Changing Rooms…

I don’t think i’ll watch again. I always watched the old series, but I must have grown out of it. Very colourful and flamboyant makeovers, but then it usually is. LLB looked like he was stuffed forcibly into those leather trousers and tight, tight shirt - how did he manage to even breath?! And all the adulation he expected? All hype I know, but it got very wearisome. I didn’t dislike the bedroom design, but not in those colours and would any heat get through that radiator, with all that ridiculous “cladding” on it?! As for the swing seat in the other house - can just imagine the ceiling falling down sometime soon. George Clarke for me every time (the following programme). That’s not an interior design programme in the same way, of course, but I love it. I adore interior design, but I am more for the muted palette. Something you can live with. I guess I’m not “fun” enough for Changing Rioms’ garish makeovers. I certainly wouldn’t let the Changing Rooms team loose on my house!

I absolutely agree re George Clarke ,great ideas,lovely interiors and George is good to look at and intelligent too.
Changing Rooms seems to be stuck in the 1980s I thought the rooms were hideous and the whole presentation of the programme was very camp.

Mollygo

That swing looked fragile. I understood why they got all 4 women on there to prove it wasn’t but imaging what a few children or teens could do. I wouldn’t have a moments peace worrying about the ceiling. Stupid idea!

I think we can all imagine what is going to happen with that swing. It is going to feature in a tabloid newspaper in December <cuts to photo with two sad Welsh ladies>

Changing rooms ruined my Christmas

Swing and ceiling on living room floor. Hole in upstairs bedroom floor......

George Clarke deserves a thread of his own. The recent episode featuring the Cornwall Bank to family home was superb! But I get kind of peeved when the owners gloss over how much they spent on the finished project.

Sarnia- O.M.G! I'd have killed him!?

Why can't they just go for making it look nicer with colours, wallpapers, carpets,etc- something we could all copy- instead of forcing garish showy changes on unsuspecting folk that might even cause structural damage?!

I hoped for a programme with good ideas, grown up presenting and inspiring colours/decor. It disappointed on all counts. Childish humour, rubbish results, just awful in every department. The hair/chair just done to cause a reaction when good design would have done the same. Didn't take to the 2 male team, LLB looked dated, tired, bloated with self importance, a shame for someone with talent.

Won't be watching again. Prefer adult, informative presenting, innovative design and thought they might have learnt from past mistakes but obviously not.

LondonMzFitz

George Clarke deserves a thread of his own. The recent episode featuring the Cornwall Bank to family home was superb! But I get kind of peeved when the owners gloss over how much they spent on the finished project.

I watched bank programme. If I recall they paid £50k for the bank and spent £350k renovating it!! Clearly money was no object. That is the issue I have with George - the cost of everything. Way beyond normal people.

I much prefer Love it or List It. Kirsty Allsop does some great alterations within a realistic budget.

LondonMzFitz

George Clarke deserves a thread of his own. The recent episode featuring the Cornwall Bank to family home was superb! But I get kind of peeved when the owners gloss over how much they spent on the finished project.

I am a George Clarke fan too. He has quite a few programmes at the moment. One series I enjoy is his Amazing Spaces where people who need extra room but don't have the money or space available for a purpose built extension buy all sorts of contraptions like old ambulances, railway carriages, helicopters etc and renovate them into what they need. This might be a chill out area for growing children, a mobile bar for events, the sky's the limit. In this series he has a handsome sidekick called Will Hardie who is a master craftsman and they embark on a project of their choosing. If you are a George Clarke fan and haven't seen this programme, have a look at it.

Well I watched it and I stand by what I have always said, I wouldn't let Laurence LB within 3 feet of one of my rooms. I cannot bear the man or his OTT designed. I like Love it or list it with Phil and Kirsty.

I hear the 'improvements' are going to be of a better quality this time; I saw a couple of the early ones and on one occasion the curtains were being stapled to the wall and the fireplace looked as it it wouldn't stay in place if it were dusted a little too vigorously.

