this episode capitalized on how difficult it is to make this show work for the homeowners participating.  You can get the occasional good room, such as some we have seen this year that I have actually really liked, and Sabrina's was nice as well, but even if you do a decent room like Laurie's, it is hard to please the homeowners.  I get why Laurie's wouldn't be their favorite, but it wasn't bad at all--mainly overcrowded.  She didn't ruin the room and some people might have liked it.  It does seem like so many people do want a really basic re-done room, and this show is not for that.  They have a budget, they feel some expectation to do something noticeable, and frankly it is hard to match every homeowners taste.  Honestly if you are going to this show it is best to expect the unexpected, and then be pleasantly surprised if you get a nice room.  I just left this episode feeling kind of strange--it was a mix of a good room that was a good fit for the homeowner, and then another room that just wasn't their taste (but at the same time it is hard to tell what that homeowner would have actually liked?  Did they want an empty room for the kids to play in?)

[txhorns79]

Quote

I don’t think the homeowners are idiots because they didn’t like the room-we all have different tastes and agreeing to go on the show doesn’t mean you have to love the result. I think the room was crowded and the built in pieces too big. The drapes and other fabrics were nice. Not everyone wants a super formal living room. Maybe they wanted a place to relax without having to move everything around. 

I agree.  I liked a lot of things about the room, but the built ins seemed too big and overpowered everything else.  I didn't understand the tears, or why the homeowners reacted like they just got hit with a Hildi-style disaster that will destroy the house. 

[penbrat]

Sabrina's room was nice (hated the wine rack thing though) and she seems like a pleasant person.   I loved Laurie's curtains and I get what she was trying to do, it just didn't quite work space wise.   It was a strange, awkward reaction (to me) from the HOs.   I couldn't tell if they liked it or not until she started whispering where will the kids play.   They were probably tired and seem like nice enough people but if you go on this show you take your chances, so hopefully they were able to find some things about the room they liked and modify it accordingly.     I found Paige highly irritating this eppy.  Like she wanted to be in every camera shot or something.   I continue to love Joanie.

[Kemper]

I know it is the job of designers to think outside the box.  But sometimes I wish they weren't quite so ambitious.  Seems to me that you could use the money more wisely than some of the designers choose to do.  Surely there could have been a way to make a family room kid-friendly (without having it look like a toy box), have tv space, etc., without building huge pieces, large mirrors, etc.  Maybe a modest sectional, etc., built-in shelving for the tv, etc.  Use the "must keep" piece for storage while putting some attractive accessories on top.  I don't know how much the curtains for the fabric cost (I loved the fabric, by the way) but if it was way expensive, how about shopping at discount places..TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, etc.  Clearances?  Is there not time for any of that?I guess what I am describing sounds more like staging than designing.  Maybe that is my problem.  I look at a room and see what I could change, how I could repurpose some things, buy stuff at consignment places, etc.  You could still  keep your carpenters busy with shelving, maybe tables, some furntiure, etc.  You could come up with some really original ideas without maybe the massive projects that all the designers come up with.  By the way, I still liked Lauri's room!

[AnnieHeights]

I am not adding much new to the discussion but I really liked Laurie's room........also I know to each his own but personally, I could not live surrounded by enormous plastic toys everywhere.  I really liked Sabrina's room (minus the wine board) but my eye kept going to the room containing all the toys during the reveal. All I could think of was how bad I wanted to clean that area! 

The blue family was so odd to me.  The husband seemed to not be able to think for himself and was obviously extremely worried about what the wife thought on everything.  He kept saying they were obviously in France based on the name of the paint color?  He looked so confused and almost panicky during the reveal.  The wife.......not even sure what to think.... their before room was horrible IMO.  I liked the red family much better.  They seemed more normal. 

I absolutely believe you can have kids and a beautiful space and the two can co-exist quite fine.   Toys have their place, either in their room or a designated play area.  

[iMonrey]

Quote

Anyone catch the face on the wife in the red shirt while they were putting the sliding doors up? In one scene Paige was all excited at how great it looked and the wife was on the ladder holding a piece of painter's tape mid-pull and was just looking over at them like they were crazy. Then they showed them doing the mirrored doors and she was kneeling on the floor doing something else and watching with the same skeptical look on her face. I think she didn't like it any more than her friend did.

I caught that too. But when they did the final reveal I was impressed with how everything came together and looked so nice. Especially after last week's monstrosities. (The show should just never, ever have Hildi on again.) Even the wall color in that living room was sort of a toned-down version of the fugly puke-green color the home owner had painted it. So I can see where Laurie might have thought it would appeal to her taste. I guess she didn't bargain on how much the owners wanted that room to be a play room for their kids. My one objection would be the glass coffee table inserts covered in fabric. It hides the fact that those inserts are made of glass, so people aren't going to know enough to be careful to avoid breaking them by slamming anything down on them (or standing on them). 

 I guess the real problem with that room is that it doesn't fit in with the rest of the house, because the rest of the house is a giant disaster area because the kids leave their crap everywhere and all the other rooms are a total mess.

