Did you hear Trading Spaces is coming back to the TLC network? Do you think Hildi will be back? You remember Hildi, right? She’s the designer that created this wall-sized mosaic of herself in one episode:
And glued hay to someone’s wall in another episode:
And brought in wheelbarrows full of sand in this episode:
I love her fun spirit, but boy would I have a hard time with that much sand (or hay! or Hildi!) in our house- LOL! 😀
For those that didn’t watch Trading Spaces, the concept of the series was pretty simple: Neighbors would swap houses and work with big-personality professionals to revamp a room in their neighbors’ home. Sometimes things went well, and other times the neighbors didn’t like the renovations at all. It was a top show for TLC during a large portion of its run and it’ll be back, ten years after the original series ended, in 2018.
They haven’t said if any of the designers, carpenters or host from the original show will be returning, or whether homeowners will have a larger budget than before, or whether the contestants will still wear brightly colored button down shirts for three days. I’d love to find out if they’ll be casting new designers. Maybe I’ll send in a submission? 😀
Genevieve Gorder was always my favorite in the original series. I found these before and after photos of some of the room she worked on back then and boy has her style changed over the past 10 years!
Here’s another one of her redos from back in the day:
One thing I noticed in both rooms is how high a lot of the wall art and decor is hung. Maybe that was the trend back then?
All I know is that I’m pumped Trading Spaces is making a come-back and I sure do miss ‘Dear Genevieve’ on HGTV! Remember this bathroom makeover she did on that show?
I loved the tile she used by the tub:
And I’m intrigued with the idea of using a half-round table as a desk after seeing this episode online today:
I’ll have to think more about that and keep my eyes peeled the next time I’m at a flea market.
I miss Sarah Richardson and Candice Olson’s shows on HGTV too. Gosh, they were good! And who remembers ‘Room by Room’, ‘Decorating Cents’, ‘While You Were Out’, ‘Country at Home” with Mary Emmerling and The Christopher Lowell Show? Man, those were the good ol’ days!
What about you? Who was your favorite designer on Trading Spaces? And what was one of your favorite design shows from the past that isn’t on the air anymore?
Happy Saturday!
Layla
I always loved the show Designing For The Sexes, where a designer would help a couple with different tastes create a space that appealed to them both…..I think I watched every episode of every HGTV show when my kids were newborns!!
I no longer watch HGTV. Some network needs to bring back the old shows, which were hosted by Candace, Genevieve, Kitty, Sarah, Joan, Michael etc. Never liked Trading Spaces.
Oh I loved Paige and Vern and Laurie. Those three were my top three favorites! And I’m excited this is coming back! I also miss the other shows you mentioned from HGTV. Oldies but goodies!
I never liked Trading Spaces. Vern was my favorite designer, Genevieve, Sarah and Candace were my other favorites. I watched most of the shows but can’t think of all the names of the shows, out of site out of mind.
I used to “play” While You Were Out in my own home when I first got married!
My husband traveled a lot and I would work like a dog to transform a room before he got home!
I am so sick of House Hunters. Used to love Trading Spaces with Laurie and Genevieve.
I loved (and miss) all of those shows, too. I can only watch so many episodes of House Hunters, Flip or Flop, or Property Brothers. Miss the actual shows that average people could relate to.
I agree. It seems that HGTV is all real estate right now. I miss the shows that actually showed you how to do things yourself with a small budget.
Yeah, I think the National Real Estate Association must be one of their biggest investors (?) and it seems like those types of shows are easier/less expensive to produce.
I loved Candace and Sarah the most. As for trading spaces I loved Laurie. There was also a show called “Pure” I believe the designer was named Samantha -she was great!!
Loved Vern and Frank. I had a chance to meet a few of the designers and still have one of the autographed books 😊 But Candace Olsen was my fav. Also like Paul the gardening guy.
Genevieve and Laurie’s design.
Do you remember Lynette Jennings?
I LOVED Lynette!!!
I loved Decorating Cents because they did things I could afford. I don’t watch too many HGTV shows anymore except for Home Town. I don’t watch that other decorating show from Texas because it is the same thing every time – they run into a problem and have to call the people they are working on and ask for more money and then the male “star” acts very foolishly and I can’t stand it. There is no way I will ever be able to afford any of those things unless I move to Texas. HGTV needs to bring back decorating shows with ideas that most people can afford.
YES!
