Another beautiful day today. Fear not, it hasn’t turned into all-sunny around here, rain is on the docket for tomorrow. But right now, birds are singing, the sun is shining, and green is everywhere.
I don’t know if you’ve ever watched Nate and Jeremiah by Design on TLC, but it’s one of the two decorating shows that I watch, the other being Home Town on HGTV. Most other shows are so formulaic and, let’s face it, fake, that they bore me to tears. They also promote the whole “we have to redo everything here!” kind of thinking that I find troubling. Equally, they promote a “we have to have a large master suite and this walk-in closet is just too small and I need a huge kitchen with more cupboards than I’ll ever use!” sense of entitlement. Let it be noted: I have never hired a contractor or had anyone do any major work in a house I’ve lived in. Of course, we rented most of our lives, so that wasn’t an option. But even when we finally bought a house, we didn’t do anything structural to it. We chose a house we liked, one we could live in quite easily, and all we did was decorate and paint. I’d love a mudroom. I’d love more storage options. I’d love a couple more cupboards in the kitchen. But I don’t have them, and it’s highly doubtful that we’ll ever have the money to construct them, so I find creative solutions. And we’re fine.
The reason I like the two shows I mentioned is because they’re a little different. N & J’s mission is to rescue those in need; people who find themselves in an impossible position because of bad contractors, or personal challenges that have kept them from making their houses liveable. They’re very up front about budget. They’re kind hearted and compassionate.
Home Town honors the character of the homes they are redoing. They’re ‘Real Life-Sized,’ if you know what I mean. There’s always a nice mix of old and new. And they’re very down-to-earth.
I got tired of Fixer Upper fairly early on. Joanna Gaines’ decorating style was pretty much the same from show to show and that style was implemented no matter who the clients were. They also own a real estate company and the houses that were used were sold through them and it all seemed like a giant money-making venture – which it was. They’re good people, but they’ve become mass-marketers and empire builders and that’s always a turn-off for me.
Anyway, I watched N & J’s final show of the season where, for the second time this season, they were working with a kitchen that had a beautiful O’Keefe & Merritt stove which they ended up scrapping in favor of a stainless steel stove devoid of any charm or personality.
Why oh why? I like you guys, but I definitely have a bone to pick with you. Not everything has to be stainless steel and matchy-matchy. Character matters. Stella is not happy!
The clematis has been prolific this year.
Wildflowers by the driveway.
I’m finally about to finish Paris In Winter, which was neglected as I was reading Beverley Nichols. I’m still reading Nichols – I’m on Sunlight on the Lawn, but I miss Paris and I’ve been thinking about it a lot, so I went back to Paris in Winter. So many places mentioned are places I’ve been and loved and can visualize, but Coggins mentions many that I didn’t get to see and want to see.
Oh, Paris. You have my heart.
Happy Wednesday.
The only design show I watch is Big Texas Save because it is filmed in Galveston, where we live. Michael and Ashley Cordray are a young couple who own a real estate company and restore old houses, often ones that are threatened with demolition. There’s a little Chip and Johanna wannabeism here, but they’re growing. Too much open plan and shiplap and coastal cottage for my taste, but they’re helping preserve some of the island’s previously overlooked older neighborhoods. My daughter who is the assistant director of Galveston’s planning department and the city’s historic preservation officer, works closely with them and is very happy with their work. The pilot was on HGTV, the series recently ran on DIY and is now back on HGTV. It’s fun to see people and places we know on a design show we can live with.
That sounds like a good show, Margaret, and I’m all for restoration of old house! I’ll have to check it out.
Oh…there’s so much inane conversation that goes on in some of those design shows, isn’t there? Home Town, and Good Bones are favorites of mine. Although the ladies of Good Bones basically just leave the structure, and design all new innards, sometimes that do leave some of the beautiful woodwork. It’s fun to watch, besides…I’m all in favor of Women Power. Sometimes you just have to turn the sound down Claudia….and watch the shows just to get ideas…lol! I am personally so tired of everything Gaines. I’ve had enough…and enough said.
Enjoy your sunshine…we’ve got rain. So what else is new? ;)
I don’t really need to get ideas, though, Donnamae! I have plenty of my own!