What a load of rubbish

It was as silly as ever, wasn't it? If I recall correctly, didn't they show the 'experts' striding along towards the cameras as though they were in a rock music video at the beginning? It was acceptable when Bon Jovi did it years ago but just looked plain daft now.

Speaking of his 'rivals' on another show, I thought that Nick Knowles' programme the next evening (last night) was much better. Most sensible people like us don't want to be startled by our decor, do we? I'm happy to be boring.

I watched the first episode more out of curiosity than interest. I won't be bothering with it again. The lady who had her bedroom done seem unimpressed with her art work featuring real hair so why didn't she say so instead of gushing about how amazing it was. You only had to look at her face to see what she really thought. I thought the peacock swing was awful and the colours were so dark it made the room appear much smaller. Still, if you apply to go on this show you must be prepared for whatever comes your way.

I won’t be watching - I remember the tarts boudoir episode. For me it had as much appeal as watching Mr Bean. Cringe cringe cringe….

It does annoy me when the experts have been given a project, then knowing how much the hard working people have saved, show spectacular plans, which in their experience must know is over budget. Of course the owners have fallen in love with what the architect has shown, we then see how they struggle to try and manage their money.
Many years ago, George Clarke, redesigned a house but because he made a fault with the staircase the poor owners, who had taken out extra money, did not have a shower room fitted.

Some of George Clarke's projects have ended up looking like soulless new builds despite starting off as character buildings. Others I agree have turned out well. I wouldn't let LLB and his team within a mile of my house.

I’ve just realised there’s a new series of Scotland’s Home of the Year on iplayer that I haven’t seen. I assumed that, with the pandemic, there wouldn’t be a recent series. So that’s why my home improvement programmes sorted for a while!

MayBee70, you will really enjoy that, I heartily recommend SHotY.

The only problem with it is that it was while I was watching the last series on iplayer that I bit into a rice cake and lost a filling while we were in lockdown and I couldn’t get to a dentist so I have bad memories of it. Mind you I’ve lost two more fillings since then ( one only a few days ago) so I can’t blame the programme! It’s SO tasteful compared to Changing Rooms though isn’t it! I’m binge watching it already….

Saw the first episode of CR yesterday - think I've out grown it, but will watch the next to make sure.
Just off to 'Shoty' ? thanks for the Heads Up.

I tuned into tonight's programme and managed to watch less than 3 minutes - it looked dire. The bit I saw they were painting each wall of the room a different, clashing, bright colour and the neighbour was saying "Oh, I'm not sure about those colours". The other neighbours were doing something stupid with spray paint and old jugs and vases - looked terrible. That's where I left it and switched it off.

I'm not impressed with George Clarke, either. I watched a couple of those programmes he did some years ago where he designed makeovers for people, knowing their budget, but he usually went well over budget so that some things were left out completely, or, perhaps worse, started but left incomplete for the owners to have to try to sort out if they ever managed to raise the cash to do so. Quite unacceptable behaviour, really, but hey, it's entertainment, isn't it? ?‍♀️. No, I don't rate him at all, either.

I remember one of George's programme @Mapleleaf where a man was almost in tears because after going over budget he couldn't have his much wanted work room, or some such. I think you get these TV people in at your peril.

Personally, I wouldn't let them in through the front gate without setting the cat on then.

The old programmes seemed to delight in doing the most awful design changes and I often wondered if it was done deliberately just to see the look on the homeowners' faces. If so, I think it was cruel.

I think the makeovers yesterday were OK. I preferred Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen's - the other was all right but a little "busy" for my taste, and I didn't like the blue dining table.

There was also a garden/house design one by Diarmuid Gavin several years ago. We looked at a house in Hastings that had been on the programme. The garden looked OK on the programme but looked awful in real life, with a sort of raised platform at the end.