April 18, 2008
Nesting
Written by Shirley Karr in Jaunty PostHi, my name is Shirley, and I can’t stop watching HGTV.
For those of you without cable TV, the Home & Garden Television network is all about living spaces, inside and out. My initial viewing began with the most innocent of intentions — a year ago we were expecting a baby, I was nesting, and needed ideas on how to mend my clutterbug ways. Mission Organization gave me practical tips on how to clear the clutter, organize our belongings so it doesn’t happen again, and decorate nicely so I’ll be motivated to keep it all neat and tidy.
Then I graduated to shows focused solely on decorating. I nibbled on Divine Design with Candice Olson episodes but found her fantabulous how-high-can-you-go budget remodels (a bathroom with a toilet that cost more than three months’ income?!?) intriguing but too much to handle.
Then I sampled and got hooked on Design On A Dime which is more in our range. They bring in a team of three to re-do one room on a budget of $1,000. I don’t always like the style they choose (one recent living room got a chandelier made of faux deer antlers) but I am impressed with the creative methods employed to stay within the budget. They make things instead of always buying new, or shop the thrift stores and on-line classifieds (clearly Craig’s List but they don’t mention it by name).
Something they made I’d like my hubby to build for us is a coffee table that has a padded top upholstered in faux leather (soft edges and washable fabric, since baby will soon be walking and therefore falling and spilling). The top is in two pieces, hinged on the ends, so you can flip one side up to get to the storage area underneath (great for hiding toys) after sliding the stuff on top to the other side because realistically it’s never going to be completely cleared off, is it? Simple, but I would never have thought of it myself. A variation has a solid top and ottomans with storage compartments that tuck underneath or roll out for extra seating. They make it look so easy, it should be a cinch to build, right?
If a grand is too much, Decorating Cents does a room for under $500, also makes things or “re-purposes” existing items, and has a segment called Trash to Treasure where they make things like a sofa table out of old lumber and picket fence pieces that were headed for the dump, or transform clay flower pots into bookends.
If you have no money at all to spare, there’s Free Style where they come in and rearrange existing stuff, bringing in things from other rooms as needed, grouping things into artful displays, improving traffic flow and conversation areas and generally making you wonder “why didn’t I think of doing it that way?”
Of course there are numerous shows that don’t disclose their budget and are based on the decorator’s personality, like Myles of Style, Deserving Design, Color Correction, and so on as well as Curb Appeal and Designed To Sell. And don’t even get me started on all the shows on landscaping or crafting.
You’d think all this would be enough to overwhelm me with ideas, make me get up and put this new knowledge into practice since most of my decorating intentions are still just that, intentions, or at the very least turn off the TV and go to bed since everyone else is fast asleep, but no, I’ve been known sit through House Hunters, where people look at three properties and decide which comes closest to their ideal. It’s as bad as getting hooked on a game show. (Cash Cab addiction, anyone?) Will they choose house #1, #2, or #3?
I understand why I felt compelled to watch when they were hunting in a suburb near us (how often is Tigard featured on TV, anyway?) but then I sat through the next episode where an executive and his family were house hunting in the Caribbean with a mere $1,000,000 budget. Okay, I do know why I had to watch the Caribbean episode and regular readers of this blog know why, too, and it was interesting to learn that the furniture stays with the house there, but still…
I can’t even justify all this as research because I haven’t figured out how to put it to use in my writing. I generally don’t get too detailed about settings because when other writers do I tend to yell “get on with the story!”
Hi, my name is Shirley, and I need help. 
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Shana Says:
Shirley, we watch HGTV as well! What else is there to watch? TV is such junk lately. We watch Hidden Potential and House Hunters and whatever the show is about the people buying their first house. I guess you can tell we’re thinking about buying or building a new house in the next few years. Funny how people who are settled watch the decorating shows and people thinking to move probably watch the home-buying shows.
brownone Says:
Oooh! I LOVE House Hunters. I like the one when the people are trying to sell thier house and all the trauma and drama behind it. In one episode the couple were divorcing and it was really tense because they REALLY had to get rid of the house. In another episode a couple chose thier friend as thier realtor and it didn’t work out so well for the friendship. Oh, and I also like Landscaper’s Challenge and Designer’s Challenge. My husband and I can never agree on which one the couple will choose!
Amy Addison Says:
Put down the remote and back away from the TV slowly.
We were looking for a house in Palm Springs and I was surprised at first how the furniture stays with the house, but then it makes sense, since getting furniture in would be expensive, and for most people these are second/vacation/rental homes. But some of that furniture was butt-ugly.
If you want real-life, practical tips on uncluttering and staying that way, check out http://unclutterer.com
I love that place.
Shirley Karr Says:
We want to move, too, Shana, which explains why I’m drawn to Designed to Sell. But I’m exhausted by the thought of all the work we have to do to make it ready to put on the market and show it. Just how badly do we want a guest room/work out space and a bigger yard for Daniel to play in?
Thanks for the tip, Amy. I’ll check it out on my lunch break.
Anne Mallory Says:
I love HGTV! Definitely the default channel if I’m just vegging.
Jill James Says:
I live for HGTV. It and the Food Network are on in our house constantly.