As I sit here typing, I'm watching the Trading Spaces reunion show before the first new episode of the Trading Space revival after 10 years.
Over the past few weeks, TLC has been playing some episodes from the yearly years. What I am trying to decide is if these rooms they redid 18 years ago were really nice for the time. I watched all the episodes back in the day, and I recall I liked some at the time. As I recall, at that time I wished I actually owned a house and had someone I could trade spaces with.
As I watch today, I still wish I owned a house, but I would never sign up for the show.
First of all, I know what I like and can decorate my own house. Just give me the money, and I'll do it myself. My old duplex was probably inspired by Trading Spaces actually. I had purple stripes on the walls of my guest room. My living/dining room had faux marbled green walls that I still kind of miss.
I would love for the paneling on the walls that surrounds "the middle of the floor" (see one of my posts from a few weeks back to describe that area of my house) to be painted. They are seriously bad 60s orange-toned wood paneling, the fluorescent lights are hideous and the beams are pretty unattractive. The popcorn ceiling and the wobbily ceiling fan need to go too. That connects to the kitchen that needs to be gutted and the horrid gray indoor/outdoor carpet that really needs to go (because no kitchen should have carpet).
Yet, with all that ugliness, I don't want anyone to get rid of what's in the room that is mine and there's no other place in the house for my mug collection and my current decorations would look a whole lot better with lighter walls. Oh, how I would love to pick out my own stuff for that whole area of my house. Alas, I'm just a renter. If I owned the house, there would be some changes for sure.
I'm also more of a perfectionist than what the people doing my house would be, and if they did a paint job like the one I saw on the episode tonight, it would drive me stark raving insane. Besides, some designers don't make the houses to be livable, rather they design the for the shock value.
I would be more likely to do a show where the house was fixed up before I moved in by professionals rather than some friends led by a designer. No offense to any of my friends.
To think, if it weren't for Trading Spaces, there might not be all these other design shows.
In case you are wondering, no, I did not watch the final Fixer Upper this week. I am sympathetic towards any of you were faithful followers, but I was not one of them. Though Joanna Gaines is the opposite end of the design spectrum from Hildi Santo-Tomas, I believe in a place somewhere between the two.