I’m over the Gaines, I agree!
i don’t know the shows you are talking about for not having cable tv (and am okay with that), but i agree with you about disliking the push for oversized homes, a cookie-cutter style, stainless steel appliances, etc. “n+j” and “home town” sound good … but who could get rid of a stove like stella?!?
i am a renter (and am not okay with that … wish i was a home owner so i could paint walls the colors i want, have my own washer and dryer, etc.). i am used to making do with what is available/what i have and focusing on the positives (many thanks to my parents for that!). when i worked in a very dinky town post-graduation, my two cats and i lived briefly in a place that had paneling on every single wall (so it was very dark and creepy) until a brighter, paneling-free place became available … but that second place had shag carpeting everywhere … including the kitchen and bathroom … YUCK! (obviously there were very few rental options in that tiny town). it was hard for me to see the positives there … another reason that i am grateful to live where i do now, especially for being close to my family! :)
anyway, thanks for listening … and for more beautiful photos of your beautiful flowers! might have to pick up a bunch before i head home tonight. :)
hope everyone has a great day!
kathy in iowa
I’ve had some not-so-great rentals myself! Though the paneling sounds dreadful and reminds me of the big craze in using paneling in the seventies. Thanks, Kathy!
We are suppose to have rain today. The clematis are beautiful. Like I said before I think of ballerinas dancing. IMHO I think stainless steel is sterile and uninviting. I am a traditionalist at heart I think. I would rather have white appliances in my kitchen. I would love to have one of those white kitchen sinks that was in our house growing up. I am still reading Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear. I learned something about Shirley Jackson. I knew she wrote “The Haunting or The Haunting of Hill House”. I barely remember a TV movie called “The Lottery”. It is based on one of her short stories. And there is another book by her called “We Have Always lived in a Castle.” Set in Vermont, I think. I have not read any of her books but I have seen the movie The Haunting (1963) with Julie Harris. Even now still scares me. I took big rabbit trail.
I would love to have one of those old sinks myself!
I read The Lottery in high school. It’s very powerful and unsettling!
The two shows you mention are also my favorites. N & J are so special and I love how much they care. I cried when they named their son Oskar after Nate’s love who lost his life in a tsunami. I was so glad when he found love again with Jeremiah and now this sweet family. Home Town is a good show since they are more real then most of the design/fixer upper teams. Laurel, MS is a cute little town (yes I’ve been there and have a blog friend there). She says they are the real deal and I hope they stay that way. It drives me crazy how everyone thinks they have to have the latest and best of EVERYTHING instead of making do and reusing. This world is becoming one big junk yard. (Stepping off my soap box now). Hugs!
Oh I know – naming him Oskar was so moving! They are both good human beings.
I wanted to slip on over to Laurel when we were in New Orleans, but there really wasn’t any time!
I’ve tried to find Home Town but it’s never on when I’m searching. Don’t know the N&J but I’ll look for it. I often wonder, where is the personality in the Fixer Upper homes. It’s Joanna’s, not the people’s, I think. And do the people get to keep the furniture if they want it? Doesn’t matter — I used to like something I can’t recall the title of but they had a $500 budget (now that would probably be more!) and basically they worked with what you had. They painted, rearranged, and then might buy a few things if needed but basically, it was real and it made sense to those of us without a mega-budget to rip out walls.
Right now all I want in home dec is to get out of my moldy musty basement so I can finally call a contractor to come demold it. I have NO idea what I’ll do with the stuff that’s there while they do…
Do you have cable and do you have On Demand on your cable? You can find Home Town and N & J On Demand under HGTV and TLC.
For the most part, they are offered the furniture but have to buy it.
I hope your basebment problem is solved very soon, Jeanie.
Fixer Upper is shown over here but none of the others you mentioned which is a shame. What I do like is seeing American houses built in the early part of the 20th century with the wonderful fireplaces and low built in book cases. Unless you’re living in a stately home, houses in the UK tend to be much smaller. When I began watching Fixer Upper, I used to think how big is Waco, how many houses are there for sale and how reasonably priced they are, and lastly what is Shiplap – I had to Google it! I agree Joanna’s designs were very much the same.
My own house was built in the early 1970s and has zero character but it’s in a nice setting with a lovely views.
Happy Tuesday
A nice setting is a very good thing, Dee Dee!
I used to watch HGTV shows, but I rarely do now. The only exception is Flea Market Flip, but even that drives me crazy when someone paints a perfectly good stained wooden piece or takes a beautiful desk apart just to use the drawers. And what is it with bar carts???? In one episode, a nice desk wasn’t selling, so the host suggested it be restaged as a bar cart, and it sold! Oh well, all my problem and I have to stay away from any TV that makes me yell at it… hahaha! So much cooler today, in the high 70’s. I’m glad I was inside when it hit 100 two days ago….definitely unusual for the Bay Area. I believe this heat wave is breaking records.
