The 'Spaces' crew invades Austin again
By Diane Holloway Were the homeowners happy or horrified?It's fun to watch on television, but a "Trading Spaces" remodeling is potentially traumatic on many levels. Friendship between neighbors can become strained, having a film crew take over your home and life can be taxing, and overhauled rooms can turn out, well, awful. Some have been so disappointing 3 felt stapled to ceilings, straw glued to walls, sticky goo oozing from floors 3 that owners have burst into tears. The ugly behind-the-scenes truth is that the workmanship and materials can be shoddy, so even a fabulous-looking room can turn out to be a nightmare. The popular cable show sends designers to the homes of neighbors who swap dwellings for 48 hours and overhaul a room. They have $1,000 to work a miracle that will be filmed from start to finish 3 including the final "reveal." "Trading Spaces," patterned after the British show "Changing Rooms" (which airs on BBC America), is the top-rated prime-time series nationwide on basic cable. Nearly 4 million people watch first-run episodes Saturday nights on The Learning Channel, and a whopping 15 million catch the multiple repeats during the week. In November, "Trading Spaces" made its third trip to Austin for its third season and filmed three new episodes. Of the six families involved, all but one embraced the changes. And that one dud was a doozy. "I was a little shocked," says Bryan Schwartz, whose kitchen in his North Austin home took an unhappy turn under the direction of designer Hilda ("Hildi") Santo-Tomas, the take-charge brunette known for wearing sandals and slides. "The designers are the stars of the show. They knew who we are, but I think they already knew what they wanted to do." What Santo-Tomas did might have worked for another family, but not for Schwartz and his wife, Diane. Ignoring pleas from neighbors Steve and Laura Macias, who executed the design, Santo-Tomas plastered the walls with hundreds of wine labels she got during a recent trip to Paris. Schwartz, an associate pastor at Morning Star Christian Church, doesn't drink or want alcohol in his home, so within hours of the big "reveal," the labels were steamed off the walls. The next day, the damaged wallpaper had to be torn down and the kitchen painted. The pastor suspects the wine design may have been offensive on purpose, to provoke a reaction for the camera. But neither of the Schwartzes shrieked or cried. They were just stunned. Nor were they angry with their neighbors, who loved the redesign of their dining room. "Actually it strengthened our friendship," Schwartz said. "Steve came over and helped me take it all down." The transformed family rooms at the Southwest Austin homes of the Schoolars and the Linxwilers are a different story. Those rooms haven't changed a bit. In fact, the Schoolars consider their beautiful new floor-to-ceiling, carved pecan fireplace front a showpiece. They even continue replacing fresh flowers in an arrangement designer Doug Wilson 3 the oh-so-opinionated visionary and self-described "drama queen" 3 put on their coffee table. By the way, the Schoolars admit to being nervous initially about having Wilson whirling around their family room but were pleasantly surprised by his work, especially because their plea for a fireplace overhaul was heeded. "We're ecstatic," said Jerome Schoolar, who works for Esther's Follies, playing everything from a Vatican bishop to Cher. "We kind of wanted to wind up with a crazy room so we could say, 'Oh, no! It sucks!' But we love it." Jerome and his wife, Angie, went online with neighbors Erik and Courtney Linxwiler last June 3 "after a few cocktails," according to Jerome 3 and joined the throngs of people wanting to be on "Trading Spaces." They filled out the application and sent some wacky photos of the two couples cavorting in the Schoolars' pool. "They told us they didn't even look at the application," Jerome said. "They just looked at the photos. They were looking for lighthearted people, and that's us." Long before the film crew arrived, a production staffer came to talk with the neighbors about what they wanted, what they absolutely didn't want and whatever concerns they might have about the process. Homeowners can request that certain objects, like paintings, be left alone (although those requests aren't always heeded). And they can express likes and dislikes, but the designers rarely entertain suggestions about the overall "vision" for a room. On Nov. 19, "Day Zero," a crew of about 30 people arrived, including designers Wilson, who worked on the Schoolars' house, and Genevieve Gorder (she's the hyper-energetic one), who worked at the Linxwilers' home; hunky carpenter Ty Pennington; and perky host Paige Davis. As frequently happens, fans got wind of the filming and arrived at Wampton Way to gawk. By the last day, about a hundred people were camped out in front of the two homes. There were groupies with "I Love Ty" T-shirts. A group of women drove all the way from San Antonio just to see Wilson, who happily signed autographs in the front yard. Privacy drapes were erected between the two yards, plans were mapped out, the Schoolars shipped their kids to Grandma's and their pets to the kennel, and everyone prepared to spring into action the next two days. The two couples moved into each other's homes. "They really, really believe in the element of surprise," said Angie Schoolar. "And they're very serious about the $1,000 budget. They were always totaling receipts." The homeowners, with advice from experts and assistance when needed, do most of the physical work. The Schoolars say they did all the painting, staining and sewing, although Jerome had to be taught to sew. Both were surprised about how long and hard they had to work. Cameras rolled continuously. Work started at 8 a.m. and continued well past midnight. It was exhausting, but it wasn't all drudgery. "There was a lot of booze and partying going on," Jerome chuckled. Extended happy hours notwithstanding, the Linxwilers' family room was transformed. They got a dramatic, 12-foot fireplace treatment, too, along with new curtains, paint and sophisticated decorative touches. "I knew it was a beautiful room, and I knew I would be so upset if they didn't like it," Angie said. "I was totally surprised by the way ours looked," said Courtney Linxwiler. "We knew it was a gamble going into it, but we absolutely loved our room." On Aire Libre Drive in far Northwest Austin, the Reddys and the Scaramuzzas are thrilled with their new living rooms. Suzi Scaramuzza said she told the designers nothing was off limits, a dicey move, but she wasn't disappointed. Neighbor Uttam Reddy said his wife, Anu, did cry when she saw their room, but they were "tears of joy." Except for that little booze fiasco in the pastor's kitchen, "Trading Spaces" has left a trail of happy campers, and Saturday viewing parties are breaking out all over. |
