Top 3 design secrets Paige Davis has learned over 9 seasons hosting 'Trading Spaces'
Paige Davis has seen hundreds of rooms transformed in her nine seasons as host of "Trading Spaces."
Davis, 49, keeps the trains on time in the show that sees two homeowners redecorate a room in each other's homes in one weekend and for $2,000, with the help of a professional designer and carpenter.
She is also very often the show's mediator, helping the homeowners understand the designers' visions. Through it all, she has learned a lot about home design and decoration.
Here are the top three design tips Davis says she has learned as "Trading Spaces" host.
1. Start with a blank space
Before redoing a room, strongly consider emptying out the entire space. On "Trading Spaces" the first thing we always do is "unload" the room.
Beginning with an empty space will unlock any old preconceived ideas you've had of the space and let you see new possibilities. It's a great tip for organizing ANY space -- a drawer, a desk, a closet, anywhere.
2. Paint!
Paint. Paint. Paint. It's not always super easy moving furniture, covering everything, and taping off trim and windows and such -- all the more reason to empty the room first -- but it is what will give you the biggest bang for your buck!
On "Trading Spaces" we actually have a format element in the show called the Paint Reveal, because we all know seeing the color of the paint is a huge clue into the look and feel of a room.
3. Be brave
And most important, be brave! I know our designers can sometimes be outrageous and unconventional to say the least, but there's a real reason behind it.
They're trying to break everyone out of the same ol' same ol'. It can be so easy to just follow the path of least resistance. Currently that's gray, gray, and more gray, with accents of white and gray.
None of our designers, including Ms. Hildi [Santo-Thomas] herself, would expect people at home to put hay on their walls or hang furniture upside on the ceiling. But she always remembers that "Trading Spaces" is a television show that is meant to be fun, goofy, wild and full of surprises.
It's also a risk for the homeowners. By pushing the envelope as far as her imagination can take her, she believes she is encouraging others to at least step outside their comfort zones and try something they'd never have thought of otherwise. And I'd like to go on record as saying some of her more infamous designs I have found quite spectacular.
I would absolutely line an entire wall with record albums in a family room. I'd absolutely hang empty, silver paint cans upside down with lights coming through in a play room.
I'd absolutely wallpaper my kitchen with vintage wine labels. Besides, she doesn't want you to repeat her, she just wants you to use her fantastical ideas as a spring board for your own imagination.
Watch a sneak peek of the next "Trading Spaces" episode here:
