Trading Spaces: Behind the Scenes

Book Overview

Fans of cable TV’s mega-hit Trading Spaces know the rules: Two sets of homeowners, each helped full-time by a designer and part-time by a carpenter, swap houses and dive into a frenzied, two-day redo... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0696217120
• ISBN13: 9780696217128
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Meredith Corporation
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.1" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

The Stars of Trading Spaces

The book is an inside look at the designers and others who appear on the TV show. It is not meant to be a "How To" book. Within the scope of its purpose, it does well. It shows many pictures and gives a lot of information about the people. It's a sort of introduction to the show through its stars and does a good job of showing their personalities, quirks, & mess ups. It does show a little about the rooms that have been decorated on the show and has a list with comments about every show at the end of the book. It also does show a few tips about decorating. There are two more books scheduled to be published that will be more like decorating "How To".

Trading Spaces - A Breath Of Fresh Air!

I'm a huge fan of TLC's "Trading Spaces". I love the concept (based on the fabulous BBC show "Changing Rooms") and I love the designers (they really are the ones that make this show a hit) and I love home design. BUT - if you are looking for a HOW TO book. This isn't for you.... this is a fun and gossipy book ABOUT the designers, carpenters and host Paige Davis. If you want HOW TO tips, wait until later this year when THAT book comes out. This book if full of profiles, home pictures, tales and reviews of each of the designers and their most famous rooms. It's a fun look inside their lives and recommendations. It's a marketing person's dream :) It's fluff --- but in a good way. It's a great soft sided book that takes your mind off more serious topics of the day. My favorite spotlights are Hildi (it really shows her softer and sweeter side) and my all time fav. groovy girl Genevieve. She's such a wonderful free spirit. BUT - without a doubt, my crush on Vern's talent is even greater after reading about him in this book."Trading Spaces - Behind The Scenes" is just a great pick me up and I enjoyed every minute of it!

A Fun Read

I think this book is great. It's interesting to read about the designers' backrounds and where they got their start. I like the synopsis of each episode at the end. I didn't expect this to be a "how-to" book. That type of thing is pretty much explained on the show. I recommend this highly to any "Trading Spaces" fan.

Great stuff!!

This is the ultimate inside scoop! In this book, you get to peer behind the camera and see what really happens on the set of Trading Spaces. Not only do you get in-depth profile chapters on all of the designers and carpenters, you also get to glimpse their inspiration. Plus, it's full of design tips. The book is long-it is really full of everything-including Gen's design inspiration, Frank's humor (which is hilarious) and even a picture of Doug when he played Danny Zucko in a production of Grease. If you are a junkie-or even just a compassionate fan-there is an episode guide at the back of the book so you can find all the different cities they've been to and what rooms were re-done etc. The retro illustrations, colorful photos, and funky design make it fun to page through. It's also written really well--the text is engaging, chatty and easy to follow (I even found my husband sneaking a peek and he got caught up in a chapter)! While it's fun to see photos of Laurie in highschool and pics of Hildi in Paris, the stories about how these folks became designers and how they like to work is quite inspirational. The photographs of the finished rooms are gorgeous and you can see how some of the design decisions were made. Tips about fabric choice and applying stylistic influences are icing on a picture-perfect cake. I highly recommend this for any TS fan or aficionado.