Warning, the Danger of Home Improvement mags and books

[iris lily]

That's a great story, OP. Glad to hear you avoided the trap. I think the emphasis on storage for stuff we don't need is silly, too.

I love watching some of the HGTV shows (we don't have cable so I grab episodes here and there) but a steady diet of it is bad. For those shows to entertain me the properties have to be interesting, and that, to me, almost always means "old." One series of shows had young couples buying new low end builder houses and I was totally bored but I DID learn that double sinks are de rigueur even in track house land. Blech.

My friend has rescued a nice Victorian rowhouse with real plaster on the walls and crown molding and 9 feet ceilings in the basement with brick arches, really a nice rowhouse, and yet, she doesn't have a closet in her bedroom. There is a huge closet up the stairs and she is accustomed to using it, but our real estate agent friend says she needs a closet in the bedroom. Yet, think of the dozens of people who have lived in that house with no closet. This house would not pass muster on "Buying Houses with Crap You don't Need" on HGTV.

[Kat]

This house would not pass muster on "Buying Houses with Crap You don't Need" on HGTV.

I so know what you mean, IL. I am floored by the number of people who walk through houses 10 times bigger and nicer than mine complaining about the dumbest things. For instance, a kitchen automatically needs remodeled if there is no granite countertop. A master bedroom is out of the question if the closet couldn't house a family of four. Oh, only three bedrooms? Heaven forbid children should have to share a bedroom the size of my entire downstairs.

It annoys me.

[Float On]

I think my favorite show to watch on-line is HouseHunters International. Everyone says "We're looking for a nice, small little place (house, condo, apartment) in our favorite vacation destination". And then they spend the entire show complaining about how small the kitchens are or how tiny the bedrooms are, or the yards, or the lack or small size of closets, or tiny parking space.....in other words they'd like to take their American mcmansion, American wardrobe, and American SUV to their favorite tiny Italian or Costa Rica or Eastern European destination.

[JaneV2.0]

...
I love watching some of the HGTV shows (we don't have cable so I grab episodes here and there) but a steady diet of it is bad. For those shows to entertain me the properties have to be interesting, and that, to me, almost always means "old."

To entertain me, the properties have to be contemporary condos/houses, woodsy getaways, or especially charming urban cottages. And the buyers have to be free of small children. I don't think I've ever seen one of these shows where a young family looked at houses with any kind of style.

ETA: And my next house will definitely have at least one closet that can house a family of four. Chez Jane is woefully storage-challenged. I have bedroom closets under a steeply-pitched roof that were apparently built for a family of gnomes.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I have a friend who keeps her tv tuned to HGTV most of the time. She is constantly moving things about, redoing, buying new furniture, new fixtures, putting down tile, taking out existing bathroom fixtures and replacing, on & on - many projects for her husband to do. I have always linked this to her steady diet of HGTV.

[JaneV2.0]

I used to have a friend who rearranged her furniture all the time--and that was long before HGTV. On the other hand, I've watched my share of those shows, and my place remains unchanged. Apparently you need the inspiration, the will and the energy to re-feather your nest on a regular basis.

[HappyHiker]

I have a friend who keeps her tv tuned to HGTV most of the time. She is constantly moving things about, redoing, buying new furniture, new fixtures, putting down tile, taking out existing bathroom fixtures and replacing, on & on - many projects for her husband to do. I have always linked this to her steady diet of HGTV.

You also need a husband--or the budget--to make these constant changes! MY husband would not be willing to do these things--and I don't blame him.

Me? I hate living with the noise of power tools and the chaos and mess of interior home improvement projects...moving furniture is one thing but eating sawdust and spackle is another...

[ApatheticNoMore]

It's only propaganda, or rather a channeling of the artistic impulse (perfectionist and dissatisfied by nature) into expenditure (but always with a large dose of propaganda on everything else it will add to your life)

I did stop looking at the Pottery Barn bath site though as the carrera marble was mighty tempting...until I got the cost and thought about the environmental implications. I just keep thinking about all the mountains being carved up for travertine bathrooms and granite countertops.

yea all in order to imitate nature in our surroundings, but of course it doesn't capture the true grandeur. Should just get a houseplant

[Glo]

After remodeling two homes, I'm done with all that; I couldn't decorate anything if you paid me. I guess I'm burned out. DH recently gutted our half bath and did all the fixes himself as well as picking out everything. He did an excellent job and spent a little over $700, which I was very happy about. The bathroom was in bad shape and did need fixing.

[shawntheweaver]

I have also become a victim of these home improvement shows that sometimes sell us the idea and little do we know that these are expensive pieces of furniture. And like you, I managed to find an old book of Amish Furniture in our local library. It was amazing. I like old fashioned types of furniture, and I had our local carpenter do it for me. Apart from that, someone also told me to check out Brandenberry, an Amish Furniture Outlet, and I am glad that I did. I was able to find items during their sales that cost me almost nothing.