Olde to HGTV

Once upon a time there was a lady that was pretty good with colors and making “pretty stuff” happen.   To support her habit, she became an HGTV junkie.  HGTV in the morning with coffee, HGTV in the afternoon with wine and HGTV in the evening with dinner.  Every day, all day HGTV was to her like cheap whiskey was to an alcoholic.  When she had to be away, there was TEVO.  That was worth the extra bucks for the additional cable features. 

What was said on HGTV was truth!  What was done on HGTV was fact!    Watching HGTV was living!  Then one day the lady realized it was the same thing over and over.  Very fast HGTV became watered down and boring.  The well respected hosts on those shows were clearly only after a look and not anything else.  Often, the look wasn’t even all that great.  The integrity of the shows began to crumble when she realized these shows can’t happen like they say they happen.  Things are not impromptu or as simple and easy as it appears.

As one grows into the love of design, something clicks.  HGTV is for the masses of those people who want to be entertained.  The sad thing is some people think it is the real deal just as some soap opera fans believe they are viewing a real life drama. 

There are a few shows that have some entertainment value but they still are not showing the full scope of the design and what it takes to get there.  It is television and only that.  Design takes planning, processing, sometimes permitting, and it definitely does not happen in a 24 hour period.  And another thing; do you think if you pulled up to your house after a couple of days away and saw large trucks, TV crews, cords everywhere connected to huge lights looking like a crime scene, you would curiously stroll into your house and be pleasantly surprised???  And who in their right mind would appreciate your neighbors taking over your house for the weekend just to decorate a room in which they repaint the beautiful mahogany cabinet you inherited from your grandmother?  Exactly!  It’s only entertainment.  Design is much more. 

Design is technical and is not always about the “pretty stuff”.  There are codes and laws that never come up on the TV series.  The technical aspects are the core of the design and actually the last part of the design is the aesthetic value.  It all has to come together in an incredible balance. 

So this lady has graduated from HGTV and moved on to graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Design.  Two things that couldn’t be farther apart.  Thanks HGTV for turning me off so I could eventually turn you off.