I enjoy watching TLC. There are shows on nutty families, medical marvels, and home improvement. The home improvement shows have taken on new meaning for me since I started writing for daltxrealestate.com.
Now, one of my favorite home improvement shows was Trading Spaces. For those who are not familiar with this show, two sets of neighbors redecorate a room in each other’s home with a budget of $1,000 and they have the assistance of an interior designer provided by the show.
When designer Hildi Santo-Tomas would be one of the designers, I knew I had to make some popcorn because watching what this woman was going to do was going to be a show all by itself.
I will never forget this one episode where Hildi painted the walls using a paintball gun. I called my husband over because he used to play paintball and he just started yelling at the television, “No, no, don’t do it. Are you crazy?” Hildi did not heed and she fired away.
This is no way to paint your walls. Turns out Hildi permanently pock-marked the sheetrock and since paintballs consist of more oil than paint, it was a huge mess and impossible to clean or paint over. My husband still has PTSD from that episode.
Between you, me, and the lighthouse, I think Hildi had a hand in the design of the home featured in this week’s column. The description says, “Designed by a Well-known Interior Designer.” It can only be Hildi.
This lovely six-bedroom, five-bathroom home is located at 954 Cliffside Ave, North Woodmere, New York. It has 7,800 square feet and the owners are asking $3.99 million.
So you say you want that industrial warehouse/slaughterhouse vibe with a dash of color? Done!
The entry with the highly polished and reflective cabinet absolutely screams out Hildi’s name.
Home Improvement Gone Wrong
I did promise you a dash of color. I like the exposed beams. It makes moving the sides of beef so much easier when you can just hang them up and slide them around the kitchen. The really sharp knives are kept in the cabinet by the front door.
When you are done cutting up and cooking all that beef, you can enjoy your meal here.
All the exposed duct work reminds me of the breakroom at the poultry plant where my Dad used to be a USDA inspector. Smoke ’em if you got ’em.
I wish I could say you can get some reprieve in the bathrooms but then I would be lying.
The description also says this home was “rebuilt from the ground up in 2010.”
Now the one thing the designer got right was not putting any curtains on the glass doors. Why would anyone be looking through those windows? If they did, they would only do so once.
I do not know about you, but I am in no rush to trade spaces with these folks. I have seen enough to know I have seen too much.
For more photos go here.
