"Trading Spaces" goes to London & "Changing Rooms" marathon on TLC
11-26-02, 10:32 AM
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"Trading Spaces" goes to London & "Changing Rooms" marathon on TLC
http://www.freep.com/entertainment/t...6_20021126.htm
Trading designers, exchanging spaces
November 26, 2002
BY KATE O'HARE
ZAP2IT
On Thanksgiving, fans of TLC's "Trading Spaces" will get to watch industrious Brits do it in half the time and for less money.
"Changing Rooms," the BBC-produced predecessor to "Trading Spaces," hops over from its regular berth on BBC America for a six-hour, 12-episode stunt at 5-11 p.m. Thursday on TLC. The same episodes air the next day on BBC America, starting at 9 a.m.
In "Changing Rooms," two sets of neighbors have two days, one designer each and a half-share in a carpenter to redo rooms in each other's homes -- just like the American version -- but the episodes are only 30 minutes long (half the length of "Trading Spaces") and the budget of 500 British pounds comes out to about $800, compared to $1,000 for the U.S. show.
At 9 p.m. Saturday, "Trading Spaces" returns the favor and sends its own Hilda Santo-Tomas and Genevieve Gorder to London to redo two rooms, with the help of South London carpenter (Handy) Andy Kane of "Changing Rooms."
"I was quite flattered," says Kane. "The fact that, out of all the crew they could have had on the British 'Changing Rooms,' they had me. I was quite chuffed."
One major difference for the designers was space, as Santo-Tomas and Gorder left behind the vast rooms of America's suburban homes.
"I had a tiny bedroom in a house from Victorian times," Gorder says, "and Hildi had the same era of house, but she had a large room -- by European standards -- a large children's room."
Apparently Santo-Tomas didn't think it was very large. "The rooms we worked in were absolutely tiny. The halls were tiny. That would have been the biggest challenge, but everything else went as usual."
"The biggest we get," Kane says, "is 12-by-12 (feet), if we're lucky, and very rarely do we finish early."
"You know what," Gorder says, "I didn't get done any quicker than I got a 20-by-20-foot room done in America, so it didn't make that much difference."
At least in one way, the British designers have it a bit easier. "We purchase all our own things," says Santo-Tomas. "Their designers send in a list and everything gets purchased for them. I want to do my own shopping. If I'm the one putting it in there, I'd much rather pick it out."
As often happens, weather proved a factor. "We went at time when there were some kind of hurricane winds," Gorder says. "It was added for extra enjoyment; unexpected twists happened in the backyard. But it's going to be a great show, not just because it's in London, but it's hilarious."
As for the results, Kane recalls, "When I walked into the room where Hildi was working, she said, 'What do you think of it?' It was the first time I'd ever seen it. I said it was awful. They were quite shocked at the fact that someone turned around and said that to her, which was the truth.
"Designers, they're as precious over here as well as they are over there, I'm sure. I've learned how to deal with them, and when something's awful, I say it's awful. I say it nice, you know."
As for Gorder's room, Kane says, "Hers wasn't too bad, actually. As designs go, it was quite well thought-out, actually, very nice. Yeah, she doesn't do a bad job."
Kane even has some advice for the laid-back, occasionally goofy Ty Pennington, one of the two carpenters on "Trading Spaces." "Ty is too soft. He needs to toughen up. When something's not right, you tell them it's not right. They're designers, they're supposed to work out these things."
Trading designers, exchanging spaces
November 26, 2002
BY KATE O'HARE
ZAP2IT
On Thanksgiving, fans of TLC's "Trading Spaces" will get to watch industrious Brits do it in half the time and for less money.
"Changing Rooms," the BBC-produced predecessor to "Trading Spaces," hops over from its regular berth on BBC America for a six-hour, 12-episode stunt at 5-11 p.m. Thursday on TLC. The same episodes air the next day on BBC America, starting at 9 a.m.
In "Changing Rooms," two sets of neighbors have two days, one designer each and a half-share in a carpenter to redo rooms in each other's homes -- just like the American version -- but the episodes are only 30 minutes long (half the length of "Trading Spaces") and the budget of 500 British pounds comes out to about $800, compared to $1,000 for the U.S. show.
At 9 p.m. Saturday, "Trading Spaces" returns the favor and sends its own Hilda Santo-Tomas and Genevieve Gorder to London to redo two rooms, with the help of South London carpenter (Handy) Andy Kane of "Changing Rooms."
"I was quite flattered," says Kane. "The fact that, out of all the crew they could have had on the British 'Changing Rooms,' they had me. I was quite chuffed."
One major difference for the designers was space, as Santo-Tomas and Gorder left behind the vast rooms of America's suburban homes.
"I had a tiny bedroom in a house from Victorian times," Gorder says, "and Hildi had the same era of house, but she had a large room -- by European standards -- a large children's room."
Apparently Santo-Tomas didn't think it was very large. "The rooms we worked in were absolutely tiny. The halls were tiny. That would have been the biggest challenge, but everything else went as usual."
"The biggest we get," Kane says, "is 12-by-12 (feet), if we're lucky, and very rarely do we finish early."
"You know what," Gorder says, "I didn't get done any quicker than I got a 20-by-20-foot room done in America, so it didn't make that much difference."
At least in one way, the British designers have it a bit easier. "We purchase all our own things," says Santo-Tomas. "Their designers send in a list and everything gets purchased for them. I want to do my own shopping. If I'm the one putting it in there, I'd much rather pick it out."
As often happens, weather proved a factor. "We went at time when there were some kind of hurricane winds," Gorder says. "It was added for extra enjoyment; unexpected twists happened in the backyard. But it's going to be a great show, not just because it's in London, but it's hilarious."
As for the results, Kane recalls, "When I walked into the room where Hildi was working, she said, 'What do you think of it?' It was the first time I'd ever seen it. I said it was awful. They were quite shocked at the fact that someone turned around and said that to her, which was the truth.
"Designers, they're as precious over here as well as they are over there, I'm sure. I've learned how to deal with them, and when something's awful, I say it's awful. I say it nice, you know."
As for Gorder's room, Kane says, "Hers wasn't too bad, actually. As designs go, it was quite well thought-out, actually, very nice. Yeah, she doesn't do a bad job."
Kane even has some advice for the laid-back, occasionally goofy Ty Pennington, one of the two carpenters on "Trading Spaces." "Ty is too soft. He needs to toughen up. When something's not right, you tell them it's not right. They're designers, they're supposed to work out these things."
Last edited by Jadzia; 11-26-02 at 10:34 AM.
11-27-02, 08:32 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2001
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Nice I will be interested to see the crossover one, as handy andy is quite the lad, and I know that Genvieve gets on my last nerve.
They should nail her into a closet.
They should nail her into a closet.
