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The Atlanta Journal Constitution
5.23.02

6 room designers. 2 crafty carpenters. 1 hot cable show host.
50 great ideas from 'Trading Spaces'

By Bob Longino


DeDe Brown has a one-bedroom in Buckhead. But she's planning for the future. A dream home. The perfect place.

So, like millions of other Americans, she watches "Trading Spaces," the Learning Channel's freewheeling, think-outside-the-box design show that makes over a participant's room in two days.

"The designers are all amazingly creative and talented and a million, zillion times better than I would be," Brown, 31, says. "My favorite part is the process -- seeing them create all this stuff. Like an entertainment center, or draping an entire room in fabric. I am, like, what the hell are they doing?"

What the six designers, two carpenters and host Paige Davis -- the team that makes up the often off-kilter "Trading Spaces" -- are doing is tricking America.

With a show built around humor, personality and full-on design fun, they are getting viewers to think about do-it-yourself home improvement.

"We give a lot of ideas," Davis says. "It spurs your imagination and I think it spurs your courage. It makes you not only, hopefully, be brave enough to say, 'Wow, I thought I'd never be interested in that color,' but, 'I'm going to put in on my walls, by golly.' "

Watching "Trading Spaces" is one thing. But actually doing your own room makeover can feel daunting.

We asked the nine on-camera members of "Trading Spaces" to give us their best 50 tips. They're for viewers who've decided they want to get off the couch, pick up a paintbrush and get to work.

PAIGE DAVIS

The "Trading Spaces" host who's observed more home action than anybody else on the show says:

1. Color. Color. Color. Color. Color. Because color is never as scary when it's incorporated with other things. You can open up a can of paint and think, "Oh my God, it's the brightest thing I've ever seen." . . . You're going to have a chest, pictures on the wall, stuff like that. You've broken it up.
2. Time. If you are not on "Trading Spaces," take your time. No room has to be finished in a day.
3. Communicate. Talk to your spouse or roommate and find out who has more emotional investment in the outcome of the room's look. It pays to give in sometimes.
4. Matching. It's not important at all. Matching and coordinating are two different words. Things don't have to match. But certain colors can be brought out to coordinate a room.
5. Clutter. Get rid of it. Or buy all these really cool storage baskets and boxes to hide your stuff so your stuff doesn't take over your life.
6. Experiment. Use things in different ways. Often, a surprise is enough of a decoration. Once, Genevieve Gorder put spices in test tubes for a kitchen. You could hang a test tube rack on a wall and put little flowers in each one.

DOUGLAS WILSON

The New York designer with the need to title each of the rooms he makes over says:

7. Paint the ceilings. Why not? People forget that rooms have four walls, a floor and, hello, a ceiling. . . .When you paint it a darker color, it gives it more warmth and brings everything closer.
8. Ceiling fans. If I came into a home and they had a nice, sleek fan that disappeared, that would be one thing. . . . Unfortunately with ceiling fans for the masses, they have not changed since the first Hunter.
9. Painting wallpaper. If you properly seal it, you can paint over it. Scrape off any wallpaper that is pulling from the wall, do a little patch work and use only an oil-based primer (a water-based primer will make it bubble). Then paint as usual.
10. Painting furniture. Rough it up with sandpaper to give it some tooth so paint will adhere. In an ideal world, use an oil-based primer, then paint with a sheen paint. Not a flat paint.
11. Don't underestimate PVC pipe. It's good for many, many things. You can use it for curtain rods, bedposts, for funneling light. It's just endless.

