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25 Times The BBC Show ‘Changing Rooms’ Thought They Nailed Their Room Makeovers, But Now The Designs Look Dreadful
There are many ways to renew your room. A trip to Ikea or a call to your mom are the most popular options. Other times, a new furry carpet will do the job. Rarely will you need some assistance from the outside world, and in that case, dad and Home Depot may be the only option.
But you never, ever entrust your room’s makeover to your neighbor. Below, we’ve got a fair amount of evidence to back up this claim. If you've ever heard of the BBC show Changing Rooms from the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, and its American variation Trading Spaces, you’d know what it’s all about.
‘Cause swapping houses to redesign the room of the person next-door sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. From covering the floor in strips of silver tape to casually hanging birch trees from the ceiling, these are just a few examples of letting your neighbor think outside the box. And your room is the one getting the hit.
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#1
Room Where They Painted It All White
Designer's explanation: "We thought it would be interesting to see what an all-white and an all-black room would be like."
Owner's review: "I hate it. Get this mic off me."
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#2
"Touch Of Art" Bedroom
Designer's review: "It's quite a statement."
Owner's review: "Good grief."
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
The after picture is Tacky. Tacky. Tacky. Looks like the Caligula room in a brothel.
#3
Room Decorated With The Designer's Actual Face
Designer's explanation: "I wanted to throw in an element of fun."
Owner's review: "How................random."
The cult makeover show Changing Rooms is remembered for some of the most disastrous transformations ever seen onscreen. It ran from 1996 to 2004, and it surely gave viewers a lot of material to chuckle at throughout those years.
One of the participants, Caroline Hicks, who opened the door to her newly renewed living room twenty years ago, had only one thing on her mind: “I mustn’t swear, I mustn’t swear, I mustn’t swear.” These scandalous revelations were made after a speedy renovation process that took only two days.
The show’s presenter, Carol Smillie, recalled that when runners went from house to house, she would roll white paint over their jeans so that contestants wouldn’t get any clues as to what color their room was being painted. “There were a whole lot of us, 20 or more, that you didn’t see on screen,” she told The Guardian.
#4
Bathroom Decorated With More Than 6,000 Flowers
Designer's explanation: "All rooms look great with flowers."
Owner's review: "There's so many."
#5
The Designer Mentioned An "All-Black" Room. Here Is The "All-Black" Office In The Other Couple's House
Presenter's explanation: "I knew they would be up for a dramatic change. I'm very, very proud of this room."
Owner's reaction: "It's [friggin] amazing."
#6
"Very Strong Black And White Themed" Room
Designer's review: "I think it is very classy."
Owner's review: "Bloody hell."
With so many “unhappy” room owners, it may come as a surprise that there were many members of the public who wanted to take part in the show. “Most people’s rooms that they asked us to change were in such dire straits, even a bit of paint was a vast improvement,” the producer Smillie said.
In reality, only the very first participants wouldn’t suspect what the makeovers were all about, but since the program ran almost 10 years, most of the entrants really knew what they were getting themselves into.
On rare occasions, the participants were genuinely happy with their room makeovers. Aidan Ruff from Northumberland, in fact, loved his renovated bedroom since the family were looking “to get a room done on the cheap.” The Changing Rooms redesign got Aidan so excited that he even described the result as a “Mediterranean love nest.”
#7
This Room, Apparently Inspired By Safari Adventures
Designer's explanation: "It just all fits together."
Owner's reaction: [screams] (clarification: in excitement)
#8
This Room That Was Decorated With 1,800 Cds. That's Cds On Every Single Part Of The Walls
Owner's reaction: "Oh cool" [the child]. "Ohhhhhh my god" [the parent].
#9
"Funky Family" Room
Designer's review: "We have to see how it looks at the end."
Owner's review: "Oh no, it's horrible."
Mewton’s Third Paw 4 years ago
This could have been dope as f**k if they just painted that plywood. And got drapes that didn’t look cheap.
But one disastrous incident has surely stuck with us to this day. In 2000, Clodagh, a woman from London, appeared on show and asked the producers to be super careful with her precious teapot collection worth £6,000. But the hosts hung a suspended shelf to house her pots and the construction collapsed.
The Guardian stated that the insurers reimbursed Clodagh, but she never risked having another collection since she “couldn’t bear it to happen all over again.”
#10
"Out Of This World" Sexy Room
Designer's review: "This is a sensual, sexy room."
Owner's review: "I don't like the bed." "The colour is horrible."
