Can I say...I love this TV theme even though I prefer the shows from before than the newbies. The newbies seem to all be about buying a home, flipping this or that or painting everything grey..I think that's the "in" colour right now. Oh yes, and let's buy an old home and paint the beautiful wood white (FFF#%#@!!!). I have to admit, it is usually the women who want to paint the wood and this is where I want to throttle their little karen necks. To showcase colour, the design twits have to put in a stupid bowl of green apples, limes or lemons in there. I don't know about you but, unless I am Julia Child, I will never go through that many limes or lemons. Wandering through the Shelves picked a good one this week because it might bring out our guilty pleasures. Here are 3 that I loved watching and would watch them again if they came out in repeats.
1. DEBBIE TRAVIS’ PAINTED HOUSE-1995-2002
This is a great Canadian TV show that put Debbie Travis on the map. When someone does not have a lot of money to spend re-doing everything, she showed what we could do with paint and made things colourful instead of basic blah. Now, mind you, I think she did paint some beautiful wood which is when I wanted to get my shotgun out but, overall, I enjoyed this show. I even have a couple of her books. I love the Tuscan walls she creates (mind you...it is probably the off screen elves who create the walls).
2. CLEAN SWEEP-2003-2005
I thought this show was on a lot longer than just 2 years but this was the time when things were changing in the home shows, going from what to do with something small to spending thousands on a blah look. ( "Oh look honey, white blah with a bowl of limes for colour” ). This show had the hostess talk to a family that have a room overtaken with stuff... I mean full of crap. They take it all out and put it on the lawn where the people have to make 3 piles: one to keep, one for trash and one to sell. Guess which had the most stuff on? Enter an organizer who tells the dweebs how much they must reduce their crap by making a game out of it. Next comes hunky he-man who builds something for their crap they wish to keep. In the end we see the finished look and see how much less the dweebs truly need. Honestly, I would love to visit these people 2 years later and see if they kept in great order...probably not.
3. COLOR CONFIDENTIAL-2005-2010 (It should be Colour)
This is another Canadian show with Interior designer, Jane Lockhart (who has also painted wood which just pisses me off plus she does get on my nerves a bit, but I can live with that) helping a person or a couple who wish to have a room done, usually it’s a bedroom or living room/dining room. Jane finds out what they like and then brings in a colour wheel but not just any colour wheel...it’s geared to what the person or couple love. If the person loves music, she will create a wheel showcasing all the colours but through their interests. So gold might be represented by a small sax and cream might be from guitar picks etc... it’s pretty cool how she gets the people motivated by just picking colours they love. She explains how each colour will look and guides them to something they like (maybe, who knows when the cameras are not rolling). This is a full episode based on Christmas. It's not a fav of mine but it gives you the idea how she works. What is nice is she will not do something you don't want her to touch or do unlike some other shows that used to burn my britches.
Do you watch any home shows?
I used to watch home shows all the time. Then there was the guy buying a condo here in the city next door who insisted on high-end kitchen appliances even though he didn't cook, but wanted the 'look'. And then the woman who wouldn't buy anything built before 1960 because of 'ghosts'. And everyone who threw out beautiful mouldings and glass-doors so they could have 'modern'. The hosts of Love it or List it made me want to pull my hair out. I did learn a lot from watching Holmes on Homes. Now I just stick to This Old House and Ask TOH.
ReplyDeleteI find people.. stupid and just into what is now. To have a kitchen like that and never use it is dumb and many people so this. Ghosts?? Ok, therapy is needed. Yes, love It or List It drive me nuts. Holmes is great and I also really do like This Old House
DeleteHi, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteHow's my new BFF Harley this morning? Once again I applaud you for opening your door and your heart and giving Harley a forever home. Shirley, my buddy Wallace would approve of your choice.