[ShaNaeNae]

On 5/13/2018 at 12:04 AM, Bastet said:

Ha!  Yeah, she mentioned being pregnant often enough when she was during the original run, and managed to work reference in again during the reunion that preceded this revival.

Gah I was waiting for her to shut up already about being pregnant at the reunion.  We know you were pregnant and eventually had young children Laurie.  I like Laurie, I do, but she was acting like that was her only memory of the show.

On 5/13/2018 at 12:26 AM, pinguina said:

 I guess I find it funny or maybe puzzling that the answer to "Why we can't have nice things" is to blame it on the children.  As I said we had to know what was allowed and what wasn't.  Did we get banged up occasionally?  YES.  But we never did whatever it was, again.  And I think we all turned out pretty well - except for the occasional twitch (kidding!)

Our children are being taught the same way.  Respect what is in your house because we work to pay for everything.  Take care of everything because you never know if you'll be able to afford it again!

I've always been the same way.  My kids were taught very young that no, you don't play with mom's nice things.  You help take care of our home.  I was on a Facebook group with a mom of young children who was crying because for the third time her 4 year old son completely destroyed her candles.  I had to mention this is the third time he's doing that?  No.  Kids get into some things, it happens, but my kids would have learned real quick you don't do that shit. 

I liked both rooms.  I could tell the living room homeowners didn't like it pretty quick but I'm not sure if Paige figured that out.  I'm sure everyone has to change their rooms to fit them, but it's not worth crying over.  If these people (like the Prince people last week) are so particular about their rooms, hire a designer.  Don't go on Trading Spaces.

[Bastet]

58 minutes ago, AnnieHeights said:

The blue family was so odd to me.  The husband seemed to not be able to think for himself and was obviously extremely worried about what the wife thought on everything.  He kept saying they were obviously in France based on the name of the paint color?  He looked so confused and almost panicky during the reveal. 

He was so weird during the reveal.  He looked truly befuddled that his room looked completely different than it had when they left.  Um, kinda the point of the past two days, dude.

[RedbirdNelly]

It seems like the Laurie rooms I like best are the ones the homeowner dislikes.

I liked Sabrina's room but from a reality perspective--esp when you could see all the kids' toys in the next room--I have to wonder how long (days? weeks?) until the dining room is also once again functioning as the storage area for the kids bikes.

[Wings]

16 hours ago, Bastet said:

He was so weird during the reveal.  He looked truly befuddled that his room looked completely different than it had when they left.  Um, kinda the point of the past two days, dude.

This always amazes me along with "this isn't us."  I want to add and thank god for that, do you remember your old room that was "you?" 

It is also funny to hear HOs on any show say, "This is us, you got that! Thank you!"  No they didn't.  They had no idea who your are because you didn't know, yourself.  They just gave you good design that most would like.  Nothing personal.  LOL

15 hours ago, RedbirdNelly said:

It seems like the Laurie rooms I like best are the ones the homeowner dislikes.

I liked Sabrina's room but from a reality perspective--esp when you could see all the kids' toys in the next room--I have to wonder how long (days? weeks?) until the dining room is also once again functioning as the storage area for the kids bikes.

I had the same thought.  They had their unpacked new dishes stored underneath the table for god knows how long.  The bikes will come back in; no other place for them I assume.  And that right there,  will send them back to eating in the kitchen. 

Edited May 15, 2018 by Wings

[Jadzia]

I thought it was funny when Paige was trying to demonstrated how they could just easily open and close the doors on that unit and then she struggled to move them to the side. That is exactly why I would hate having a behemoth piece of furniture like that - I know I would just open them up and leave them that way because it would be too much of a pain to open and close them all the time.

[andipandi]

I thought lauries room was lovely. it was always a small room, not sure how she could have made it bigger, but the surround did make it feel cramped, with the chairs at least. Thanks for the insights, that bench totally took the space the chairs were meant to be in!

Play room is not living room.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, RedbirdNelly said:

I liked Sabrina's room but from a reality perspective--esp when you could see all the kids' toys in the next room--I have to wonder how long (days? weeks?) until the dining room is also once again functioning as the storage area for the kids bikes.

I think there's some hope the dining room couple will keep their room clutter-free; with how much kid stuff was visible in the adjacent rooms, they're obviously bad at it, but it's possible that having the work done for them, and being presented with a finished room they love so much, will be the motivation they need to maintain it as a dining room rather than letting so much clutter creep in it reverts to a storage space.  The living room will be turned into romper room in a hot minute.  But the dining room has a chance at survival.

20 minutes ago, Jadzia said:

I thought it was funny when Paige was trying to demonstrated how they could just easily open and close the doors on that unit and then she struggled to move them to the side.

I laughed at that, too.  The budget means they use MDF, and it's heavy.  When you're sliding a heavy door with only a top track (as opposed to a top and bottom track), that's going to be an issue - especially if you have to lean over two stupid chairs to do it - and the budget constraints probably mean the track system she chose was medium-quality at best.

