Why home makeover shows feel icky

Today, I get into what makes home renovation shows work and how they make us feel. I get into my own experience with the channel and then dive into a makeover show that generally makes people feel good, Big Dreams, Small Spaces with Monty Don.

[TJ-buzk]

I had just moved into a new build home. My home was so new the builders were still coming in to finish work, even after closing. The first thing I did was paint the dining room a deep, royal red. I thought it was so grand and stunning. The building site supervisor walks in and mouth wide makes some comment that this bold colour would make resell difficult.... sir I am not even a month into my new home! Why should I care about resell value?!

[fabrisseterbrugghe]

One of my big issues with HGTV is that they talk about "forever homes" but don't include basics like grab bars in the showers to make it a place someone can live in to age in place. Apparently, no one ever breaks a leg skiing, or gets sick and needs solid banisters to make it downstairs. It drives me batty.

[Liusila]

It’s so depressing when people NEVER dare to even decorate their home because it will “decrease its value”. Life is more than grey-white neutral colour schemes.

[l.]

After leaving an abusive marriage, I bought a small condo and had it renovated. The way I wanted. I told the contractors what I wanted and the 'professionals' shuddered when I went with cork backed vinyl laminate EXCEPT in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry rooms which I did in SHEET VINYL. Yup, folks, SHEET VINYL. That's what I wanted. And white appliances. I don't want to spend my life battling finger prints. Seven years later, I still love my place. I don't give a flying f*** what other people think. This is MY space.

[Alex-cwrz]

As someone who lives in a place with a lot of beautiful victorian town houses I hate this thinking of it as an asset first and home second. They see original stained glass, sash windows, wood carved fascia boards, elegant fire places and stunning hand made plaster work and rip it all out to be replaced with the cheapest plastic windows and plastic board, they'll paint everything white, then replace a nice garden with asphalt and fake grass, split it into flats and then just sell it for a extra 100, 000 and therefore locals can not afford anywehere in the town.

[RogueB]

I worked in a tile and countertop store for over a decade, and I did thousands of design consultations in that time. Every time someone said, "But what about resale value?" I died a little inside.
I started asking, "When are you planning to sell the house?"
If they said, "Oh, not for 3 or more years, " I'd tell them that trends will change in that time, so designing for what's 'neutral' now is not practical, so why not do something you'll love seeing every day instead?
If they said within the next 3 years, I'd ask, "If your house is the same gray and white inoffensive neutral as every other house, what's going to make it special and interesting for potential homebuyers? Give them something to fall in love with."
The only bit of my own personal taste that I pushed was staying true to the character of the home. Don't gut a Victorian or 1930's Tudor-style and fill it with the same contemporary blandness as a hotel built last year. Work WITH the style of the house, not against it. What do you like about the house? Let's enhance that!

[cass_p]

The idea of homes as professional spaces really speaks to a phenomenon that I noticed in the early days of lockdown - so many people *hated* being in their own homes. I couldn't understand how so many people could be so fundamentally uncomfortable in spaces that, presumably, they had significant say in creating, but this really adds some needed context. Such a shame.

[Deamonslayer]

As a lover of historical homes it breaks my heart every time I see an "expert renovator" come in and destroy beautiful antique woodwork, tiles, mouldings, etc. or paint over everything to sanitise it down. One show that I actually like is Rehab Addict with Nicole Curtis because she has a love for these old houses and wants to bring back the history and keep the charm. I hope someday when I have my own home that I can fill it with all the character that I want.

[mglouise]

Two years ago I hired a native/perennial landscape gardener to turn my lawn into a beautiful garden. I don't weed much because I love to see what kinds of things grow. Does it look messy? Yes, but I watch the birds and the insects that love it and I cant imagine it any other way. Best decision ever

[danielleroy]

I have this cheap floral tapestry that I got in college for like 5 bucks that I still love and use as decoration. I had this dream where one day I'd own property and then I'd be able to paint an entire wall like this tapestry. I told my dad this dream once and he made a face and talked about how hard it would be to paint over when I sell. After that, I kinda let go of that dream. After watching this video, I think if I ever get to a point where I can do this I will.

[She_Wont_Focus]

“I wasn’t making a space for me, I was making a space for what I thought a teen’s bedroom should be. How it could avoid criticism. Keep in mind I was the only one in this room.”

This floored me. I can relate. So panopticon-y. 😖

[Danicalip]

My favorite show is called Restored. He goes to these historic homes and brings them back to their former glory. As well as the input of the homeowners. It’s so beautiful and really brings the historic architecture to life! It brings me so much joy.

[katebowers]

They say “awful” and “embarrassing, ” but they mean “perfectly fine and serviceable” and “just like every place I’ve ever lived.”

[allisonc.-jtrc]

The most distinct difference to me is that HGTV talks down to the homeowner, while Monty strives to empower them. What a gem. Thank you for showing us. I love this channel!

[_oaktree_]

I think the issue is that these people say "home", but they mean "house". More than that, they mean "property", they mean "fungible asset". Everyone who lives anywhere has a home, but not everyone owns property. And it's sad to think about people buying property with the intention of living there and making it their home, only to get the firm message that it needs to be saleable first, so that it can appreciate – actually making your life there is an afterthought.

[bardnightingale]

I started redoing the house to get it sellable. Then realized that, in today's market, I would only be able to buy a lower quality house for twice what we paid for ours. So we decided to stay and I did the last few rooms to MY taste. The livingroom, kitchen, dining room look exactly like ME and people love it and ask me to redo theirs. Most importantly, I love it. I am proud of it. It is decorated like nothing on TV or pinterest. Granted, we now plan to die in this house.

[stephgreen]

I love that you and your friends played Barbie until you were “too old”. I think this is a much more universal experience than we think it is! We all think everyone else is so much more cool and mature than we are, but we’re all 17 year olds secretly playing Barbies thinking we’re too old.

[frequentfrenzied]

I did some work years ago for a couple that were doing very well financially. The work involved me spending quite a bit of time walking through their 120 year old mansion of a home. The house was impressive, with large rooms, high ceilings, and grand open staircases, but I was always sort-of uncomfortable while I was there. I could tell that the first two floors were definitely decorated by professional interior designers, and were meticulously cleaned every day by housekeepers. Everything felt so cold and sterile, and the rooms were always spotless. It was like I was in the home where all of the pictures that you see in interior design magazines are taken. There were absolutely no personal touches to be found. No bookshelves housing a collection of worn novels. No wedding photos set out on end tables. No yearbook photos of their children hanging on the walls. No postcards from friends and family stuck to the refrigerator with magnets. No clutter whatsoever. It didn't feel like anyone actually lived there until you got up to the third floor, where you found a family room in a general state of disarray, with a television screen on the wall and a well worn sofa across from it, and kids toys scattered around the floor. I'm guessing that the family spends most of their time in that room while they are home together, and they try to stay away from the creepy magazine rooms that make up the rest of their house.

[ulla.umlaut]

The best part of Monty Don based shows, is that the only pressure on the homeowners is "I don't want to disappoint Monty." Truth is, Monty always tells them they did a great job as long as they like the results. Key moment in each visit: Monty takes off his jacket and/or rolls up his sleeves to help.

[hoppinghessien]

My husband and bought a gorgeous 1912 house that has incredible original woodwork and built ins. It also has beautiful French doors between the dining room, foyer, and living room. Another couple bid on the house the same time we did. They told the owners they wanted to rip out all the doors and downstairs walls to make it open concept. And that’s why the owners sold us the house.