Any HGTV shows good for inspiration?
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Anonymous
| We bought our first house last November. While I think ultimately we will need a professional, I was wondering if anyone found any good inspiration from any of the shows on HGTV. As we have much more time to watch TV these days I was hoping to get some ideas. Thanks for any suggestions! |
Anonymous
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Are you looking for inspiration for renovations or decorating? IMO most of the HGTV shows these days focus on renovating and the decorating is ancillary. The decorating shows usually are competitions and there don't seem to be many of those anymore. One of the shows that has the most decorating focus is Windy City. Home Town also does a good job, especially talking about decorating on a budget. Both are very specific looks but have lots of good ideas.
You might want to start subscribing to a bunch of magazines. Here are some suggestions: Elle Décor, House Beautiful, Traditional Home, Southern Living, HGTV magazine (I think it is weird that there is a decorating magazine but the tv shows are more about renos but the mag is great), Country Living. Finally, Home & Design is a great magazine that focuses on designers and residences in the DMV. |
Anonymous
| Op here. Wow, thank you! I didn't think about the magazine route. In a perfect world I'd love to renovate our kitchen and two bathrooms but I don't know if that will be feasible in the near future. However, I was hoping to get some ideas and potential cost estimates based on something I found and liked. Decorating, or finding a "style" is not my strong suite either so I was looking for those ideas as well. Thanks again PP! |
Anonymous
| Home Town is the new Chip and Joanna. We really like that show. |
Anonymous
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You're welcome. Also, I forgot a biggee: Architectural Digest.
And, absolutely keep watching HGTV. I keep it on as my background as I'm walking around the house doing things. You will pick up things just by watching. It just seems like most of the shows are about renovating so they spend a lot of time on the how-tos of that. The tile, backsplash, cupboard color selection stuff happens in 30 seconds but it is helpful when you hear it. And the reveals, when the homeowner comes home or when the house is listed is helpful but, again, it is very fast and you're catching glimpses rather than hearing the theory. On the other hand, with the magazines, they interview the designer and the designer explains the elements. So a combination of both will be helpful to you! Have fun! |
Anonymous
+1 Ben and Erin are really cute and some of the transformations have been just amazing! |
Anonymous
Love this show too! 
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Anonymous
Particularly if you have a heritage home - Chip and Joanna tore out a lot of original features as a rule and their stuff was fairly generic. Ben and Erin are restorers, and she has a great eye for color. There are a lot of bungalows and cottage homes in their hometown - which is very DC. |
Anonymous
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also check on Instagram
I follow a bunch of decorating accounts for ideas HGTV magazine is good as well |
EyeCandyOP
Member Location: Bunny's Barn
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Member Location: Bunny's Barn
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On HGTV:
Windy City Rehab - great design, doesn't gloss over the bumps along the way, always tells you the real timeline. One of a Kind - interesting design, sometimes quirky. The star was a blogger, then a designer. Her instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astoriedstyle Dear Genevieve - older show, but available On Demand or through the app. Genevieve is an amazing designer. She's excellent. Restored by the Fords - more modern, but I find it inspiring Best House on the Block - set in our area! On Demand or via the app. I think it's usually on the DIY Network, which is odd because it fits the HGTV format well. Youtube channels that might be interesting: House & Home - Canadian shelter magazine that churns out videos. Sarah Richardson - Canadian designer that mixes high and low a lot. You'll see her use Ikea and vinyl planks along with expensive fabrics. Studio McGee - lots of content, a very consistent style that sort of reminds me of the average instagram influencer's style. Quintessence - house tours with designers and so informative. Huge variety, from castles to cottages. Open House NBC - New York based real estate show that is on NBC New York. They publish all their shows on youtube, too. Always expensive, sometimes over-the-top. Three Birds Renovation - Australian design/build team. They have a very specific style, but they're fun to watch. Building a Better South - a design/build firm out of Kentucky. GORGEOUS homes. Paula McDonald - Design/build firm in Manhattan. Amazing inspiration for small spaces, especially kitchens and baths. She always shows how she overcomes weird building features. Architectural Digest - not the most accessible, but interesting house tours! House Beautiful - content isn't super consistent, but the recent series with designers talking about their rooms in a show house was great! |
Anonymous
Windy City Rehab is a gutter, tho and seems to have unsatisfied buyers: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/1/15/21067563/windy-city-rehab-alison-victoria-gramenos-giddings-lawsuit Love Nicole Curtis from Rehab Addict, also Good Bones ladies. |
Anonymous
| Op here. Thank you so much for all the great recommendations! Very excited to check them out!! |
Anonymous
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Some of the home decorating magazines posted above have robust sites with a lot of material that is accessible even for people who aren't subscribers. You might want to start a Pinterest page and start collecting pictures of things you like. Don't be too discriminate. Just keep putting photos in. Pretty soon you'll be able to find common elements. As your tastes change or evolve you'll hopefully start to understand more about what you like and don't like.
But don't just look at the photos. Take some time to read a few of the articles because they help you understand why something works. Like on a thread that was started here recently by someone (not me) about the Southern Living house. Ignore the posts that are just off (there isn't a drop of chintz in sight) and focus on the posts about what worked or didn't for some people. For example, I liked the house and appreciated the design even though I disagreed with some of the design choices. What I found helpful was that some posters pointed out the "thread" or common elements that you could see throughout the rooms. It should have been obvious to me but it wasn't and I liked that people explained it. That thread concept helped the rooms in the house feel harmonious even though they were different. My understanding now is that house the designer used color, texture and pattern in each contiguous room to help build a pathway through the house. I can see it now that it is pointed out. Have fun! I am now going into the kitchen to watch some HGTV and Food Network (I go back and forth) while I have a mini shredding party and contemplate what I'm going to do about the mess that is the mudroom. |
Anonymous
Not OP. This is a great list! Thank you!!! |
Anonymous
Why? Her voice is grating, there stuff is mediocre at best. Her water colors are annoying. She needs a bottle of Bailey's to go with those watercolors, the way she says it I am convinced she is Old Greggs daughter. |