Last year really beat me up. I still haven’t recovered. The work is a huge slog. We’re writing at about half the usual pace. I’m really tired creatively and have to take frequent breaks. It’s a terrible thing, because normally my brain processes things and chews through the next scene of the book while I knit or wash dishes, going about my day, so when I sit down before the computer, I already know where I’m going. Now there are days when I don’t think about the book at all. And I seem to have lost my ability to tolerate sharp turns in my entertainment.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the beautiful sparkle of Bridgertons and no force – hehe – in this Galaxy or any other could’ve kept me from Mandalorian. The extent of my Star Wars geekery can’t be overestimated. I love Star Wars, especially the Galactic Republic/Sith Empire in post Great Hyperspace War. But aside from Mandalorian, I can’t seem to handle any stress. Yet I still want to veg out in front of TV with my knitting and I can only take so much of Gordon’s True Crime kick. Joe Kenda has a new show on Discovery+ about other American detectives. We are watching it. My, my.
Enter the renovation shows. Guaranteed to be uplifting and low stress. Below are my three current favorites.
Dream Home Makeover
Dream Home Makeover features Shea and Syd McGee of Studio McGee and is available on Netflix. Shea and Syd are located in Utah. They have two lovely children and they seem like a very nice family. They met in college and worked typical white collar jobs, until Shea decided to start a design firm from scratch in 2013. In 2014 Syd quit his marketing job and joined her. They worked very hard and now they are a well-earned success story. Now they have 80 employees.
This is a show you watch to see how the other half lives. The price tags are high. Even a minor remodel runs around 150K. The anchor points of the show are million dollar homes with basically unlimited design budgets. While the designs are pretty, it’s not that difficult to furnish a beautiful house when you have no financial limit.
From the design point of view, Shea is a California version of Joanna Gates. No matter what Joanna Gaines gets, she turns it into a white farm house with open shelving and shiplap. One time she announced at the start of the episode that she would be renovating a mid century modern. Midcentury modern is known for its use rich earth-tones like browns and oranges with pops of brighter color here and there. I was like, “Okay, let’s see it.” You can see it, here. Spoiler: it’s a white house with open shelving. Okay, she did keep some woodwork and she did put a bright blue sofa into it, so I am probably being too harsh.
Like Joanna, Shea turns everything white. It’s that gleaming I-have-money version of white: white marble, white walls, white overpriced furniture.
This house pretty much exemplifies the show. Her houses are the gold standard of the current affluent design trends. I saw a house just like this one in Austin not too long ago, and when we sold our house north of Austin, we had done exactly what she does. We painted everything white. That house gleamed from top to bottom and it sold in two hours. A lot of this is driven by the clientele. Clients want standard finishes. At some point in another episode, Shea made a brave decision to use a white tile with slightly uneven edges vs the usual white tile and had to convince her client to trust her.
To be fair, Shea is completely self aware. She says things like “A pop of color. Oh, I hate that so much.” Syd kids her about her white obsession at least once per episode. And her gleaming palaces do feel light and bright. I don’t know how they would wear long term – that much white would show a lot of dirt – but people who live in those houses probably have robust maid service. š
It’s a fun show to watch, but I reccomend watching one episode of that and then something else, because houses begin to blend.
Restoring Galveston
And now we are going to make a 180 turn to Texas, where Ashley and Michael Cordray are renovating ruins on Galveston Island. The show is presented by Diy and is available on Discovery+ and Amazon, although it’s not prime so on Amazon you have to pay per episode. Have I mentioned how much I love Discovery+?
Galveston is a barrier island that lies south of Houston and is a premier destination for the Texas beachgoers, despite gray water and muddy looking sand. It’s a fun place. Kid 2 went there with her boyfriend for a weekend one time, and they rode horses on the beach, and went jet skiing, and had an awesome time.
While McGees are working with million dollar homes, Cordrays are working with this.
Galveston is historic, meaning it’s full of old houses with nifty architectural details that are barely standing. I would bulldoze down 2/3 of what’s on that show. Sometimes they buy houses for 30K and then they restore them into these adorable beach places. The couple tries to replicate original features like built-ins and staircases while still making the houses livable and modern. And then they sell them on the open market.
If you ever wanted to know what Texans are like, this is the show. They love their town, they watch their budget, the go to the beach, they have dogs, and they have zero fear about crawling under a teetering two hundred year old house to fix the plumbing. Also, their foreman owns an adorable Chihuahua names Frankie.
Very fun show. You can see some short clips of it here.
Home Town
If you know where the quote “My colors are blush and bashful” comes from, this is the show for you. It’s set in Laurel, Mississippi, a small Southern town, and it is as sweet tea southern as it can get. You can watch it on HGTV, also available on Discovery +. I think the first season might be on Hulu.
The show features Ben and Erin Napier, who are trying to revive the historic district of their small town. They pretty much succeeded at this point. The show is a huge hit, so they have done for Laurel what Gaines’ (Gaineses?) done for Waco. To some extent. Waco is still the armpit of Texas. Fight me.
Unlike the previous show, each of the houses on the show is owned by someone and the Napiers renovate with specific clients in mind. Ben does a lot of construction and woodworking. He has a woodworking shop with hilarious signs in it like, “Measure once, cuss twice.” Erin is the main force behind the actual design. Erin is extremely flexible. If the client wants bright colors, they get bright colors. If they want white and grey, they get white and grey. If the client wants a kitchen and they have only a little money to spend, they get butcherblock counter tops. If they have more money to spend, they might get quartz or granite.
The prices are low. Some houses are so old, that they can be bought for about $50K. Click here and look at the Feathered Friend video. Hehe. Renovation budgets rarely exceed $200,000, and most are less than that. Floors are restored. Walls are recycled. Furniture is often custom made by Ben. They are very careful with people’s money. This video pretty standard for the show.
They seem like very nice people, too. There is a lot of humor in the show. On the latest episode I watched, Ben got a cowboy hat somewhere and it became the running joke through the episode. He was making bad cowboy puns and Erin laughed at them.
This is probably my favorite renovation show right now. It’s warm and uplifting, but it doesn’t attempt to exalt their hosts or their lifestyle. The Napiers don’t try to hold their family up as a standard to imitate. They just want to help their neighbors find a good affordable place to live.
And that’s my guilty pleasure. š What’s yours?
You could not be more right. Waco is absolutely the armpit of Texas.
I’ve always loved DIY shows and right now I’m watching Sell This House and Find and Design. Sell this House get’s me going to declutter and then Find and Design helps me find thrifty items, shows me how to fix them up and use them. Between those and my PBS channel I’m doing ok. I was watching Mr. Christmas (netflix) decorate people’s houses for the holidays and that was fun. I might need to check out Discovery+.
A thought about hard copy/ebook publication. As a librarian I am much more successful āsellingā a new author to a patron if I have a hard copy to offer them. With your books I do have the Kate Daniels books but I would have liked to be able to offer certain people the Innkeeper series. We do āloanā ebooks but itās a work in progress. For myself, I buy the ebooks, even when hard copy is available. It does seem a little excessive when publishers of other authors ask $15 for an ebook. Certainly not your only or even most important consideration, but one factor in reaching new readers.
I’ve been watching Guy’s Grocery Games for my stress relief. He seems so nice, even when he’s giving out difficult challenges and everyone always seems to be having fun as they’re trying to pull of the impossible. Plus, awesome looking food.
British competition cooking shows like The Great British Baking Show. The contestants are so polite and helpful to each other, unlike American cooking competitions where they seem to sabotage each other.
Otherwise, love me some Mel Brooks movies. Blazing Saddles (it’s making fun of racism and making a point), and Youg Frankenstein are always good for laughs.
I have been living a reno for the last year. Trying to find materials during Covid has been a real joy. Everything is slow, but I’ve decided that is okay, it means I can work slowly! I haven’t watched a reno show for years as there budgets ate always ridiculous. This is my 6th house to fix (and hopefully my last). It is over 150 years old on river front, an old sea captain type place. We have had to build bases for the book cases as the floors are so uneven, but it has character! Still waiting for the second floor gutters that were supposed to be done in October (when we called we were 35th on the list still), so we can repair the sills the water has rotted. My most fun reno to date!
My guilty pleasure is rereading my favorite book series. Iām just on the last of your hidden legacy, Emerald blaze. First time itās yay the books here, second time itās I might have missed something. Third , four… itās just because š
My daughter introduced me to your books and the books are hers! Lol. So when she sees me rereading them it bothers her for a few things. Iām breaking the spine, the books are not pristine and are starting to look used. ā these books are mine you knowā
There are lots of books out there but so many are too dark, too much for the set scenes, not an interesting plot.Good books that suit me are so hard to find.
Guilty (or maybe not so guilty) pleasures include: the home-buying shows (House Hunter International, Home in a Hurry) and re-runs of Death in Paradise (thank you Brit Box)
Wow. It appears that I’m the only one who doesn’t watch TV obsessively.
My guilty pleasure is books from Kindle Unlimited from authors who make me laugh. TV off, Kindle on, cat beside me trying to get me to pet her, times are tough, right? Books take me to another world without me moving myself an inch. I once watched one home renovation show and didn’t even stick with it until it was over because it ticked me off that they basically gutted the house and rebuilt it inside the old walls. I grew up in a house built in 1899, so hey, I know old houses. Most of them were built to stand for a century, then renovated to include things like electrical power and a furnace to heat radiators. Ours had a firewall between the kitchen and the rest of the house in case the wood-burning stove caused a fire. The walls were actual plaster. I hate what “decorators” do to houses. Homes grow organically, to suit those who live there.
Ilona, everybody feels the way you do about working right now. This, too, shall pass. I hope you feel better soon. Our lives are all “on hold” waiting for this pandemic to end, and it doesn’t want to end, no matter how much we wish it would. So we end up sitting around, unable to move forward, and we wait. I wish you well.
I’ve always hated fixer upper for various reasons but Hometown is wonderful! The NY version of Say Yes to the Dress is good veg out tv too if you like to see pretty clothes, and of course the Great British Bake Off. GBBO’s Nadiya has a baking show coming to netflix this month. I’ve been enjoying the documentaries on disney plus about disney, like Imagineers and Waking Sleeping Beauty too. I miss the crafting shows they used to have on hgtv.
I share your addiction and your choices. I LOVE Home Town and Restoring Galveston. I am tired of the Gaineses! Chip just gets on my nerves something fierce. I just want to yell, “GROW UP!”I would add to your list Good Bones. If you haven’t watched it you would enjoy it I think. I really like the relationship between the mother and daughter. It is totally wrong how much time I spend watching remodeling shows. I even watch the same remodelings over and over! Addicted anyone? SIGH!
My guilty pleasure is your blog. I set it up at the beginning of my work day and read it as a reward when I’ve hit some goals. I’m slogging through some ghostwriting contracts right now and your blog posts are always a bright spot!
oh, my other guilty pleasure is watching Murder, She Wrote with my kids while I quilt.
I love quilting the same way I love cats–I wonder the whole time why I love it. It’s just cutting fabric apart and stitching it back together, a lot, but it’s delightful. I mean, it’s colors you can feel, it doesn’t get better.
It’s amazing how well the show has held up, especially compared to some shows from the 90’s or 00’s. Jessica is a real badass in pearls! Even my 9yo and my 13yo son love it. It’s a real departure from our usual stuff. We do all the Stars stuff. You know. Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate.
I LOVE Home Town! Looking forward to checking out your other recommendations! š
For the renovation shows, I’ve been watching Home town and Property Brothers-Forever Home. The Cooking/Baking shows are The Kitchen, Supermarket Stakeout, and Chopped. I don’t have Disney+ so no Mandalorian or Wanda Vison for me.