I see that we are lounging on the sofa in front of the boob tube this week rather than sitting in the balcony of a movie theater. I'd like to join you in wringing a few little karen necks. I know what you mean when you describe how home interiors are "staged" with colorful accents to brighten them up and add to their cozy, comfy appeal.
Debbie Travis' Painted House is new to me. I like her concept of low budget upgrades using paint to add more color. Decorators are always accusing their clients of being "afraid of color." That shoe used to fit Mrs. Shady, because she kept wanting to paint things different shades of white and very pale yellow, her favorite shade being "Queen Anne's Lace." Finally, she broke down and committed to green shades, but we got in a rut, overdoing it with that color. In recent years, we have branched out and tried buttery yellow, plum, tomato soup red and other colors on our walls.
I remember Clean Sweep. Here again, it pertains to Mrs. Shady because she and her sisters are packrats. We have way too much stuff in our house, and the result is a cluttered look that drives me batty. If there's a square inch of horizontal space in a room, Mrs. Shady will quickly fill it. Her pride and joy, a ten foot diameter ball of spent chewing gum that stands in the middle of our living room, is the crown jewel of her hoarding. I need to lean to the side and look around the giant globe to watch TV. :) I think it feels great to clear out closets, rooms and garage and give away or throw away items that are never used.
Jane Lockhart's Color/Colour Confidential show is also new to me. When it comes to choosing colors for a room's theme, I wouldn't know how to answer, and would prefer to leave it up to the expert. I say that because, colors that have always been my favorites, my "signature colors" or "power colors," are the same ones I quickly get sick of seeing on the walls around me on a daily basis. I would be open to something entirely new and less predictable. Did you know that there are Fifty Shades of Grey? :)
The only time I watch home improvement shows like these is when I am seated in a waiting room and forced to watch the Home & Garden Television channel. :)
Please pat my buddy Harley and give him a biscuit for me, and enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend BB!
Harley is so sweet. He met my brother yesterday and liked him. He is such a sweetie pie and doesn't bark! He lays on our couch ( yes, I'm bad) and spreads his legs ready for a penthouse look. I keep calling him Wallace because I miss my boy but I just love this Harley. I don't understand why he was brought back twice. His biggest issue is food and eating our food I praise him rather than always giving him treats. When he does get a treat he must work for it I want to get him to the point where I say " we're eating" and he walks out all dejected before falling on the floor all forlorn...hahahaaa.
DeleteI now must see that gumball in your living room. You must take picture of it. I am one for knick knacks but I get into a mode of getting rid of things. My hubby thinks he is good but he is worse than me. I wish I could have found something from Debbie' original show because she knew how to create something great.
I think you should just have an accent wall in colour and not too dark because people do get sick of it faster.
I wi be off to look at your blog post soon.
I like home improvement shows. Sometimes, we'll catch This Old House on the weekends. It's amazing to see how things are done and how quick the professionals can do it. Mind ya, they have endless resources at their fingertips to do the job. Most DIYers can only daydream about such things. Nonetheless it's still a lot of fun to watch programs like this. :)
ReplyDeleteThey are a lot of fun and, yes, they have everything at the fingertips. I love to paint and decorate so I wish these shows qould come back
DeleteI watch the home improvement channels (specifically HGTV) when I'm at the dentist's office, because it's piped into all the exam rooms. Otherwise, we don't have cable, so we don't watch them very often.
ReplyDeleteYou sound like most men:)
DeletePsst: It's color.
ReplyDeleteI do actually watch home shows. I think if I were to pick 3, I would start with Trading Spaces which was the American remake of Changing Rooms. I think I preferred the British version, but the American version wasn't terrible.
Then I'd go with the Canadian show Renovation Island which I believe is the American name. I think the Canadian name was Island of Bryan. A couple buys a rundown resort in the Bahamas and renovates it.
And then I'd finish with Flip or Flop, about a married then divorced couple that flip homes. It's fun because the locations are local to me, so I know every single city they flip a home in.
