#1
Posted: 3/17/08 at 9:08am
Has anyone else observed how awful much of the "redecorating" on that string of HGTV shows really is? I cannot bear the work of that smug Verne Yip, who consistently turns muted, tasteful spaces into garish bordello-inspired contemporary nightmares. But he's not alone.
The worst is that show with the enabling middle-aged woman who brings in an over-caffeinated bevy of boys who seem to have grown up inside Pier One. No matter what her fellas do, she finds it cool or awesome (her command of decorator-speak clearly helped her career.) On Saturday I watched a perfectly nice grey and white spare bedroom convert too quickly into a loud tropical nigthmare of a "family room," complete with horizontal stripes on the wall, a panel adorned with 12 dimestore mirrors that looked ripped from a SNL satire on 70s crashpads, and for the final touch, ripped hula skirts glued to valences. Hula skirts as a window treatment? The "designer" said he was worried about this deal clencher, that it oversold the theme. It oversold one thing: his lack of decorating talent.
Somebody at HG thinks too much beats not enough, that stripped hot peach walls and homemde furniture constitute exciting rennovation. They routinely rip legs off any old piece of junk, spray paint it, slap glass on it, or hang loud drapes from the edge and call it "fun." It often appears as if it was thrown together like a community theater set, flimsy and fake. It's startling how little sophisticated taste is on display on this network that touts the opposite. Only the landscape shows really exhibit some good ideas. There's no sense of how people actually inhabit these spaces, or thought given to the long-term impact of a "splash" of saturated color.
The worst is that show with the enabling middle-aged woman who brings in an over-caffeinated bevy of boys who seem to have grown up inside Pier One. No matter what her fellas do, she finds it cool or awesome (her command of decorator-speak clearly helped her career.) On Saturday I watched a perfectly nice grey and white spare bedroom convert too quickly into a loud tropical nigthmare of a "family room," complete with horizontal stripes on the wall, a panel adorned with 12 dimestore mirrors that looked ripped from a SNL satire on 70s crashpads, and for the final touch, ripped hula skirts glued to valences. Hula skirts as a window treatment? The "designer" said he was worried about this deal clencher, that it oversold the theme. It oversold one thing: his lack of decorating talent.
Somebody at HG thinks too much beats not enough, that stripped hot peach walls and homemde furniture constitute exciting rennovation. They routinely rip legs off any old piece of junk, spray paint it, slap glass on it, or hang loud drapes from the edge and call it "fun." It often appears as if it was thrown together like a community theater set, flimsy and fake. It's startling how little sophisticated taste is on display on this network that touts the opposite. Only the landscape shows really exhibit some good ideas. There's no sense of how people actually inhabit these spaces, or thought given to the long-term impact of a "splash" of saturated color.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
Updated On: 3/17/08 at 09:08 AM
