by Hank Brockett
10/23/02
Baby boomers, faced with children moving away to college and having the house to themselves, are wiping away the debris from a 20-year whirlwind.
With a bit more time and fewer distractions, homeowners are updating and renovating houses at a frenzied pace. It’s created enough business for home improvement superstores to co-exist in the same marketplace.
Meanwhile, off at college or in that first apartment, children of baby boomers are taking their first interest in home decoration and design.
Both generations are turning to the television for tips, tricks and hints. And networks looking for a burgeoning market are more than happy to oblige. Here are two shows drawing in the viewers, all hitting the nail on the head in their own way.
Trading Spaces (The Learning Channel, 3 p.m. weekdays) - In the world of reality series, this show consistently has drawn the widest variety of viewers.
One episode offers enough reasons for that. Compared to Survivor or The Real World, each participant seems like an actual neighbor, not an actor.
The premise is simple yet addictive. Two neighbors agree to remodel one room in each other’s homes with a $1,000 budget and a 48-hour time limit.
In the hour-long show, we see just when all the fun and problems (sometimes at the same time) can occur. Giving up a room to a neighbor and a home decorator “manager” takes a leap of faith ... One where the feet land during the show’s climactic final five minutes.
A recent episode featured Ruth and her son Chris remodeling the dining area for Ken and Paul, and vice versa. In the “getting to know you” interview, Ken and Paul are seen fiddling with a puzzle - an apropos metaphor for the redecorating sprint.
Each team invariably encounters obstacles, everything from a lack of space to painting woes. Designers like the playful Genevieve ease tensions, diffusing the types of confrontations that might occur during a normal weekend project.
“This red is totally going to bring a new warmth and vibe to the room,” says Genevieve, without a hint of irony.
There’s enough going on that the show doesn’t slip into 15 minutes of someone peeling plaster. Any time things slow down, resident carpenter Ty offers some home improvement sex appeal for swooning ladies.
And the results? On this show:
• A vertical entertainment center becomes horizontal.
• Folksy painting adds color to some drab corners.
• A picket fence motif gives the kitchen some continuity.
• Re-cropped family photos transform into abstract wall ornaments.
Each episode offers at least a few tips for that next home project. As for what tips to follow, viewer discretion advised.
Viewers also should be on the lookout for the first Trading Spaces clone, titled While You Were Out also on The Learning Channel. On the show, a wife remodels a room while the husband is out golfing and the like. There may be some design tips here, but the tone reeks of similarity. If John Fogerty can be sued for plagiarizing himself, business might be picking up for the TLC lawyers.
MTV Cribs (check your local listings) - With Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous canceled and our caviar dreams almost a distant memory, leave it to music television to fill our need. Cribs gives viewers an intimate look at stars’ immaculate houses, with each star treating the camera like a wide-eyed guest. If you ever wanted a room a gold-toothed rapper could appreciate, this is your show.
Cribs’ popularity stems from its wide scope. Everyone from Miami Dolphin Jason Taylor to Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood has participated, and each show actually offers some insight into the personalities.
Of course, these participants have the money to realize their dreams. The kicker is that most lead lives on location, making the main residence almost like a summer home and left in pristine condition.
A recent episode, though, dealt with a definite homebody. Then again, in his surroundings, people come to him.
That’s right, Cribs inspected and dissected the pad of one Hugh Hefner a.k.a. the Playboy Mansion.
The average homeowner could cull many things from this episode, including:
• Any problem with the love life can be solved by building an outdoor grotto.
• You never know when a stripper pole can add a healthy dose of spontaneity to a room.
• When entertaining multiple guests, a jungle filled with spider monkeys can satisfy even those with the biggest attention deficits. And after they’re exhausted, a room with a mattress floor will cushion their fall.
• And finally, forget caulk, 2x4’s or particle board. When your home is crying out for an upgrade, silicone is the way to go.