I also like Rehab Addict, (she gave really good tips on restoration) and Good Bones. Wednesday night is KQED for Nova and Nature. I watch Good Eats and British Baking Show when I can catch them.
Online I watch Eons, Tasting History, Binging with Babish, and Jacques Pepin.
You should check out a couple families on Youtube. One is DIYfferent. A husband and wife team moved to Michigan and practically rebuilt a double wide. It is unrecognizable, and they do all the work themselves. The other is Red Poppy Ranch. This is another family, and the dad, Heath, has built the house and shop all by himself. Everything. Both of these families post videos of all the steps, so you can really get into everything they go through as they get their homes together.
I just separated from my husband and I needed to buy new furniture. Thanks designers like the McGees I was obsessed with getting a white couch. Fortunately I am a ‘pop of color’ person so I added in a lot of neutrals and shades of blue-green to the rest of the space. Looks good and everything but the couch is lifestyle friendly.
I keep it under 2 layers of blankets to keep it safe. I have 4 cats. So I really only enjoy it when I have guests over.
Still, I got it out of my system.
I’m traveling via YouTube. I watch sunsets and sunrises in Santa Monica, Alaska, Croatia and Thailand (among others). I watch a cat rescue in Defiance, Ohio and another in Turkey. Taking a tram up the Matterhorn was amazing. I’ve learned about king tides and sneaker waves in Oregon. My kitties stalk exotic birds on a feeder in South Africa.
There’s so much world to see, and I’m using the pandemic to view places I never thought of. Making a list and hoping for better days.
I love Restoring Galveston. We live just off the Island, seeing these beautiful old homes restored makes me happy. My true addiction is Dr Jeff, Colorado Veterinarian extraordinaire. Him and his wife save, neuter and love animals.
I really liked watching Stone House Revival. Maybe because I live in Australia and we donāt really have regular houses that are that old. I also love seeing the old stone houses in the snow!
You should watch The Great Pottery Throw Down (UK Show). Itās great, this week the potters made busts of musicians, I donāt know if youāve seen The Great British Bake Off episode where they make them from cake, but the outcomes are equally hilarious.
Warning: this show will make you want to buy a pottery wheel.
Renovation Nation on youtube. They restore century homes in the original style. I also love thrifting and antiquing shows and if you can combine both – oo la la c’est manufique! Curiosity Inc. is a favourite, he’s an antique dealer who sometimes buys hoards and then sells the treasures and renovates the house – The Potter’s House, The Musician’s House. I’ve really bonded with youtube since the pandemic!
Oh I almost forgot! Bentley House Miniatures – She just finished building a scale model of the Adams Family House – amazing and fun -it took years and now she just started Beetlejuice! incredibly creative and funny????
Hi,
I didn’t realise you can’t be emailed any longer, but that makes sense. Too much accessibility is never a good thing for peace of mind š I thought you might want to check out this really well written, seriously hilarious blog by a woman about renovating her Victorian house with her husband.
This is my favourite post and a good one to get a glimpse of her (affectionate) crazy – https://victoriaelizabethbarnes.com/huge-victorian-antique-mirror/
Her blog is my second favourite ever (after yours).
I hope it brings you some much needed joy š
I love this post so much!
I adore home reno shows and completely agree with all points made.
Thanks for the smile today!
I love any show with the following format: Something Creative (eg. Cooking, pottery, making clothes, flower compositions, make up – I’m not particular ha) + A competition element + Everyone doing something different with the same brief. Gah! I love it. I’m fully addicted
Not sure if anyone has said already, but I reckon you’d love Grand Designs! So good
British cooking shows. Jamie Oliver, Nadiya, Great British Bake Off… ????