[vibeology]

I did not like Laurie's room. The unit was far too large. There was way too much furniture. I'd probably sell of every piece of furniture there and buy new, sleeker stuff. The extra doors blocking off the house were dumb. People like an open house, especially people with younger kids because the mom can be in the kitchen and see her kids in the living room through the pass through. It's easy to say let the kids play somewhere else but that's the room that you could see from the kitchen so I get why parents would want to make it the downstairs play space for their kids.

And I don't get why we feel the need to hide TVs. People watch TV. The people on Trading Spaces should be happy that people watch TV because that keeps them in business. Furniture needs to face the TV. The TV needs to be accessible without strain. I don't understand why designers hate TVs.

I probably wouldn't have cried (though if I was tired enough, maybe) but I absolutely would have been disappointed. They were given something totally opposite of what they asked for in the beginning.

[gorgy]

19 minutes ago, vibeology said:

And I don't get why we feel the need to hide TVs. People watch TV. The people on Trading Spaces should be happy that people watch TV because that keeps them in business. Furniture needs to face the TV. The TV needs to be accessible without strain. I don't understand why designers hate TVs.

I agree 100%. I watched a few of the older episodes when bulbous CRT tvs were the standard and could understand trying to “hide” them, but modern tvs are pretty sleek. Instead of being too substantial for a space, they might be to large for a wall, but other than that, they’re hardly an eyesore. Besides, if they brought back that one designer with the greasy ponytail, a flatscreen could serve as his touch of black.

[Cyranetta]

Quote

I found Paige highly irritating this eppy.  Like she wanted to be in every camera shot or something.   I continue to love Joanie.

Not just this eppy, but particularly this eppy. For some reason Paige's perkiness has been dialed up to "extreme" in the new series as well as her volume control. It's both distracting and exhausting to watch, and I can't imagine how it feels for the designers to have that kind of "static" when they're trying to think through problems.

[Mabinogia]

2 hours ago, Cyranetta said:

Not just this eppy, but particularly this eppy. For some reason Paige's perkiness has been dialed up to "extreme" in the new series as well as her volume control. It's both distracting and exhausting to watch, and I can't imagine how it feels for the designers to have that kind of "static" when they're trying to think through problems.

I think she really cranks it up when the homeowners don't have a happy reaction. Like this ep when she was trying so hard to get the living room couple say something nice. I'm sure production pushes her to try to get them to like something, but the way she does it, shrieky and annoying, is all her. It's like she's trying to perk them into submission. 

[lovinbob]

On 5/13/2018 at 7:24 PM, SHD said:

I'm super paranoid since my friend bought a cool old pink sofa and after she got it home she realized roaches were nesting in it.

That just turned my stomach! Your poor friend! 

On 5/13/2018 at 8:00 PM, seacliffsal said:

Laurie just seems so dramatic to me.  Whenever she talks she draws it out with lost of silences and exaggerated word holds.  She also seems just a touch out of her designing mode.  Having written that though, I want to emphasize how weird it was that the female homeowner hated the room so much.  Other than the huge shelving/cabinet unit, I thought the room was lovely (oh, like others I wouldn't want huge mirrors in the living room).  

I agree completely. I almost turned it off because I couldn't stand to watch her over-annunciate and dramatize everything she showed her homeowners. She really loves herself, doesn't she?

And then, what do you know, the blue couple made me feel sorry for her! I truly did not understand their reaction--especially since the room they left her was like, the opposite of good style and taste. It was actually devoid of style, and positively ugly.

Blue husband reminded me of Joan Harris's husband from Mad Men. Except less appealing, if that's possible. 

I didn't care much for Sabrina's personality. She seemed unpleasant when she was demonstrating the various projects to the homeowners and Paige. I wonder if she was nervous and her nerves were making her abrasive. 

Paige is definitely overly perky, but I love her. She was trying her hardest to sell Laurie's room to the Blues!

I don't think I'd ever want to go on this show. I don't have enough free time to give up a weekend so that I can be exhausted and probably disappointed. 

[meowmommy]

10 hours ago, vibeology said:

And I don't get why we feel the need to hide TVs. People watch TV. The people on Trading Spaces should be happy that people watch TV because that keeps them in business. Furniture needs to face the TV. The TV needs to be accessible without strain. I don't understand why designers hate TVs.

I'm not sure Laurie was necessarily trying to hide the TV; it seemed she didn't think the existing unit fit in with her design plan, but the HO didn't want it touched, so rather than move it out of the way, she tried to hide it.  

But in general, ITA that TS designers hate TVs, and ceiling fans.  Because they dream of imaginary houses without actual people.  The imaginary homes have separate living and family rooms, and plenty of money for central A/C and the resultant electric bills, thus no need for fans.  Where only tacky people watch teevee, even though TS designers are teevee designers.

[Eeksquire]

Was it just my imagination or did Paige break a floor lamp in the living room during the initial unload? I'm sure it wasn't planned to come back into the room, but I thought it was a little weird that it was never mentioned again.

[AnnieHeights]

9 hours ago, lovinbob said:

didn't care much for Sabrina's personality. She seemed unpleasant when she was demonstrating the various projects to the homeowners and Paige. I wonder if she was nervous and her nerves were making her abrasive. 

I am so glad you posted this......I thought it was just me.  I was expecting her to be so much nicer.