OK, from the TV thread, I see a lot of us are TS fans. So.... who's your favorite designer? Who do you dislike (but can't help but watch to see what nightmares they come up with?) Who would you throw out of your home? Which shows do you love? And did you know there's a TS 2004 calendar coming out????

Answering my own questions here....

I *love* Laurie - her designs are generally just my style. And a lot of Vern's stuff I really like as well, plus I just like to watch him work. I like some of Frank's stuff.

I cannot stand Hildi or Doug, and think their rooms are generally awful. (Although there was the one Carribbean kitchen Doug did that I rather liked.) However, I love seeing shows with them on because it's like a train wreck.

I don't like Kia's rooms, and don't like a lot of Genevieve's either. Don't care much for Edward's rooms in general.

Particular episodes that stand out in my mind - Hildi - flowered bathroom, hay on the walls, the circus tent room, the violet/grey quadrant room, the Tiffany squiggle room. Doug - the one where he walked off the set! The charcoal grey room. Vern did my all time favorite room, the one where he converted a formal living room into a warmer gathering space with the copper leaf ceiling - LOVED that with all my heart.

I've pre-ordered 3 copies of the calendar for Christmas gifts and will probably get more for other people too.

Vern! He's the only one I like, the only one I could work with, and the only one I would allow to mess around with my house. Sorry to all the other guys and gals.

Vern Yip is my hero. He actually does what his clients want. Frank is right up there...but I'm afraid of chickens.

Kia should be hit several times with a brick wrapped in boarder paper. After she's through being hit, someone should re-wrap the brick with wine labels (orange and black please) and glue on a couple of flowers and smack Hildabeast with it.

Dougs always fun to watch. Sometimes I love him...sometimes I want to stick his foot back in his mouth, verses painting it on my wall. He could give a rip what a homeowner wants but I'd still let him in.

Kia and Hildabeast would be deal breakers for me. I'd move to avoid the show.

Lauri is a great decorater..but that sweetness stuff makes me shudder. I love what she does...but geeeehhhhh all that sugar and sweetness...give me some spice baby.

They won't come to Alaska dangit!

I generally like to see the rooms that Vern does. I can't stand Hildi she usually not only does ugly rooms (The flower bathroom) but she has a real attitude problem. I think Frank is really nice but he is a little too country for me. It is amazing what they can do with just $1,000.

My wife and I once tried to determine which designer we'd have do different rooms in our house. We came up with: Living room - Vern, Kitchen/dining room - Frank, Bedroom - Laurie, son's room - Genevieve, daughter's room - Hildi (their tastes are similar), basement rec room - Doug (only room in the house I'd let him touch).

Loved Doug's movie theatre room and Vern's boy's room with the suspended train set. I've hated most thing Hildi has done, although the episode where she ruined the people's furniture was hilarious.

I like Genevieve's, Frank's, and Laurie's rooms, they are the only ones I would let in my house. If I ever came home to my kitchen covered with wine labels, I would scream!

1. Flower bathroom was the worst...followed closely by...
2. Who did the living room where the husband was (I think) in the air force and they specifically said they didn't want any camouflage. (I think they said they wanted a place to be able to relax, with some warmth). Then they walk in to their room with camo. for wallpaper border, and a fake fireplace and the wife started crying?
Don't get me wrong...both of my sisters are in the Army, and they thought it was tacky.

Oh I forgot about the wine labels...I hated those too.
But I am more of a Frank or Vern girl. Modern with a country twist I guess.

Kia did the army living room. I felt so bad for those people, just can't get away from work! What about when Hildi had the fight about dying the rug orange.

I would let Vern or Laurie do anything to my house. I love how Vern is so particular and measures everything. The drawings he brings to Ty and Amy Wynn are so precise compared to everyone else.

Frank scares me with all his doodling. Genevieve scared me with the moss wall- can you imagine-- P.U! I wonder what those poor people did???