But I draw the line at Nigella. Tried, but can’t take that much sacharine…
I donāt mind white on white, or pink. But…I find that the Property Brothers Forever Home shows are all cookie cutter open spaces, too many neutral colors, and always white tile. Joanna Gaines has great taste, but the same, too often there is little difference in her design schemes. As much as I find the Gaines entertaining, show me something new please. Thatās why Home Town is my favorite renovation show. I like Erin and Ben, and the scenes where they hang with their friends and family. I love seeing how they work within a tight budget, an go with the homeowners ideas and needs. The way they restore and reuse. I also like Escape to the Chateau for the scenery as much as the restoration. Between the renovation shows and Masked Singer I have been able to escape boredom an ennui. Oh, and NFL football. Go Broncos!!
Was big Fixer Upper fan but do agree everything does turn into Texas Farmhouse.
When I had DIY really liked the restoring Galveston as they couple was trying to keep the character of the old home. Also Maine Cabin Builders very much building on a small budget.
Luv Good Bones, partly for the mother/daughter relationship, partly it is nice to see another part of the country, and partly that the team really does try to keep the character of the old home.
HGTV did show a new show with Marcia from the Brady Bunch and they were doing something similar as afar as updating the home but keeping the character.
Home Town I really appreciate the passion Erin has for Laurel and how doing the show has helped transform the town. I don’t always like her grandma millennial style but totally appreciate her color palettes and her fabric sense combining very interesting patterns. Luv the show appreciation for the history of the homes, craftsmen, and refiguring antique pieces. I do like that they listen to their customers and that they respect a budget. Some of their transformations are remarkable the Nashville music producers cabin with the vulture nesting in the attic comes to mind.
Sometimes I feel like you are my long lost sister which is weird because I was raised in the South (Piedmont of NC) and you were raised in Russia. Maybe its our age, pretty sure its close. But I’m in the same place as you, a lot. Struggle with weight, struggle with motivation sometimes, struggle with emotion overall (up/down). Like you, I’m also pretty successful (psst not as successful – you’ve never heard of me). But I consider myself successful. Married 25+ years, kids ok, animals I love, job at a high level but I feel a lot of your blog personally.
Right now I am struggling to care about my job as well, I just changed jobs for a promotion and removing myself from a toxic environment…and still struggling to get up in the morning. I also can only handle HGTV, Food network and DIY network because its like I can’t add on any new emotions. Don’t give me more stress, worries or death. No more death. But let’s face it… 2020 was horrible, 2021 is like a bad hangover… we just want to stay in bed (for me read, you knit). Fight it and maybe 2022 we can travel again – aka escape!
I enjoy Home Town very much and just started Escape to the Chateau . It’s very soothing . I also enjoy cooking shows too especially the Great British Baking Show(Netflix, PBS) and right now I’m watching Kid’s Baking Championship . It makes me feel slightly inadequate because the kids are between 10-13 and can bake all sorts of things without using a recipe. (macrons, pate choux, layer cake). The only thing stressful is one kid gets sent home each week. Discovery+ will probably be added once I get paid this weekend. I’m also finishing up Star Trek Discovery season 2 and going to start 3 on CBS all access.
I love Home Town for all the reasons you mentioned.
Love renovation shows, besides Hometown and Restoring Galveston I like Maine Cabin Masters, Good Bones and sometimes fixer to fabulous.
I also sometimes like Barnwood Builders not because I have any interest in log cabins but because I like how they get along on the show. I also somewhat follow Oak Island. I probably would have quit watching but my Dad watches so it gives us something to talk about at times. The show I have been really into lately is Mysteries of the Abandoned.
I am looking forward to when the Magnolia channel comes to Direct TV
I am rewatching a well dubbed Russian show on Netflix called
Better than us, about a evolving sentient robot…
Great fun
I re watch( all the old episodes of Sherlock…
Ragnarok , on Netflix is great fun.
Old episodes of Grimm on Amazon Prime, more good fun
I like those and Maine Cabin masters, love Rehab Addict. But Ben and Erin are my favorites also.
