Trading Spaces - Decorating On A Budget

Trading Spaces is an hour-long American television reality program that aired from 2000 to 2008 on the cable channels TLC and Discovery Home. The format of the show was based on the BBC TV series Changing Rooms. The show ran for eight seasons.

Premise

In each episode, two sets of neighbors redecorated one room in each other's home. Each two-person team had two (later, three) days, a budget of US$1,000, (later $2,000) and the services of a designer. Although the producers generally allowed the teams to go over budget slightly, there was one instance when a designer went $150 over budget and the producers forced her to return a rug she bought for the project she was working on.

The teams have no say over what happens in their own homes, but are able to give input into what happened in the home they are redecorating. The teams are not allowed to enter their own home for the duration of the show, and the transformed rooms are revealed only at the end of the final day.

The show was generally credited with sparking a nationwide interest in home decorating and improvement television shows in the United States. At the peak of its popularity, it inspired ancillary products such as two Trading Spaces books and a computer software program. The show also served as the launching pad for Ty Pennington, one of the show's original carpenters who went on to become host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC.

Changes

The first season featured host Alex McLeod and some designers who never returned to the show such as Dez Ryan and Roderick Shade, and was produced by Knoxville, Tennesseeâ€"based Ross Productions. Beginning with the second season in 2001, Paige Davis took over as host, with the new production company Banyan Productions of Philadelphia. Early-season episodes were traditionally videotaped in and around the production company's home base.

Beginning in the show's fifth season, homeowners chose up to three rooms for their neighbors to re-decorate, and the rooms were selected randomly, with some rooms having increased budgets of $2000 or $3000. Midway through this season, Paige Davis left as host, and episodes now often featured two carpenters. This change allowed the two homes to be farther apart, with the most extreme case featuring homes in New York and Oklahoma in the same episode.

On November 13, 2007, it was announced that Paige Davis would be returning as the host of Trading Spaces beginning in January 2008. The first episode with Davis as host aired on January 26, 2008. The show also changed production companies, from Banyan Productions to A. Smith & Co. Productions.

On February 6, 2009, Paige Davis announced that Trading Spaces was not picked up for a ninth season.

Cast

The show featured different participants each episode. The designers and carpenters alternate for each show.

Hosts

• Alex McLeod (2000)
• Paige Davis (2001â€"2004, 2008)

Designers

• Goil Amornvivat (2007â€"2008; from Bravo's Top Design)
• Frank Bielec (2000â€"2008)
• Nancy Hadley (2008)
• Laurie Hickson-Smith (2000â€"2008)
• Gordon Holmes (2008)
• Lauren Makk (2007â€"2008)
• Hildi Santo-Tomas (2000â€"2008)
• Edward Walker (2002â€"2008), originally a fabric coordinator for the show
• Douglas Wilson (2000â€"2008)
• Laura Day (2004, 2007)
• Mario DeArmas (2007)
• Nadia Geller (one episode in 2007)
• Genevieve Gorder (2000â€"2003, 2005â€"2007; now on Dear Genevieve)
• Jon Laymon (2005â€"2007; winner of Pick the Next Designer competition)
• Christi Proctor (2003â€"2007)
• Rick Rifle (pseudonym for Richard Whiteford II) (2003â€"2004)
• Dez Ryan (2000â€"2001)
• Leslie Segrete (2005â€"2007)
• Roderick Shade (one episode in 2000)
• Kia Steave-Dickerson (2002â€"2004, 2007)
• Barry Wood (2004â€"2007; now on Hidden Potential)
• Vern Yip (2001â€"2003, 2007; now on Deserving Design)
• Anna Ryder Richardson (one episode; from Changing Rooms; rebroadcast as "British Invasion" on The Best Of Trading Spaces episode 17, January 18, 2011)

Carpenters

• Amy Devers (2008)
• Faber Dewar (2004â€"2008)
• Thad Mills (2007â€"2008)
• Brandon Russell (2007â€"2008)
• Patty Benson (2007)
• Jason Cameron (from While You Were Out)
• Andrew Dan-Jumbo (one episode in 2007; from While You Were Out)
• Andy Kane (2002â€"2003, 2007; a.k.a. Handy Andy of Changing Rooms)
• Jimmy Little (several episodes in a row after Town Haul ended)
• Carter Oosterhouse (2003â€"2007; now host of Carter Can)
• Amy Wynn Pastor (2000â€"2007)
• Ty Pennington (2000â€"2003, 2007; host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, 2003â€"2012)
• Leslie Segrete (2005â€"2007; from While You Were Out)

Spin-offs

Trading Spaces: Family

The first spin-off, entitled Trading Spaces: Family, also aired on TLC (2003â€"2005). It allowed larger teams of three or four, including children considered too young to participate in the original Trading Spaces program. The same designers and carpenters (one per episode, shared by the two teams) worked with host Joe Farrell.

Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls

Another spin-off, Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls airs as a part of Discovery Kids (and also formerly aired on the network's Saturday morning block on NBC). Unlike the original, this version uses the same two designers and two carpenters for each episode. In addition, there is no budget limit, and the rooms are rebuilt into theme rooms, making the show look more like Monster House. Reruns premiered on The Hub (TV channel) until New Year's Eve 2010.

Trading Spaces: Home Free

A spun off series produced for TLC in 2004. In this spin-off the winning couple received their home mortgage-free.

Trading Spaces: 100 Grand

This was a special episode where the budget was increased to $50,000 per team (while keeping the standard time limit).

The Best Of Trading Spaces

In January, 2011, TLC's sister channel OWN debuted The Best Of Trading Spaces, which revisits some of the traded spaces from the series. Paige Davis hosts the new segments, including interviews with the people who traded spaces in each episode and what has been changed in the spaces since the original episode aired.

References

External links

• Official website
• Trading Spaces at the Internet Movie Database
• Trading Spaces at TV.com