GENEVIEVE GORDER

The New York designer with the energy of a sprite and a desire to dance barefoot on freshly painted wood floors says:

12. Clear everything out. You can't look at your room without a blank palette.
13. Simplify. We garage sale up our rooms. Instead of 20 vases, pick three that are the most beautiful.
14. Break down your idea. Let's say I loved my honeymoon 40 years ago and we were in Hawaii. Break it down. What were the colors? The blues of the ocean, the color of the sand, the colors of the hotel room. Pick two pieces in your home in those colors. A rug, a pillow or photograph. After you figure out that happy place, pick colors from the rug, pillow or photograph to start your room.
15. Lighting. It's a simple solution. And it's mood altering and you can create whatever mood you want. Bring in lamps -- whether from a flea market or Target -- and create non-overhead lighting. Track lighting makes me barf. And get something with a dimmer so you have control over it.
16. The bedroom. Do your room first. I tend to see a lot of homes where they do the children's room first or other parts of the house. . . . Your relationship suffers if your room looks like a whirlwind. You need a beautiful sanctuary that you two live in together.
17. Break gender roles. Women -- go in the workshop and use it. Men -- don't be afraid of the sewing machine and of patterns that might include a flower. It's silly to limit yourself (and your wife will love you for it).

LAURIE HICKSON SMITH

The Mississippi designer -- born in Atlanta -- with a clear sense of taste and color says:

18. Inspire yourself. Pick a stunning rug, a throw pillow or a vase and build the rest of the room around it.
19. Rearrange furniture. One simple thing people can do is empty out the room and bring the furniture back in one at a time and rearrange it. If something doesn't fit, then edit it out.
20. Rotate. I like to move artwork between rooms. Rotate paintings and prints.
21. Dealing with shorter ceilings. I mount my drapery rods higher if ceilings are low because it tricks your eyes and elongates your walls.
22. Think pairs. Especially when shopping for older objects. They become more special when it's a pair. A pair of vases on a bookshelf anchors the eye.
23. Mix patterns. If you have a lot of floral, throw in some geometry to strike a balance. Stripes are especially hot right now.
24. Mix styles. If you have a more traditional space -- maybe you've inherited a lot of antiques -- don't be afraid to place a bold piece of modern art on the wall.
25. Fresh flowers. Put them in a prominent area of the room. They brighten the mood of any space. If you're going to use silk flowers (it's not my top choice), use them with fresh-cut greenery. Real greenery as a filler kind of tricks the eye.

FRANK BIELEC

The Texas designer with a penchant for crafts and rooms with a Renaissance Festival flair says:

26. Don't buy cheap paint. Go for the good stuff. You won't have to repaint as often. I use a Lowe's American Tradition. About $20 a gallon.
27. Trust your own design frame. Last century, we went from neoclassic into impressionism. I just think we went from almost a Renaissance look and Monet and Renoir to Pollock, which made the others look so tame. We've run the gamut. In this millennium there's no particular "isms" to choose from.
28. Bring it in. I've seen plenty of furniture that would suggest the outdoors. The neatest thing I ever saw in my life was a wall sculpture done with a silver water hose. I don't think you should try to replicate the outdoors. . . . But you can suggest the outdoors. Just don't move in a porch swing and a tree. I've seen that done. Stop it.
29. Always buy classic. I always save my money and buy a really good piece of furniture rather than buying one after another.
30. Be mindful if selling. I think you can do a room just like you like it, but when you sell the house, you need to go to something very neutral. . . . People feel more comfortable that their stuff will go with it.

 VERN YIP

The Atlanta designer with minimalist tastes and classy designs says:

31. Edit. That costs nothing. Assess what you have. A very common mistake is that people fill their rooms up with too much. I am speaking from the point of view of a minimalist, but if you have a lot of great things, its easier for people to see them and appreciate them if they are not part of a cluttered environment.
32. Emphasize the positive. Assess what you have that is worthwhile and is of value. . . .If you've got a great cabinet that your grandmother left you, then figure out how to direct focus to that piece.
33. Spend wisely. If you have an established budget, instead of diluting it across the board and getting mediocre things to fill the room, choose to live with fewer things than you really need at first and invest in fewer, better-quality pieces that you won't have to constantly replace.
34. Let the best speak. If you have a really nice art collection or good furniture and you have pieces that really speak for themselves, I think it's often distracting to have really bright, demanding color on your walls.
35. Maybe the best is paint. Color is a really powerful way to transform a space. I find that there's an inverse relationship between the quality of art and furniture you have in a room and the amount of saturation in the color that you are introducing. Meaning that if you are working on a budget and don't have a lot to spend on good art or good furniture, then painting a room a more saturated -- or brighter -- color will help distract the eye.

