RSS
Home
Review: 'Dear Genevieve'
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
If you watched TLC's "Trading Spaces" back in its glory days, then you're familiar with designer Genevieve Gorder. Each of that show's popular designers had their own style and personality, and Gorder's was that of a talented, slighty goofball alt-chick. She sometimes didn't wear shoes, she had way too much fun and had a laugh that seemed to light up any room.
But more importantly, her design plans tended to be the most practical and enjoyable of the show's designers. She put together rooms that were meant to be lived in, and that's a quality that made her episodes fun to watch.
After leaving "Trading Spaces," she did two seasons of the very-underrated TLC series "Town Haul" (where she made over an entire small town over the course of the season). Since then, she's gotten married, had a daughter, launched a design firm and limited most of her TV appearances to the likes of "Oprah," "The Today Show" and "The View."
If you enjoyed Gorder on "Trading Spaces," you'll love her on "Dear Genevieve," her new HGTV series which has a sneak preview on Thursday, January 1st after the Rose Parade.
Like several of HGTV's other new shows, "Dear Genevieve" has a bit of audience interaction woven into the premise. Viewers are asked to email Gorder with their design problems, and she'll tackle some of the best ones on camera.
Each of the two episodes I've seen so far follow the same basic format. Gorder focuses on one central viewer project, but she also answers a few viewer questions throughout the show. The format is a good fit for her, since she's comfortable enough on camera to make what could be a clunky idea come off natural and easy-flowing.
While having a child may have changed Gorder's look a bit, on camera she's the same charming and passionate designer fans will remember from her TLC days. She always seems genuinely excited by the prospect of changing someone's lives with a new room, and that is still the case in her new show.
In the episode of "Dear Genevieve" that premieres on Thursday, Gorder tackles the Mancini kitchen, a horrific piece of 1980s design that includes doors about to fall away from their moorings and some of the ugliest floors you'll ever see. The final look transforms not just the kitchen, but several adjoining rooms as Gorder opens up the space and adds fabulous new wood flooring throughout.
If I have any qualms with the episode at all, it's that the final project is probably a bit more ambitious than you'll see in the average episode of the show. Changing three rooms is an expensive proposition, especially when a kitchen is involved.
For instance, the next episode features a living room makeover, and while the finished look is fabulous, it's more of a makeover than a structural engineering project.
Still, I really enjoyed "Dear Genevieve." I've long been a fan of hers, and if you've missed seeing her on TV every week, you'll be happy to know that Genevieve Gorder is back and better than ever.
A sneak peek of "Dear Genevieve" premieres on Thursday, January 1st on HGTV. The show officially premieres on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 8:30 pm ET/PT.
More About:
HGTV
Related Articles:
Comments
Adam Lambert visited the Jay Leno show Monday night and the two get into the hard hitting issues – like “plucking”. Jay and …
In recent years, the music charts in Britain around the holidays have been dominated with happy pop tunes, most often from a performer best known for …
