There's a new decorating book on the coffee table. It took two days to read and I passed it on to two friends. It's Trading Spaces: Behind The Scenes (Meredith Books) and fans will want to include it in their monthly budget.
This soft-cover book is a salute to one of North America's favourite decorating shows -- Trading Spaces, which airs on Saturdays from 8-10 p.m. on The Learning Channel (TLC).
It is one of TLC's signature shows with more than 6 million prime-time viewers, who are cult-like in their devotion. Toronto is one of the largest markets for the show. Behind The Scenes is not a how-to guide. It reads like a fan magazine with quips, charts, posters and down-home snapshots. There's a chapter on everyone seen on camera, including newcomers Edward Walker and Kia Steave Dickerson. The episode guide has nifty icons, such as diva fits, ceiling fans and power tools, and summarizes each show. The photos are gorgeous, as are the players.
Chapter One takes you through the basics: How the show works, the rules and the lingo. It starts on Day 0 when the crew arrives to set up shop. The designers and carpenters decide what they're going to do and to shop for local materials, furniture and accessories. Word quickly spreads that the signature Trading Spaces trailer has pulled into town, and fans strain against the yellow caution tape surrounding "carpentry world" in hopes of catching a glimpse of one of the stars, notes the book.
Who can blame them?
Room by room
Viewers have their faves, whether it's crafty Frank or avante-garde Hilde; meticulous Vern or temperamental Doug; sweet-natured Gen or southern belle Laurie. This season's newest designers, Edward and Kia, are stitching together their fan base, room by room.
Everyone likes Paige Davis, however, whose crop tops, low-rise jeans and perky sense of humour have become her trademark. We marvel at designer Hildi Santo Tomas as she climbs ladders and paints ceilings with her feet firmly planted in her stilettos.
Fans also have opinions on the best and worst rooms -- Hilde stapling thousands of silk flowers to a bathroom wall or Frank creating a sculpture from used barbecue grills. Behind The Scenes features a number of these best-dressed rooms in full colour.
Female readers will appreciate Ty Pennington's poster -- he looks adorable and wields a powerful toolbelt. According to his bio, the bad-boy carpenter holds a degree in graphic design, studied fine arts and paints. The unpredictable Renaissance man with his model good looks has done a few TV commercials and plays guitar with one of the unseen carpenters on the set.
Ah! The unseen players -- carpenter Fast Eddy and two sewers move things along but are never filmed.
Behind The Scenes is a fun look at a cool show, but my 15-year-old daughter and I have a suggestion for the publisher: How about developing a Trading Spaces kit with full-size cutouts of Ty, Paige, Doug and Hilde? We will set them up whenever we redecorate a room -- heck, we'll even supply the paint.