I think Doug does some pretty wild stuff that I don't care for- remember the one he did like a railroad car or the poor woman whose only request was that they didn't touch the fireplace and he painted it and completely redid it?

And Hildi with that whole Magenta/Taupe/Magenta/Taupe thing... hideous.

I saw one recently with a new designer, I'm not sure who, but she did a guest bedroom. For the most part, it was okay, but she made a comforter for the bed out of bright green astro turf with fake flowers sewn on to it. Everybody kept saying it looked like a grave. And it did. That would be a nightmare.

I always tell my husband that I really want to sign us up to be on the show and he just says, "Absolutely not, under no circumstances." So I guess I just have to keep watching!

Hated the wine labels? Well, how do you think the couple whose kitchen that was felt. Neither of them drink a drop of alcohol. Pitiful!

I just sat and cringed for them the whole episode, it was horrifying.

I think they should do a follow up - to see what the rooms look like now (or a year from when they were done). I'd love to see which ones got changed back to the way they were!

I would let Vern loose in my house any day of the week (is it a coincidence that the bankers seem to like his precision and attention to detail?)

Frank - most personable, least amount of ego. Not a country-style fan though.

Hildi? If necessary, I'd burn the house down rather than clean up her mess (flowers in the bathroom has to have been the worst ever!)

Doug - love to watch him PO the homeowners!

Gen - moss on the walls? I pretty much try to kill anything live that's on my walls. Like her attitude and enthusiasm alot.

Kia - wallpaper borders every time. Need I say more?

Ms. Southern Belle- Like some of her designs but the whole "I'm so sweet sugar wouldn't melt in my mouth' personality gets to me (and I live in the South!!!!)

Quote:

---

Loved Doug's movie theatre room

---

Me, too! Loved the one he did with zebra stripes on the walls, too. I think he and Vern are both very talented.

The dealbreaker for me would be their low budget. Because they have to try to do the room for $1,000, sometimes it reminds me a little too much of the "make-do" rooms and furniture I had during school. The other thing that would scare me is they often don't seem to be trying to create a room to suit the owners' tastes, but are instead looking for a place to try out some wild idea they've had or use some fabric they got a bargain on.

I would never let Laurie decorate a room for me. She has only one color pallette and it's just NOT compatible with mine.

[Not that I have strong feelings about any of this, mind you . . .]

The astro turf bed was Kia as well...hence my reasoning for hitting her with a brick. And why she didn't remove that stupid fire exit box from the grave site I don't know. I am all for fire safety...but purchasing a ladder to mount OUTSIDE verses inside, would have been the first hundred of my budget.

The last thing I ever want to see in any of my places is a "Theme" room. Talk about tacky! My home is eclectic...kind of like me Not a theme in the mess but a heck of alot of interesting things to look at that I've purchased over the years. The only great way to make a room look like it belongs in a home is over time. A foundation is always nice...but if the foundation includes magenta quadrants...well need I say more?

Hey! They are in Plymouth, Mass this week! Saw one of their vehicles on the highway and they had a big splash in the local paper. Can't wait to see that episode.

Every year Milwaukee has a "Parade of Homes". Amazing homes are built and decorated showing off local work and trying to get people into the new subdivisions. Well, this year, each designer from Trading Spaces is doing a room in random houses! I have been going to the Parade of Homes for the past 10 years, and I can't wait for this year!

Not sure of her name, but I like the girl who is always barefoot - I like her designs, but I also like her!

I want to see a show where the designers trade places with each other and redo rooms for each other - plus, I would really like to see what kind of places they live in.

her name is Genieve (i'm sure I spelled it wrong) I would like to see them redo each others rooms too!

Is the ruined furniture the one where they took a perfectly decent striped couch & loveseat and painted it hot pink? Then if remember right, they left it outside to dry under plastic. There was a big storm and it got soaked. I remember thinking I would have killed her for painting my furniture!!!!

Shelley, yes that was it! I loved how Paige "reluctantly" handed over another $500 to get the people some more furniture. I'm sure the furniture Hildi ruined cost more than that!