I love Hometown. It is my favorite of the reno shows. There is a new one starting on HGTV Feb 18th based in Newfoundland Canada. I have seen only the commercials, but based on those, I can recommend that show. I know a number of Newbies and they are very down to earth.
They are called Newfies not Newbies. Sigh autocorrupt
Huh. I guess Iāll be getting discovery after all. Iāve been trying to ignore it, there is just SO many, and you have to pay for Each different service! But I like a lot of the shows theyāve been advertising for the Discovery channel.
And I LOVE Hometown! I watch it every week, I must have watched the reruns 100 times! (Ok, a Lot of times)
I love all of Liziqiās videos, she is one super woman. Iāve also recently gotten addicted to watching this Chinese home makeover show called Dream Home. Thereās this one architect they call the āmagician of spaceā and he specializes in renovating small spaces. His works are mind blowing. He can turn a room thatās about the size of an average bedroom into 3 floors with 2 separate bedrooms, 1 bathroom,a kitchen and living room. All without changing the outside structure of the building.
YES! Thank you! It’s like Dream Home Makeover only knows one style. It seemed very unimaginative and single minded to me and the homes don’t really have enough chsracter to me.
Don’t get me wrong. I love renovation shows. I currently watch “Escape to the Chateau”, a british show where an english couple (designer and engineer) buys a very old dusty french chateau. Almost everything is DIY and bought at the secondhand/charity shop.
I would also suggest Grand Designs on Netflix.
Dear Ilona, I hope you are well. I just wanted to let you know how much your work means to me. I really had a hard time last year bc… 2020 but I started watching and reading media where the predominant theme was grief bc … 2020… made me grieve and somehow exploring grief through nonfiction helped me. And so I can wait for your genius. I would even read your grocery list bc I know in a time when faith and belief in ourselves is low we need time. I see you and your genius and believe in you. So take your time bc we all need it and eventually you’ll be back! And that’s what I do. I keep repeating my affirmations and one day I will believe it!
i had no idea discovery + existed, and i think i need that in my life!! thank you! i like home renovation shows that are more down to earth, and home town sounds lovely.
and i’m totally sharing ‘measure once, cuss twice’ with my dad, who helps me with my own home improvement projects.
I love reno and home decorating shows, but I confine mine to Youtube. I watch the following regularly:
Kinwoven Design – Rebecca Robeson puts together some amazing stuff that turns a bleh house into a functional dream home. Most of her clients are high-end with monster budgets but the viewer with the much more modest budget comes away with some great ideas, and it’s just fun to watch the transformation.
Trent and Allie – These two were van lifers before COVID hit. They now own property in the mountains of Utah and are building their house from the ground up. Fascinating to watch because they’re living on the property in an RV while they build, and the challenges they’re facing as they live and work through a Utah winter in the mountains is interesting. Plus, they’re just lovely people to watch, and they post every Friday and Monday.
Eamon and Bec – Canadian couple and also prior van lifers. They bought a rundown cabin near a beautiful lake and are renovating everything themselves. Young, fun-loving couple who work really hard. I first started following them while they were still traveling in their van because Eamon is a hella-good vegan cook, and I was learning from more experienced cooks how to make good plant-based dishes.
I watch two others that are similar to the two above – Wild Wonderful Off Grid and Good Simple Living. They’ve all been interesting, informative, and inspirational for tackling things in our own home.
Restoration Home https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1991691/ Historic UK building are restored into family homes
I wasn’t a big fan of Home Town when it started, but they have won me over. FixerUpper was groundbreaking when it came out, because of the price point of the homes, but as you say it quickly became the same formula over and over. I am very interested in seeing what they do with their new show. Can’t get into the white on white thing from Studio McGee. Honestly, haven’t seen any show yet that really does it for me.
I’ve been watching Escape to the Country for my feel good fix. It’s a BBC house hunting show, lots of cute cottages and realistic in that most shows end without buying one of the properties shown.
I had actually stopped watching home restoration shows and now I’m addicted again. Restoring Galveston is perfect and now I’ve added a couple more.