Trading In Trading Spaces - When the Facelift Flops, The Homeowners Take Action

Washington Post ^ | 5/29/03 | Annie Groer

[Chancellor Palpatine]

The instant she opened her eyes -- after two grueling days and nights of giving her neighbors' kitchen a facelift -- Ruth Nelson was stunned by her own tarted-up Alexandria living and dining rooms. "I love it," she blurted as TV cameras recorded the moment.

Trouble was, she didn't.

A wall, once eggshell, was painted four-alarm scarlet. Two print sofas were obscured under hastily made off-white slipcovers with exposed seams stitched in black and red. A poster-size photo of her teenage son, Chris, showed only his chin; another just part of the family cat. Also baffling were 24 fluttering gold and silver paper squares pinned like insect specimens to said red wall.

Designer Genevieve Gorder, a regular on "Trading Spaces," the wildly popular TV decorating show, called the look edgy on the episode that aired in November 2000.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

For all "Trading Spaces" fans - the article you always did want to see after somebody fouled it up.

[lelio]

Someone's complaining about a Genevieve design? I think she's one of the better one. Hildi, on the other hand, always looks like she's coming down off of something. Putting hay on the walls when they have a little kid? Big Top living room?

[Portnoy]

These people obviously must watch the show. They KNOW what they are getting into....

[camle]

you let somebody else mess with your decor and occasionally you're gonna have taste diffs. sounds like ya get what you pay for. don't want the look, don't do the program.

[4mycountry]

Once they did a room, and the lady painted circles on the walls. First a white one, then a black one partially over it, then a black dot in the middle. It was all over the walls, and the fabric was like that, too. In fact, they got it from the fabric!

It was gross. My parents watch that show, and my father said it was like drowning in a box of Cheerios. Gotta love that Dad...

[smith288]

Anyone see Hildi's flowered up bathroom...horrednous. The guy was pleading her not to do it and when he failed to stop her, wanted no part in it.

[ptlurking]

Genevieve was very off the wall in those early days.
I believe it was Genevieve (Not Hildi) who did the grass wall episode.

Genevieve has calmed down her make-overs the last couple of years...
plus she's very HOT (in an artsy kind of way!)

[Timesink]

Ohhhh Genevieve Genevieve Genevieve .... meee-yow!

Yes, she was Moss Girl.

[Hatteras]

People often want to have their decor redone. The difference is that shows like this do nothing to "redo". They simply use cheap material to cover up the old. You get what you pay for. As opposed to what HGTV and the other home channels would like you to believe, you cannot redo a room properly for under $500.00 and in a half hour's time. Housewives need to know that.

[al_c]

I actually have seen some negative reactions on that show. In fact, one lady had to leave the room and you could hear her sobbing in the background. She didn't want any brown colors and told them not to mess with the fireplace. The room ended up brown and they covered the fireplace.

[Cincinatus]

My thoughts too. People are crazy for letting someone else into their homes to rearrange things as they see fit. Even though it's usually your friends doing the work, the nutball designers always tyranize the neighbors into doing things their own (avant garde, modernistic) way.

I actually enjoy the British version of this show (Changing Rooms) more. On one show, the living room was turned into what the owner called "a whore's palace", with red walls, zebra skins all over everything, and a black, altar-like pedestal in the middle of the room. To me, it looked like "Satan's Waiting Room."

[TontoKowalski]

My wife and I always seem to like Vern and Laurie's efforts the best. Laurie's most of all...except for the bizzare artwork that she seems to favor and take inspiration from.

If Doug or Hildy showed up at our house, we'd have to shoot them if the show wouldn't let us off the hook.

Gen has come up with some wild ideas, herself. Remember the jagged slate stone floors and moss on the wall for the bedroom?

I can take Frank or leave him. The new designer, I forget her name, but she's the black lady, is not as offensive as Doug or Hildy, but I never seem to like what she does.

[ozaukeemom]

No, Hildy did the hay on the wall. It is on their web site as one of her worst, I think.

[Abynormal]

Was that the episode when she decorated a beautiful bathroom with 6,000 plastic flowers? I was horrified! Plus, the owners did not have the reaction I did. Weird. That particular episode was waaaay over the top!

[martin_fierro]

Doug / Hildy - should be taken out and summarily executed.
Redhead chick - Fakey prom queen who can only decorate in a palette that would look good ON HER
Frank - Nice guy, but "country kitsch" ain't my style
Black lady and faggy guy - Haven't seen enough of their designs to form an opinion
Vern - The only one with any taste.

[Charles Martel]

Ah, the flower-festooned bathroom. Yeah, I saw that, and cringed. I wonder if that mess has been scraped off the walls yet, or if the owners charge a small admission to the people who want to see that abomination up close?

[Hatteras]

The absolute worst "designer" is Kia.

[NittanyLion]

My fiance and I watch the show. If I my house was being redesigned I'd leave so many instructions they'd kick me off the show.

Don't touch the walls, or the carpet. Or the furniture. No hanging fabric, and don't cover up my nice wooden furniture...and nothing to drastic with any fixtures...

[SaveTheChief]

The way I see it, they all know the risks while going into this. Anyone who would subject themselves to having work completed on their property WITHOUT KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING, should not be shocked at the result.

I enjoy watching the show. I have seen some rooms that I really thought were well done, and have seen some that were absolutely hideous. A thousand dollars is not enough money to do anything of quality. Those expecting something lavish out of the Trading Spaces experience are fools.

[CougarGA7]

I enjoy the show, but I don't think I could do it because most of the designers (except Frank) don't follow three basic rules.

1. Do not paint over natural wood. Stain it. But dont paint it a different color.

2. Do not cover or paint brick. Why do they always want to slap plaster over a nice brick fireplace?

3. Ceiling fans are nice! They all like to take down ceiling fans. I don't get that.