Phew.. The all black and white theme would drive me nuts. And the wallpaper on the bedroom is headache inducing.. The bathroom and the second bedroom are nice though.

Laura
http://www.grafxnerd.net

These renovations look great, but in most of the pictures it is impossible to tell what was done because the photos are taken from completely different angles.

They actually "added" mirrored closet doors. Ummm, no wonder the series is bombing.

They are all awful.

love the show and love the rooms.

I often wonder what becomes of the inhabitants after they are left to live in a renovation slapped together in 5 days. Just because it looks suitable for five minutes of television viewing doesn't mean it's built to last.

This fixation on the speed of the effort is really not helpful or healthy.

Bathroom "before" looks so cool with the dotted shower certain. I'd get bored with the new look. Meh...

As much as I love black and white....I don't even like these.

RichardinLA--

I agree - and because of the short timeframes, the results are often poorly thought out and created with unsuitable materials: Just look at HGTV's "$250,000 Challenge" where all the families were forced to redo their kitchens with the exact same el-cheapo Home Depot white laminate prefab cabinets simply because they were the only thing that was in stock.

(And Home Depot was a sponsor)

I really dislike this show. The designs are almost always boringly generic, looks like they shopped at Kmart (and not well, either!), and things look shoddy and cheap and like they will date quickly. I agree with RichardinLA - I have yet to see a room I would like to live in, or would stand up to real life habitation. All the things I love about AT - focus on comfort and real life use combined with style to make a more deeply beautiful space - seem to be missing. The end product is soulless.

They often destroy much of the charm of the old houses' structure - covering up wood panelling that could be updated, etc. Besides which, the judges are SO ANNOYING. I dislike reality TV in general, but this is not a great example of the genre.

Did you guys have those makeover gardening shows? There were a rash of them in Oz for a while - Backyard Blitz etc. I'd love to see a show that goes back to those houses this many years later (5?) to see how much of that quickly laid grass and transplanted trees lasted.

Wow! Where do they find so many HOT looking designers? Only in Oz...

The receptionist at my husband's office owns one of the houses featured in an early episode.

She said that Channel 9 came back for months and put right all the corners that had been cut to fit into the time frame, and fix anything she didn't like. Yes, because they have five days they do pretty much staple the curtains up but everything was re-done properly to her specifications after the cameras left.

She's thrilled with the result.

I'm sorry it hasn't been a ratings smash - I was very much looking forward to a second series. In fact I was half-thinking of suggesting to my neighbour that we should apply to be on the next series. I don't want a beige bathroom, though, and I'm too attached to all my antique furniture to let them give me blah white fitted wardrobes.

For my money the show failed for three reasons:

1. The designers were cast because they were young and hot, not because they were exciting or innovative.

2. Like a lot of these renovation programs, it was centred on greed rather than good design. If any of the rooms had been decked out in chic thrift store finds rather than the latest foil-wrapped furniture and leather sectionals, the owners would have been furious. They wanted a bonanza of new free stuff to show off to their friends, not good design.

3. The tight time frames meant that virtually everything had to be mass-produced and off the peg. There was little time to create subtle bespoke pieces or anything individual.

The designs did get better over time, but they still seemed like bland interiors created by shallow people for home owners who really don't care about interior design. Not a good mix.

I think you're missing the point somewhat. It wasn't supposed to be a programme for people who could tell their Eames from their van der Rohe at 30 paces. There aren't enough of those people to warrant a prime-time slot on commercial television. That programme would be on at 3am on Tuesdays on SBS 2.

The owners, in general, were delighted with their leather sectionals and stuff and would undoubtedly be very pleased to show it off to their friends. That is, by definition, good design: delivering what makes the client happy.

Of course it was running to a tight time frame. It's not Grand Designs, with people having to underpin crumbling castles and restore English Heritage-mandated pig-hair plaster. It was successful within its constraints - deliver a season of competitive reality TV that appeals to a mass market.

Wow, bitterness much!

Granted I didn't like all the designs, however I did see some great ideas which I liked and am thinking of using in my home.

Also I'd like to know which K-mart because I'll shop there for sure. And I thought all the kitchens and bathrooms were professionally installed by specialist companies?

I also thinks it bit harsh to say all the designers were chosen because they were "young and hot, not because they were exciting or innovative" - if that was the case, then explain Annie (neither young nor hot - sorry Annie).

Took a while for me to warm to the show & format but I'd watch another series.

I absolutely loved this show - the finale is in only a couple of days. Can't wait!

I didn't know it hasn't rated well, everyone I know has been watching it. I hope it comes back for a second season.

One of the episodes that made the biggest impact on me was the one a couple of weeks ago where Chontelle (sp?) did a living room which was also a thoroughfare and it ended up looking more like a seated hallway. The importance of layout really hit home on that one.

Great show, entertaining but also educational.