The space was ugly before and just as ugly afterwards (do you watch tv though the eyes in the back of your head?).

Why is the new layout completely ignoring the fireplace. It looks so odd with that chair floating in the room.

yeah i really hate this.

I agree with Laura, it looks strange with the chair sitting in front of the fireplace, just floating there.

Plus, the seating is now at one end of the room and the TV is waaaaaaaay at the other end. No wonder some people feel they have to get a huge TV if they're putting it nowhere near where they'll be sitting.

i caught that episode and have to say that i wanted to smack the couple who were both designers. arrogant and annoying.

I am still looking for the "afters" ...

This is probably a not very transparent attempt from Laurie Hickson-Smith to get more people to look at her ugly designs.

tvs are ugly.
flat screen tvs on the wall are even worse. it isnt a painting!!
buy a projector if you need to stare at a fixed point all day.

eh. not so much. the first thing i noticed was the chair in the room.. it's just odd... i agree with everyone else.. fug.

I agree with you moxythunder.

sooo, where's the "after"? the room was plain and boring before and now it's plain, boring and scattered, (with too much crap on the wall above the couch). If I went on that show, (which I've always loved), and that was all I got out of it, I would be super disappointed.

For "Trading Spaces," I think that the results are unusually tasteful and retrained. At least there aren't any obvious, spray-painted macaroni crafts on the walls.

This is a PERFECT counter-example to all those who scream bloody murder during contests that "design professionals" have the upper hand in home design.

Apparently not.

i'm confused, i like the before in comparison. but i would start by burning that couch in that fireplace that should be the focal point.

the tv is just hanging out in an area where there isn't any seating. that makes no sense. and i also agree about the chair just floating in front of the fireplace.
i really don't like trading spaces. most of their designs are awful and they use completely crappy materials most of the time.

Palmettoo--

Only one chair has its back to the TV.

UHmmm...am I the only person who feels a little uncomfortable with pronouncements like "ugly" and "I hate it" when using two-dimensional images to evaluate A THREE-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN? If we extrapolate a 2D floor plan from these images, it's obvious that the "floating chair" only blocks the fireplace IN THE PHOTOS and functions as part of a conversational group-you would sit in one of the myriad other seats if you wanted to watch TV. Is this a new concept for you people? The couch and color scheme seem to actually relate to the home owners' personal tastes and not some television producer's demand for wasteful and arbitrary change in order to induce drama. The relative distance between sofa and television is practically unchanged, which should be obvious from the before and after pictures. I'm rather new to this blog thing-is it ALWAYS necessary dash off some flippant meaningless comment before thinking?

flippant meaninglessness or not, my first impression is that the lone chair looks ridiculous on its own out in the middle of the room. not my personal taste, but certainly better than a lot of trading spaces moments.

Here, here, christopherz!!!

The after isn't great, but I don't hate it. Of course, if that was my new room, I would rip everything apart and start from scratch.

But, I agree this is one of the better "afters" on Trading Spaces. I think this is an awful show and really don't understand 99% of what the supposed designers are trying to accomplish. I understand that there are budget constraints and differing tastes, but much of the show is just ridiculous. I just don't understand its popularity . . .

The afters have better lighting. Otherwise they look pretty much alike.

Saw this yesterday (4/29/08) and having looked at all of the pictures and angles, I have to think the lone chair and the rattaan ottoman are in deed kind of in front of the fireplace, to one end, mind you and it is indeed awkward.

The biggest mistake one can make is putting the couch and TV on opposite ends of the long plane of the room (assuming the room is rectangular, which it appears to be here.), hence the super large screen, but even if they didn't do that, most people still choose a TV that's too large for the space.

I like what they did do in terms of where the couch is, the mirrors look OK where they are and I do like the valence above the couch, but really, overall, I didn't see much of an improvement with the after shots outside of things look visually cleaner with the TV hung and not on a cart stuck in the corner, but the layout of the furniture needed better thought put into it however, like why leave the TV more or less where it was to begin with?

I'm not wild about it, and the furniture placement doesn't seem very functional based on the photos.