5 Binge-able Shows for Design Lovers
With the air quality at all-time lows in the Bay Area, people are hunkering down indoors for the weekend. Keeping that in mind, we decided to put together a little list of totally binge-able shows (outside of the usual HGTV suspects) that we’re loving right now. So get comfortable, make yourself some popcorn and enjoy the inspo-tainment.
Trading Spaces Reboot
The OG design show Trading Spaces introduced us all to the DIY design movement in a pre-Pinterest era, for better or worse. It's the show that gifted us with design goddess Genevieve Gorder, and also the one that brought us Hildi’s polarizing projects, from the infamous “hay wall” to a bathroom covered in silk flowers. The new season brings back the original cast alongside a few new faces, and much like the original keeps the drama high with its mix of amazing transformations and... “eclectic” ones. The biggest takeaway from the series is that you can do a lot with a small budget and a healthy dose of creativity.
How to tune in: watch live on TLC or download the current season from Amazon.
Queer Eye
While not a show about interior design specifically, as Queer Eye takes on more of a full “lifestyle” makeover approach touching on everything from grooming and wardrobe to food, interior designer Bobby is one of our favorite reasons to watch. He makes each design work perfectly for his subject by marrying form and function effortlessly and imbuing the space with his unique aesthetic: masculine without relying on tropes that scream “man-cave.” One word of warning, even if you tune in for the design, there will likely be tears. The “fab five” just have that way about them.
How to tune in: catch this Netflix original show on, you guessed it, Netflix.
Making It
What do you get when you bring together your favorite Parks and Rec actors aka Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson, to host a DIY competition? Some seriously entertaining TV that goes light on the competition aspect and heavy on the entertainment and inspiration. There are no villains on this show; instead, you find yourself rooting for everyone and getting emotionally invested in all of their backstories at the same time. It’s no wonder Nick Offerman can’t bring himself to send anyone home, and each guest that is cut ends up “moving in” with them at the end of the episode. Also worth watching for, the seemingly endless supply of puns that the hosts lob back and forth through the show.
How to tune in: the show runs live on NBC and you can catch up on the recently finished season on Hulu.
Nate & Jeremiah By Design
While you’re probably already familiar with Nate Berkus: the designer who brought his signature sophisticated style to Target, making it affordable and accessible to the masses, you might be less familiar with his husband, the equally talented designer Jeremiah Brent. The show follows an all too familiar formula: hapless homeowners are desperately in need of assistance, and the designers swoop in with their crews to the rescue, culminating in the big reveal. What makes this version one worth tuning into is both the personalities of the hosts and the dynamic between them (proving that working with your spouse is challenging no matter who you are) alongside the fact that this talented duo produces some of the best examples of modern design we’ve seen on such a show.
How to tune in: watch live on TLC or download the seasons 1 and 2 from Amazon.
Master the Mess
If you’re a bit organizationally obsessed (guilty), you’ve probably heard of the Nashville based team the Home Edit, or at least seen their work all over Instagram and Pinterest. They’re responsible for making oft overlooked spaces like the pantry design-crush worthy and have made over spaces for celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow. Most recently they've launched a series on the Hello Sunshine channel where they show the good, the bad, and the ugly behind taking on our most cluttered spaces and turning them into a thing of beauty.
How to tune in: watch via on Direct TV, or standalone service Direct TV Now. There’s a one month free trial and the first two episodes are currently free over on Hello Sunshine.