I don’t get the bar cart thing, but I’m betting it has to do with the recent popularity of Mad Men.
I don’t drink, and neither does Don, so we don’t need any of that!
We don’t have cable anymore, so no HGTV for me. We do have Hulu,so can get some older HGTV shows, but it’s mostly House Hunters and I don’t like that show. I hear ya on Chip and Joanna – I like them, they seem like a nice couple, but their design concepts are all the same. I was at the point where I was going to vomit if she mentioned shiplap one more time, lol.
We’ve had no choice but to hire contractors in this house (our first time doing so) as we’ve lived here over 29 years and there’s things that have fallen apart or were never completed in the first place (i.e., fireplace was just a box in the wall). Neither one of us has any talent for DIY.
Sometimes you absolutely have to hire contractors. I’m sure we’ll probably have to someday, but I’m hoping we don’t.
Yes. I never want to hear shiplap again!
Your approach to decorating is not only more natural (and allowing to add at our pace as i am) but also bringing many possibilities for personal unique creativity to come through!
And in terms of finally getting around to adding to your nature sightings story. My son and i saw a duck and her ducklings making her way across the street and through a construction site next to my building when a crow snatched a duckling from the little family and distressed mother duck. we felt so alarmed and my son was calling to inform workers) but luckily a worker had seen and dove into the bush after the crow and grabbed the duckling and then (they messaged equipment to watch for the family) returned it to the family which was on the other end of the site by then. Apparently the crow had also blinded a pigeon on the street.
All the best to you!!! Your flower images offer such beautiful moments!
Oh my god! That poor duckling! Thanks goodness the worker went after that crow! Crows are smart, but they can be very brutal to other birds.
Yes,it was kind of shocking to see it all go down.
xo
I agree about the “major improvements” that seem essential to some people but seem so unnecessary to me. When people smash granite countertops because they don’t like the color I could scream! There used to be a show that had a really interesting segment where two designers would just re-arrange a client’s furniture and “shop” their basement and attic. No cost, no painting, no new purchases. Such a good idea.
That’s a great idea. More of that kind of concept would be welcome, Terri.
Couldn’t agree more about “Fixer Upper”. Every home Joanna designs looks the same – the way SHE wants it to look. I wonder how many clients actually end up buying all the stuff she chooses? I’d love some media to followup with clients 6 months or a year later to see how different these homes look from Joanna’s original designs. My guess is that the differences are significant in most cases. Bottom line to me – a good designer should be able to translate the clients’ ideas into furniture, accessories, decorative elements etc. It shouldn’t be the other way around. But it doesn’t seem like ANY of the designers that have had shows on HGTV are capable of that. Are there ANY that can? I don’t know. I know that I might want some help with colors etc if I ever had an entire home to plan, but I seriously doubt I’d ever hire a designer to do everything. I want the fun of that myself. In large part I know what I like and how I want my home to look. And I definitely DON’T want it filled with things that were selected by someone else. But evidently there are people out there who do. Oh well, that’s their choice I guess. Not my problem, but it does seem like “cheating” in some weird way to me. If someone else chooses all the things in your home, is it YOUR home? All you’re doing is paying the bills when a designer selects everything. I found out recently that there’s now a “Magnolia” magazine too. Well, I guess the Gaineses are making the most of their “moment in the sun” – trying to make as much $$ as possible while they can. I don’t have a lot of respect for that either, but hey, a lot of people do that too. New magazines these days seem like a very risky business. Even the old classics are dropping like flies, so I don’t expect “Magnolia” magazine to be around very long. Joanna is not Oprah, after all. Oh well. End of cranky rant. Hope you’re enjoying the excellent Spring weather! Peace. 🌷
#Resist
#ImpeachTrumpNow
Yes, the designer (Erin) on Home Town does that. But they’re the exception.
I could and would never use a designer. I don’t want someone else’s input. For better or worse, I only want our input. It’s our home.
The latest with the Gaines is that the DIY network is bringing them in – what I’ve read is that it will basically be the “Gaines network.” Luckily we don’t get that station in our cable package, so I won’t have to scream at the tv.
They also have a line of furniture, of rugs, and their line at Target (which I personally find boring.)
I always enjoy your take on things. Home Town is my favourtie; makes me want to live in a small southern town.
S
xo
Me too, though not necessarily in Mississippi!
I couldn’t agree more about Fixer Upper. Although I think Chip and Joanna are really nice people , I’ve always said she’s a one trick pony in the design arena. Over the last few years I’ve watched HGTV less and less for the very same reasons you stated.
Sadly, I think many of us have stopped watching it. I guess they don’t care – we’re clearly not their target audience.