I did watch Trading Spaces and liked some of the designers but absolutely hated that chick with the black hair who put fake flowers on the walls in the bathroom and that one guy who sounds so obnoxious. I stopped watching because of them.
DeleteYes, It's called Island of Bryan here and I like him but I can't stand his wife. I liked his other show where it was just him and he was shown 3 room (or a backyard) and he chose the one that he knew needed the most work and had to work with the people's budget. When his wife came onto the scene is when he showed his homes being built. She was not very nice to the one designer and I had 3 different men who worked with Bryan and they all could not stand her.
I know your last pick but never watched it.
The U.S. spell it as Color but the proper English spell is as Colour. This also includes Neighbour, Favourite etc... :))
Oh man, I forgot about Clean Sweep. That's the only one of your picks that I've seen.
ReplyDeleteYeah...I love my Canadian ones but Clean Sweep was a good show
DeleteI haven't seen any of those shows you've chosen. This genre is something I might watch if it's on at someone else's house and I happen to be just watching whatever. I can't remember any of the show names, but I've enjoyed a number about house flipping and fixer-upping. I watch and forget, but I know I've watched.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Yup, most men do not partake of these types of shows unless it is construction and you have an interest in that.
DeleteThis isn't really my jam but I've seen random episodes of different renovating shows here and there. My brother-in-law loves them however. I'm not familiar with your three and the only one I thought of off the top of my head was an older show-This Old House. I liked it because it was very lowkey unlike the ones I've seen lately which are all about the glitz.
ReplyDeleteI actually love This Old House but have not seen it in a long time. I like it for that reason as well. I am sick of all the "Oohs and Ahhs" where they jump and scream at how gorgeous it is blah blah
DeleteI don't think I have seen any of them.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many out there
DeleteDefinitely not my genre but we were devoted to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy in its early days.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even think of that show but it fits. The original guys were the best and I loved What Not To Wear
DeleteNot heard of any of these, but thanks for a great read...
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the read
DeleteEnjoy your weekend.
ReplyDeleteBusy with the pup! Today need to relax...too much pain
DeleteAll I know about this (exciting!) topic is that when I lived in Reno and visited my dentist there, the lobby's big screen TV always had some (exciting!!) show playing about updating old homes. It was always so exciting(!!!) that I nearly forgot about the drill that awaited me behind the other door.
ReplyDelete.
Sheesh!
When will there be less exciting topics such as...
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'Favorite "Guilty Pleasure" Movies (Any Genre)'
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'Favorite Movies That Highlight The Divine'
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'Favorite Movies That Feature A Character Named Charlie'
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'Favorite Movies In Which A New, Black Sheriff Arrives In Town, All The White Townsfolk Are Horrified, And The Indian Chief Is Jewish'?
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Surely, SURELY(!) there has to be better subject matter still available than "TV Edition- Home/ Lifestyle Shows". Have we *really* come to this?!
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~ D-FensDogG
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POSTSCRIPT: Birgit, I apologize for calling you "Shirley".
As long as I am not a Karen...LOL. This is more for women and men who are in some lobby waiting to get drilled (and not in a good way::)) Don't worry things will get back to norm...or Abby Normal next week.
DeleteSorry to be late visiting. I was offline due to my computer getting fried after a lightening strike hit the house/neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen Painted House or Color Confidential, but saw Clean Sweep a few times. I remember watching an episode of Trading Spaces where the two guys who lived there specifically requested the wood not be painted. What did the designer lady do? She painted everything. The guys were so mad, even the editing guys couldn't make them look happy. She wanted them to live with it awhile, but the guys said they were getting someone in to strip the paint off immediately. I KNOW if someone painted over my fabulous quarter sawn oak, they would not live to see the next day.
Good on Debbie for helping those of us on a budget:)
ReplyDeleteI used to feel the same way about painting over wood, but these days I love the clean look of white.
Ooooh interesting picks, I don't think I've heard of any of them before!
ReplyDelete