Any fans of trading spaces?
 

I love the show. They do some great things, but nothing was better than today. One home owner did not want their fireplace painted, and they didn't but they gave it a false face. The entire room was amazing when they got done, but the homeowner (Pam) was in tears about how much she hated it. Stupid gal. You could tell she was a pain the entire show...treated her husband like dirt, etc.

Some episodes the people love what they do, but I love when they hate it :D

Any other fans?

Re: Any fans of trading spaces?
 

:D

I catch the show occasionaly and I enjoy it when I do.

I am sooo waiting for the show when someone comes in and goes completely and utterly ballestic. "What the F**k did you do to my room! What the f**k is this color?" Totally bleeped out and everything.

Then a fistfight break out between the neighbors....

One can wish. :D

-Steve

That happens! Last weekend on the show the designer totally f'ed up everything about the room the couple liked, didn't listen to the neighbors when they literally begged him not to do it, and unfortunately some of the changes were not reversible.

Usually it's the designer doing something they think is right and not listening to the neighbors. I've seen it a couple times where the designer takes it upon themselves to destroy some precious family heirloom to enable to to fit in with the dimestor decor they've picked out. I've always wondered if there's any opt out clause in the show for the participating families, and if there are shows they did but can't show because of the extreme reactions. Some of the designers are lucky to be alive at the end of the show, I think.

Every time I see this show on my Tivo listings, I get my hopes up thinking that Trading Places is on. Every time, I'm disappointed.

Either a) This show needs to be cancelled or b) Trading Places needs to be on DVD.

My girlfriend loves this show, since she wants to be a designer, and she's kind of got me hooked on it, too.


It is pretty entertaining.

Odd... Trading Places is actually on all of the time. I think it is on Encore or something.


Back on topic. Did anyone see the one episode where the people liked the house, but one of the men cussed and it was beeped out? That was funny.

A good one was when they had statues of hands on top of the mantle. The people were none too happy.

It really bothers me when they paint people's hardwood floors.

Re: Any fans of trading spaces?
 

All my mom watches is that HGTV channel and TLC with that show. She is addicted. I have seen a few of them (including the one above). That lady should have just smacked that designer guy around. The chubby lady was rather bitchy to the neighbor too, which was stupid since she kept telling that dude to not touch the fireplace. My mom said that the way they did the room, it did not go with the rest of the house?

I love this show, but "Changing Rooms" is far more entertaining. Does anyone watch that too? It comes on BBC America.

Or c) juiio needs to learn how to read better :D

Trading Places in on just about every other weekend on cable. I think TNT shows it whenever they're not showing Adventures in Babysitting.

I'm sorry, but if you don't want something to be "ruined" in a room, DON'T VOLUNTEER FOR THE SHOW! Or if you HAVE to be on it, at least move that "priceless family heirloom" into the garage or something.

I understand someone not liking their rooms (even though I think 90% are great) but do NOT bitch when it's done. You knew the rules, you've seen the show, what the hell did you expect to happen?

It's not like these people are getting "surprise" makeovers of their rooms. They know exactly what they are getting into.

I have been hopelessly addicted to this show for awhile now. I think I've only seen the people really hate it a handful of times.

The worst was the one with the white plaster hands on the fireplace and the trashcan lamp.

I have to say I honestly hate this show (sorry). I'm a huge "Changing Rooms" fans and consider this a very bad rip-off.

The host grates on my nerves and on the few episodes I've seen the designers have been way too "design-y" and not thrilled me with the rooms.

I'll try the show again - maybe its improved since last time I saw it (about 2 months ago)...but IMHO without Handy Andy its just not the same ;)

How about a "who likes changing rooms?" thread :)

Who's your favorite designer on the show? Vern (the asian designer) always comes up with something I really like.

Re: the episode with the fireplace that they didn't want to paint, and the homeowners were totally upset and crying -- I thought the room looked GREAT, especially considering what they started with (those awful flowery sofas?!)