I don’t watch many of the ‘home’ shows on TV anymore, nor am I subscribing to some of the shelter mags which had always been on my table; I agree we maybe get a little burned out and then, true, it’s something about never being good enough or having enough and I, like you, can’t do much more for the house I’m in due to limiting finances at this age, so I think the years of all this sort of idea/inspiration thing are over for me now except that I do sometimes watch the Maine Cabin Masters (the young folks who restore all those amazing summer ‘camps’) and I very occasionally will get mesmerized by someone doing a tiny house with a lot of bells and whistles. In a perfect dream, I’d love to build a tiny house in my backyard as a little quiet-space getaway. My husband just got thru with a freelance gig out of state where he stayed with some people who have add-ons to their home where husband and wife each have their own large ‘playroom’ (both are artists/crafters) so we’re now, husband and myself, having a bit of wistful green-envy over the luxury of extra space (which we will never have in this small house we’re in for the long haul).
Never heard of your Mr. Coggins so, as what usually happens here on MHC, I get to exploring about it, so thanks for helping open up my world. Some good online articles about him; he seems to be a Wisconsin/Minnesota guy. Now, I want to go buy all of his books, or else find something at the library! Some of his books are available on Amazon but ‘new’ is pricey. I want to see his illustrations. And I haven’t been to Paris in ‘forever’ but I never tire of reading about it, or watching travel shows on TV about anywhere in France (thankfully, there are several, especially on PBS) although, of course, I’d rather be going there myself! (Please find a way to go back, Claudia! It would make you happy. And I’d love to be able to see your photos and read you here because your descriptions and feel for a place are so spot-on. Go while you still can. Paris is just meant for you and Don.)
A hello from HOT SoCalif here on the coast; we’ve been 90 degrees (F) for three days and I am SO over it. Humid swamp. It better end soon! Oh, if you could see those purple jacarandas, Claudia! The blessed rain we got in the months back, plus…now…the heat, which jacs love, is causing an abundance of purple blooms on the trees I haven’t seen in YEARS. They are SO beautiful. And my husband was on yet another freelance job in central California on Tuesday where the wildflowers in the high desert are STILL blooming (whereas all too often, that sort of flowering is gone by the end of April). Just never know what a weather-year will bring and how nature will respond, right?!!
I’m fascinated by tiny houses. Couldn’t live in one, but I sure could get into having my own little space. I know Don could, too.
Oh, I miss those beautiful Jacarandas! Thanks, Vicki.
Claudia also likes these home refurbishment programs, but what I do not like is when they mostly break kitchen cabinets, a good painting would be almost enough, I do not like to see so much waste.
I agree, Edis! Thank you.
When we bought the co-op 30 years that we just sold, it had what had been high-end appliances from the 60s. Coppertone double gas oven with rotisserie and matching dishwasher. I brought in a plumber to check the safety of both and asked him whether I should replace them. He said they still were in excellent condition and no one made sturdy appliances like that anymore. I took apart the oven and scrub every bit of it and it was gleaming. I refuse to replace them with the newest fad, ivory, white, black, stainless, slate, etc. as I could get rid of something that still worked in the name of “style.” I removed years of decayed linoleum on the floors to reveal beautiful wood floors that I sanded and polished to a brilliant sheen and then protected with marine spar. Noble stripped the maple cabinets and we painted in a soft cream. Why rip out real wood and replace with MBF. I had no knobs until I found a sale on the ones I wanted. The formica was all cracked so we replaced with large adobe floor tiles which worked beautifully with the coppertone appliances. We kept the beautiful white porcelain cast iron sink and installed copper faucets. We worked with what we had already that still was intact. When we went to sell, the real estate agent wanted us to replace everything with stainless steel appliances, cement floor and granite countertops. I declined saying, we’d fix anything nonworkable but those other things were style decisions best left to the new buyers. We had friends who spent $50,000 redoing their kitchen prior to putting their co-op on the market only to have the buyers rip everything out. What a waste! When we replaced the laminate flooring in our country home with more appropriate wood floors for a basement prone to flooding before installing an indoor french drain, Noble and I carefully removed the old flooring that was still good but not for a basement and then we put it on the side of the road with a sign saying, FREE! Ten minutes later a Mercedes pulled up and loaded every plank! I hate waste and like you, cringe when things that are still perfectly good being ripped out! Stella would be proud of your “rescuing” her. She still has miles to go.
When and if we ever sell, it will be as is. Take it or leave it! We don’t have the money to do any of that! Thanks, Tina.