Who doesn’t love a good design show? We all love to watch and fantasize about what our dream house, kitchen, or office can look like. We watch the design experts seamlessly rearrange a room or bulldoze a home and wonder, “What will this look like?” There’s nothing quite like the big reveal of a new room or house. As viewers, we go through the journey of before and after. We watch the disaster of a house in front of us and how the experts transform this run-of-the-mill (or even rundown) family home into something beautiful and high-end. It’s an incredibly satisfying experience to finally witness the big reveal.
One of the shows that began the reality design TV trend was Trading Spaces. TLC debuted the series in 2000, way before any of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, While You Were Out, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy of the world. It was a true trailblazer, with Complex Magazine recently naming it the number one design show of all time. The popular series features two couples who are friends. Each one has the mission to redesign one room in the opposite couple’s home. They are allowed a budget of $1,000 and have full reigns to all the design choices. They receive help from seasoned professionals but the show gives amateurs the real task of redesigning a room from scratch.
Viewers loved the original show not only for its fun design schemes, but also for the #DesignFails. The early seasons mostly featured big reveals that the contestants loved. There were, however, a number of reveals that the contestants loathed. In one particular episode, one woman had to excuse herself from the set and was heard audibly crying off camera. She confronted her friend at the end of the episode and reluctantly agreed to continue their friendship. It was moments like these that made the show addicting.
The show also featured some behind the scenes drama. Before it found its footing, the first season featured a different team of designers and even a different host. It’s hard to imagine the bubbly Paige Davis as anything but host of Trading Spaces but in a very public dispute, the show fired her briefly for a few seasons. Fortunately for fans they reconciled and she’s back as host for the newest reboot of the show.
As you enjoy the comeback of Trading Spaces, take a look at some of the most epic design fails of the show and what you can expect this season.
[post_page_title]Chris and Casey’s bedroom: Before[/post_page_title]
Chris and Casey were looking forward to having a new bedroom. They were eager to have something new and to add a little spice to their marriage. Their original bedroom featured blue, textile patterns as their bedding with two boring, wood night tables and dresser to match. They knew that their bedroom was ordinary but they didn’t exactly know what they would be missing when they handed over design duties to their neighbors. Yup – they were in for a shock.