I don't like Hildy or whatever her name is. Her designs are boring and pedestrian -- especially the basement she did with the blue latex paint on the walls. I couldn't stop thinking about how much time those walls must have taken, since it was a pretty large room -- tape off all the lines for the designs. Paint the walls with a paint gun. Score all the tape lines for removal. Remove all the tape without tearing the latex paint. JESUS! What a lot of work for an eyesore!

I enjoy Trading Spaces but much prefer Changing Rooms and Ground Force. Can't beat the british casts! :)

I like the shows best when the people are thrilled with the results - when the designers don't listen or do something horrible like paint a stone fireplace or paint a hardwood floor - THAT pisses me off. You should never do anything irreversible. Period. It's painful to watch when the people are unhappy - same reason I don't watch "reality" shows like Survivor or the chair or anything like that - I do NOT like watching people in pain/upset/etc. But when the people are happy it makes me all giddy on their behalf, so I watch TS, CR and GF (of course, everybody is ALWAYS thrilled with Ground Force, so it's win/win. :))

This show is like a family event in my house. We can't remember the designer's names, so they all end up with bizarre nicknames.

The fireplace one was probably the most fun I've had watching the show. Much yelling at the TV ensued (Some people have sports, I have Trading Spaces). I felt really bad for the woman at the end, though--I imagine she probably made her neighbors swear to leave the fireplace alone before agreeing to do the show (It's not that uncommon--but they had the bad luck to get the only designer who doesn't care about the couple who ends up with the house). The overall room looked okay, but was totally out of place for the people who were supposed to live in it.

Overall, I think I like Frank (I think? Sweaty bald guy?) the most. He seems to be able to do the most without destroying things.

But, really, the show's all about the male carpenter dude.

I think the show can be pretty entertaining at times,
but certainly not nearly as much fun as
The Furniture Guys/Furniture to Go/Men in Toolbelts.

My favorite designer on the show is the beautiful Genevieve Gordor...

http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/tr...en_zoom_03.jpg

I *love* this show... Can't get my boyfriend to like it, however. The worst designer IMO is Frank -- everything he does looks like it came from the craft bin. I'm just not one for arts and crafts, not to mention almost every room that he does looks exactly the same. The episode were the woman didn't like her room, and had to leave the room crying was classic (the one who didn't want her fireplace messed with, and ended up getting a brown room with squares on her wall). It made me laugh, even though it sounds a bit heartless on my behalf. Just my $.02.

Hell yeah! Couldn't have typed it better myself.

These people must have watched the show, they know this stuff happens all the time.

I too think this show pales in comparison to Changing Rooms which features a much better host, better designers, better music, etc. However, since BBC America shows the same episodes over and over, I now watch Trading Spaces more since they actually air new shows.

I really do not like Frank's designs--he seems like an amiable person, but I cringe at his work. It does not ever look like a professionally designed room. His "after" room are never that different than the before rooms. And he has to draw little pictures on the walls in ever house he does- UGH. I just think his designs are really childish.

I like Vern's designs the best. He is really creative.

I was laughing so hard at the fireplace lady. Just because of the way she had to exit the room with a smile on her face, but you could hear her bawling loudly off-camera. That was a hoot! I hope she was really embarrassed. First of all, that room looked horrible to begin with. That ughly brick fireplace wasn't exactly a prize. And second, they only covered up the fireplace. It was intact underneath. She just came across as a big baby. Hadn't she ever watched the show? If she was so happy with that room the way it was, she should have picked another room for them to do or not have been on the show in the first place.

Ok - um, my name is grunter and yes, it's true. I'm a "Trading Spaces"-aholic.

Saturday mornings just wouldn't be complete without catching the last hour of MST3000 on Sci-Fi and then sequeing into designer hell of "Trading Spaces" on TLC.

I'm sorry to say, however, but the American version of the show is far superior to the British "Changing Rooms" version. The British version (at least the one I saw while I was at my parent's this past Christmas) has been hacked down to half an hour. You get to meet the homeowners briefly, see the before shot, have a commercial break and voila, they're done. You don't get to see them actually doing the make-over work (a/k/a painting, lots and lots of painting).