#11
Playroom For A Baby, Decorated With Hay
Designer's explanation: "I really wanted to bring out the straw colour of the sofa as the whole room has been designed around the sofa."
Owner's reaction: "It smells great in here." [opens their eyes] "Oh god... oh [crap]."
Linus Nilsson 4 years ago
I remember reading about this one. It's the same designer that decorated a wall with her own face. If I remember correctly, the owners hated it and it costed the production company a fortune to get the straw of the walls
#12
"Romanto Panto"
Designer's review: "They needed somewhere to escape from their three children."
Owner's review: "What a change. Crikey."
#13
"Hot Purple Passion"
Designer's review: "It's very passionate."
Owner's review: "This is absolutely brilliant."
#14
"Tribute To All Things Circular" In Doncaster
Designer's review: "I absolutely love it. I like circles."
Owner's review: "Am I in the same room? This is amazing."
#15
Room That Was Decorated With Hanging Lamps
Designer's explanation: "I love the way that they are suspended because it brings the ceiling to the level of the bed and the floor."
Owner's reaction: "Look at it. It hangs."
#16
Room Where Metal Was Not The Answer
Owner's reaction: "..."
#17
The "Tenthouse Penthouse"
Designer's review: "They love being outside...so I went along with that."
Owner's review: "Not what I expected."
#18
"New York Gallery Sitting Room"
Designer's reaction: "It's very serene, isn't it?"
Owner's reaction: "There is nothing I would change. This is fabulous."
Ruth Mayfly 4 years ago
The materials look a bit basic, but the way the space is laid out is much improved.
#19
"Love Nest" Bedroom
Designer's review: "They like spending a lot of time in the bedroom."
Owner's review: "It is red, isn't it?"
#20
Room That Was Decorated With A Paintball Gun
Designer's explanation: "I wish the paintballs would have stayed, but in this heat."
Owner's review: "I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it."
#21
"Prisoners Of Love" Solitary Confinement Bedroom
Designer's explanation: "I wanted to do something really interesting."
Owner's reaction: "Hahahahahahaha... This is WILD."
Ruth Mayfly 4 years ago
Owner: "Welp, I thought we'd kept our bedroom activities discreet, but looks like I was wrong."
#22
"Art Gallery–inspired" Living Room
Designer's review: "It's Tate Modern mixed with '70s chic."
Owner's review: "Barbara, it's gorgeous." "Look at the wall."
#23
Tumbleweed
This western themed room is certainly not the best. The room appears to have shrunk down from its former size.
#24
Red Or Dead
At least the floor could double as a chessboard.
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
This has "where the backstreet boys phantom of the opera feast was filmed" vibes
#25
Kimono-Inspired Room Decorated With Actual Rust.
Designer's explanation: "These people needed some change."
Owner's reaction: "Look at the wall! Look at the WALL!"
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What do you think ?
Aunt Messy 4 years ago
Well, both the before and the after of every single room look like c**p on toast. What kind of "designer" does this?
RaroaRaroa 4 years ago
I want to know how long these lasted before they were changed again - and what they were changed to.
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Ivana 4 years ago
All of the makeovers always looked terrible and cheap. I never understood why anyone would agree to go on the show.
cybermerlin2000 4 years ago
They missed the one with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen where the room was called "A tarts boudoir" before the couple cried so much they had to cut the cameras and 'fix' the room at the BBC's expense. I can't seem to find it but the bedroom was decked out in purple and was really vile
Petra Schaap 4 years ago (edited)
i'm a bit surprised to read that the BBC has to pay for the ones that dont end well. Good for the homeowners, but ... what do you expect when you join a tv program like that?
Load More Replies...
Aunt Messy 4 years ago
Well, both the before and the after of every single room look like c**p on toast. What kind of "designer" does this?
RaroaRaroa 4 years ago
I want to know how long these lasted before they were changed again - and what they were changed to.
Load More Replies... Ivana 4 years ago
All of the makeovers always looked terrible and cheap. I never understood why anyone would agree to go on the show.
cybermerlin2000 4 years ago
They missed the one with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen where the room was called "A tarts boudoir" before the couple cried so much they had to cut the cameras and 'fix' the room at the BBC's expense. I can't seem to find it but the bedroom was decked out in purple and was really vile
Petra Schaap 4 years ago (edited)
i'm a bit surprised to read that the BBC has to pay for the ones that dont end well. Good for the homeowners, but ... what do you expect when you join a tv program like that?
Load More Replies...
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