Candace and Sarah! The best ever. I would watch HGTV if they were back. Shoot! I still remember Lynette Jennings. I thought she was good, and she was practical too.
Regarding Hildy, the room I remember the most was the cardboard walls.
What? The homeowner that sued over the work done on her fire place was from up here in my hometown.
I kind of gave up on it after that.
There is redecorating and then there is vandalism. Some of the redo’s were close to that. How was that homeowner to deal with that sand? It was wrong to do.
Enjoying watching Steevenson as he and you two adjust to your new lives together. God is good!
My favorite was the red head. Can’t remember her name!!!!! Getting altzy as my cuz says. She even wrote a bo Knrhat is one of my favorites. She had a classic style. Nothing like Hildi. Have you ever noticed how that girl on that current show on hgtv love it or leave it. How she looks so much like Hildi? She sounds like her too. It’s so weird. For a while I even thought it was Hildi. Boy those old clips you showed from Tradinf Spaces were such stinkers! I don’t remember the rooms looking that bad!!!! I loved that show. I still have all the old TS books that recap each and every episode!!!! God. Lol.
Sarah Richardson.
ah we stopped having t.v. in our home so I had no idea .. but we had it during the hay day of great design shows .. I think you nailed it on the designers we most loved .. and shows .. Sarah Richardson .. Country at home .. Christopher Lowell .. Yep ! .. After that is was just never the same …
My cousin and his wife were actually on Trading Spaces and they HATED their room. She had a designer on standby just in case, it was redone within the week. LOL.
I miss Room by Room the most, Decorating Cents, and the morning craft show-I can’t think of the name right now. Oh, how I miss the good ol’ shows.
This is such sweet news! I loved Trading Spaces. Geneva was always a favorite of mine. I love her design style. Can’t wait to see who the designers will be.
I enjoyed Trading Spaces when it began because it was the only “decorating” show available on the TV networks in my area. Later some of my favorite HGTV shows were “Color Confidential” with Jane Lockhart and “The High Low Project” with Sabrina Soto. I also miss Sarah Richardson and Candace Olson. HGTV’s programming has become so stale, stagnate. I cannot watch another rerun or marathon. And I’m certainly not going to start buying real estate to flip at this stage of my life, so I just don’t relate. Also, I will never live in a tiny house, so what’s that all about? The only good part of any of their programming is the last five minutes — the reveal. So happy to see so many design enthusiasts in agreement.
I loved Trading Spaces! I used the concept when we moved into a rent house and remodeled the garage into four sleeping pods for four kids. Using bookshelves as divider walls, the kids and I managed to do it all in one weekend. Good times!
I remember all of those…looking back, none of them were very good designers but the concept was so much fun, having never been on TV, so I watched and watched and watched. One of my favorites was Nancy Golden (Room by Room) and she’s who gave us the fabulous Nate Berkus – her son!
I had forgotten about Nancy! I think her show was called Room For Change.
I used to love trading spaces. Laurie was my favorite. I agree with you- hildi stressed me out. I remember one episode when she painted someone’s couches hot pink! Yikes!! I got excited at your title. I thought maybe you would be a new designer on the show! It be worth tuning in for!
Frank was my favorite designer on Trading Spaces. Anyone remember Weekend Warriors? Fav show was always Decorating Cents – based in MN where I live & one day I ran into one of the designers shopping for the show at JoAnne’s and he was complaining about the $500 budget!
Oh! I forgot about Weekend Warriors!! Gosh, that was a good one too! So funny about running into that designer. 🙂 I bet is was hard to make that amount stretch when you have to make a big change and under a short time constraint though.
Vern was my favorite designer on Trading Places. Curb Appeal the Block was the last of HGTV quality programing. I am tired of all the inexpensive real estate driven shows. But Home Town seems like a breath of fresh air. Each home is renovated with it’s own unique character in mind. Nothing compares to the good old days for sure.
Lani
Oh my gosh, this makes me so happy! Every day, around 3pm, my husband would come home from work and we would sit with a cup of coffee, watching Trading Spaces! We loved that show!
Thanks for the update!
How about Designers Challeng – it was so fun to see the different concepts for the same space. And remember Kenneth Browns show? He was really good too. Loved Joan, Candice, Sarah, too.
I loved everything Sarah Richardson touched! My husband liked her style as well. I was just telling him earlier this week that your decorating style reminded me of Sarah. Good company! Thanks for reminding me of all the great decorating shows I used to love. Your show would be a hit if they ever give you one! 🙂