I do agree that poor, poor Frank isn't really a designer per se. He's an artsy-craftsy person, much more into paper-mache-poster-paint-and-glue type projects than in creating room decor. (Although, I have to admit I crave his segments like a chocoholic craves M&Ms. He's one of the hottest daddy-bears ever to grace the television screen. I know he claims to have a wife - but I'm sorry, that man is "family." Woof!) Of course, it doesn't help that I'm thoroughly allergic to that folksy, powder-blue-furniture, Holly-Hobby stencils and dried flowers look of the rooms he turns out.

But the worst - THE WORST - designer of the lot is Douglas. Every project he takes on looks chintzy and superficial. The episode where he used tree-bark found in the yard to "dress" up endtables or where he used wooden spoons as cabinet handles - BLECH! And I'd just about kill him if he tried to "create" furniture for me. That huge bean-bag couch he fabricated looked like it was uncomfortable as hell.

Hilda is, by far, my favorite. Taken individually her room projects don't look like they'd make much sense. And the color pallette tends to be on the dark purpley-browny side. But when the room does finally come together, it's almost always beautiful. The narrow bedroom she did with the grass on the walls and the gorgeous red-tinged wood headboard was magnificent.

Here's a question for discussion though: what is the fascination with green? Nearly 3/4ths of the shows feature walls being painted a flat green or that just-shy-of-neon "IKEA" peapod color. Are green walls to the 21st century what white shag carpets were to the late seventies?

Oh, and second question: why must electronic components always be hidden away in some upholstered cabinet? Just once I'd like to see an episode where the electronics became the focus of the design - instead of serving as the problem the designers have to hide. If they tried to put a leaf-print folding screen in front of my television or if they tried to obscure my prodigious CD and DVD collection behind some fold-away shelving or fabric scrim, I'd be seriously pissed. That'd be the first thing to get changed.

Ever notice that the rooms - once finished - tend to look like spaces that no "real" human would inhabit. Sure Ross, Rachel, Will & Grace might live there. But not "real" folk. Where is the messiness of life in them? You can't have lit, burning candles on 24-7. Where are the magazines? the remote control pile? the t.v. trays? the collectible bric-a-brac that every home has scattered about? Someday I'd like to see follow up episodes where we get to see what the homeowners did to make the room "live-able" again.

what is this fireplace episode you all are talking about? Is it a brand new one or something?

Who are the designers?

Was it a Paige Davis one or an Alex McLeod one? (OMG, how do I know the full name of the hosts? :o)

It sounds hilarious!

I enjoy the show, but there's no way in hell I'd ever volunteer for it. I don't think I've seen one yet where they haven't made the room look worse to me than it originally was. It is fun to see their reactions.

Must vehemently disagree with you on this one. Trading Spaces has always seemed stretched out by trying to fill the hour. They spend a lot of time doing silly things or screwing off. How exciting is it to watch other peole paint? I know how to paint, just show us what they do to the room.

And Trading Spaces could never find a host as warm and amiable as Carol Smillie. They had Alex McLeod: the fake wanna-be model and now Paige Davis who is trying to out-perky Katie Couric.

And that Trading Spaces music! It sounds like some amateur cover band playing bass and beating on a drum. If they were going to take the Changing Rooms idea and export it the U.S., I wonder why they didn't license the music. The Changing Rooms music is so catchy, especially at the end when they are finishing the room.

Plus, the original has Handy Andy the carpenter and Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, the best "character" of any designer (gotta love how he always paints in leather pants.)

I think it's funny to watch the U.S version and notice how overweight 90% of the contestants are. If a Brit watched this show, it would be the first thing they noticed. It definitely says something about Americans.

Anyone remember the hefty couple a few weeks ago who were actually called "Dan & Roseanne"? We had a good laugh at that one.

I don't like changing rooms because the home structures are so very different from the US. I actually ocassionally get ideas from Trading Spaces, but it's too hard to watch the different style of the british.