HILDA SANTO-TOMAS

The Atlanta designer with the nonstop work ethic and flair for passion says:

36. Remember, your home is yours. A lot of people have this that their mother gave them, and that that somebody else gave them. If you don't like it, get rid of it. Because if it's out, it looks like you like it. Or put a 30-inch table round on top of that ugly table Mom gave you, put a pretty fabric over it -- and now you like it.
37. Be selective. It's OK not to have something on every shelf. Don't put something on your television. It's not a bookshelf. Just bring in those things that are important to you. From your travels. The beach last summer. Something that means something to you.
38. Look, look, look. Notice everything outside -- trees, flowers, colors, people, foods. Read magazines. There are so many things just to broaden your horizons.
39. Original art. Buy what touches your heart. I walk by a painting and it says to me, "Oh, my God." I have to walk by that every day of my life. It gives me something I can't get anywhere else. Selecting art just because it has the colors that match your existing room makes it just another acquisition.
40. Color selection. If you love purple, then do purple. If somebody really wants red, do red glass or a red cashmere throw. I'm not very much into walking into a red room. . . . You don't have to paint a room red to get red.

 AMY WYNN PASTOR

The Philadelphia carpenter with the knack for getting the job done says:

41. Basic tools. Screwdriver, hammer, tape measure, speed square, a level, some sort of drill gun for screws, a ratchet set. For woodbuilding: a circular saw, a jigsaw. Go with a pneumatic nailer to help put things together. It sinks into the wood and there are no nicks.
42. Safety first. Goggles, a face mask (dust mask). You always want to pull your hair back; sometimes you need to wear gloves, especially with paint remover so chemicals don't bother your skin. When working with power tools, always wear tight-fitting clothing (I always get ragged by Mother about this on the show because I wear tight clothes). And you always want to have a first aid kit around so if anything happens you can take care of it.
43. Preparing wood. There are all kinds of wood putty (to fill nicks, nail indentations, etc.) for staining or painting. For paint, any type of wood filler will do. Sand it after you fill it. What color you paint it doesn't matter. If you are staining, there are special wood fillers for that. You can get it in the same type of wood -- like walnut putty.
44. Staple guns. They're great. It saves time, but the electric stapler is better because it gets into the wood deeper and is more secure. So if you are stapling fabric to wood, it will hold it tighter and better than a hand stapler.
45. MDF. That's medium-density fiberboard. It's often being used because it is so inexpensive. It's a wood product like pressed paper and keeps very sharp edges. But if you bump it or hurt it, it flakes apart. It has to be painted. It is extremely heavy. That's not a plus. But it's a moneysaver. If you know you are going to paint whatever you're building anyway, you might as well go with that product.

 TY PENNINGTON

The Atlanta carpenter with the surfer 'tude and the surfer do says:

46. Get rid of dust. Working with Sheetrock and sanding, it really gets the dust going. Just take sawdust and water and throw it on the ground. It picks up Sheetrock dust and you can just sweep it out.
47. Be a partner in crime. Make sure you and your other are both on the same page. Don't just discuss it -- for God's sake, make a drawing.
48. Wood staining. Pine, cedar and cypress don't stain well. But you want to polyurethane 'em. But when staining other wood, use Polyshade. It's stain and polyurethane together. Actually, with wood I'm all about leaving it the same.
49. Ultimate wood tip. Go with the grain.
50. Beware the wood. The problem is, working with wood is not easy. The minute you cut it down, it starts expanding. It's gonna warp. Just like the people you work with.

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