Hammering Heartthrob
By Alyssa Shelasky Trading Spaces' Doug Wilson on Best-Kept Secrets, Pretending To Be a Snob, and His Upcoming Stint at the Learning AnnexWhen it comes to single, eligible guys who apparently have it all, we hold our breath and pray, "But can he use a drill?" Usually, it's wishful thinking. So when a man comes around with a toolbox and a TV show, we hypersensitive girls are, alas, speechless. With messy salt-and-pepper hair, sky blue eyes, and just enough scruff, it's no wonder Doug Wilson, from the Learning Channel's Trading Spaces, has women swooning. Part Mr. Fix-It, part ladies' man, he's got the best gig in town. Trading Spaces is orchestrated by eight individual designers who create stylish, if over-the-top, rooms on a budget. They collaborate with neighbors who swap apartments for one full day. Everyone bickers. Everyone sweats. They produce rooms that look like safaris and sailboats. Talented and tasteful, Wilson is arguably the sexiest designer on the show. He's also known to be self-centered and snobbish. On the Trading Spaces fan site, one junkie (out of millions) wrote, "He's so high-maintenance, but even easier on the eyes!" Off camera, there's nothing questionable about the delightful Wilson. Within the first seconds of meeting him, it's unmistakable: He's a puppy, not a pain. Plus, he looks like a Ralph Lauren model and could redesign, restructure, and repaint an entire Madison Avenue mansion. For under 1,000 bucks. In 24 hours. With cheesy people from the 'burbs. Perhaps this is why he was so happy to talk to a city chick. With an upcoming seminar at the Learning Annex and a downright love for New York residents, Wilson agreed to deconstruct himself instead of an ugly living room. He grew up on his family farm in Illinois but now lives in a small pad on the Upper East Side. Prewar or postwar? "Prewar!" Wilson huffed with his famous, discriminating taste. Though he's the quintessential brownstone type, he shamelessly asserted, "Oh, please, it's totally a tenement." What's even more unexpected is that his apartment is raw and undone. "I was going through a divorce, then I got the show, and there just hasn't been time," he said with a shrug. "But I'm doing a book and my apartment's going to be in it. So now I have to focus." But he does have some dirty confessions. "I'm a big Dumpster diver," he boasted with satisfaction. "There are so many things you can find off the street." He's also a Garment District dabbler. "For fabrics," he explained with a seasoned passion for shmatas. "There's Housing Works too, but don't tell people about that." Like all good shoppers, Wilson knows the best-kept secrets should stay that way. "The flea markets on 26th Street have gotten so expensive," he said with a sigh. "They're too popular, and it's hard to find bargains anymore." He says his favorite thrift-shop relationships are in the Midwest, where "people don't know any better and just pass things over." His favorite finding is a Parsons table with inlaid wood from Minnesota. Who knew? So he loves trash cans and Middle America. And more than anything, Wilson believes in paint. "Paint those walls something!" is his first commandment. Wilson also instructs people to "add antiques, heart, soul, and color." In other words, go eclectic. But what if your life is dysfunctional enough and you crave minimalism, not magenta? "Well, white is a color too," Wilson said with noticeably less love. "It's great if you have sculptures or art — but not good for a ratty old sofa. Paint the walls the color of the sofa so the ratty couch will disappear." Even though Trading Spaces is strictly about home makeovers, fans of Wilson's treat it like episodes of The Bachelor. And who can blame these smitten housewives. Wilson is responsible, aggressive, aloof, and good with his hands. But like all heartthrobs, he's got an edge. It could be that he's overly confident or an occasional control freak, but most likely it's just something exaggerated by his producers and publicists. He's running a show, people, not a church group. Still, coming from a guy whose voice is as sweet as Simon & Garfunkel's and whose assistant warned me, "He's going to feel bad saying he has to go," I couldn't help but wonder how America misinterprets stenciling for self-grandeur. "I don't know why, but people love it," said Wilson lightheartedly about his frosty facade. "I get letters from fans saying, ëDoug, you're softening &151; go back to being mean!" Wilson explained his lack of concern thusly: "It's a heightened reality. We all embellish our personalities so that everything is real but more exciting." For a second it sounded as if Trading Spaces might be scripted. "The show is absolutely legit and off the cuff," Wilson quickly said. "But since I have a background in acting, I personally like to get theatrical." On one impassioned Web site called Divas Defending Doug (DDD), someone named Dougloverforever wrote, "Our prime concern as a DDD is to defend Doug against unwarranted, uncivil, and inaccurate words on the Trading Spaces message boards." The divas would be proud of Wilson's real-life behavior. Shopping at ABC Carpet & Home, Wilson was so patient with Lou, his 100-year-old salesman, you'd think he was a social worker or a male nurse. Despite his gentlemanly graces, Wilson did whisper, "These kind of stores aren't really my thing," regarding his foray into the lap of luxury. And he admitted his last splurge was "probably a good pair of shoes." "I'm so used to working on a budget," Wilson said, shrugging. "For clothes, I go to Banana Republic, find what's on sale and what I can ruin." Considering that his face is plastered on an ambitious ad campaign from Times Square to the M7 bus, he has an endearing modesty about his ascending fame. He has, however, succumbed to the Hollywood diet of veggies and bottled water. He sneaks cookies on the set, but never cigarettes. "I quit smoking on March 13, 1996," Wilson dished. "I went to SmokeEnders, which is like smokers rehab, where you have an eight-week program and a buddy." He's got a clean lifestyle and shady shopping secrets, which is why his upcoming seminar at the Learning Annex on Aug. 21 is already the hottest ticket in town. "We approached Doug because it's our job to keep track of what's hot, and Trading Spaces is hot," said Steven Schragis, national director of the Learning Annex. "We expect a tremendous turnout for Doug Wilson." Classes at the Learning Annex seem to be the "it" activity for smarty-pants and singles both. Lectures take place in various "see and be scene" destinations and are not revealed until the week of the event. Schragis elaborated on the trendy appeal of the Learning Annex and the influx of unattached, uninhibited New Yorkers: "People definitely sign up for socializing and dating purposes. When you come to a class, you know everyone else there shares similar interests." Wilson's comfortable with public speaking because he knows what he likes. He beams at the mention of his family's farm. He's a sucker for design magazines and, naturally, his own column in In Touch Weekly. He's kind to the elderly and prefers shirts from the clearance rack. He won't have a Marlboro or a McGriddle, but he's hardly a stiff. "I'm a big fan of caffeine, Visine, and Thorazine" were his parting, fun-loving words. And then he took off for Home Depot. Doug Wilson is a young Paul Newman. And he has skills beyond Bob Vila. Every mom, metrosexual, and miniskirt in Manhattan is speed-dialing the Learning Annex. So is there anything wrong with Doug Wilson? Sure. He makes you want to trade husbands. Doug Wilson's Learning Annex seminar, "Learn Savvy, High-Impact Interior Design Tips for Under $1000," will be held on Aug. 21 at 6:45 p.m. To register, visit learningannex.com. To find out more about Trading Spaces, which airs on the Learning Channel on Saturday nights at 8 and Sunday nights at 11, log on to tlc.discovery.com. |
