Black Designer on Trading Spaces
 

Yay!!! I am so excited that Trading Spaces has added a black designer to the crew. I am truly addicted to this show, so it's good to finally see some melanin representation. Her name is Kia Steave-Dickerson and here's her bio:

http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/tr...00x100_kia.jpg

Kia Steave-Dickerson
Philadelphia native Kia Steave-Dickerson has had an interest in design since she was a child. Working alongside her father at the local community theater, Kia learned the ins and outs of set design and went on to study textiles at the Philadelphia College of Textiles. Building on her successes with fabrics and window treatments, Kia has built her own business, K.I.A. Enterprises, Inc. With a design style that is consistent and simplistic, yet bold and creative, Kia has worked on numerous sets as a set designer and prop master for movies such as Signs, The Sixth Sense, Beloved and Men In Black, commercials for Betty Crocker and Chrysler and stage musicals such as CATS and Grease. A self-described chatter box and drama queen, Kia's favorite part of transforming rooms on Trading Spaces is coming up with a theme and then accessorizing the rooms.

Good! I hope this means that the red-head chick gets fired. She goes over budget EVERY time! I watched it this weekend, lemme tell yall... this heffa bought paint that ended up being the SAME EXACT color as the wall already was. If she hadn't done that, she coulda stayed under budget. Hopefully, this sista is taking her place! I'm excited about this, and look forward to seeing her designs. Do we know when she will debut on the show?

Are you talking about the pregnant one? I like her! I think she's a good designer. She uses a lot of fabric and they're always so pretty.

Anywho, I think the black women will be replaces her because she's taking off to have her baby.

It's about time.....
 

Re: It's about time.....
 

You need to see some Vern Yip creations. His rooms are always ALWAYS excellent...

I can't wait to see what kind of designer Kia Steave-Dickerson is. Hopefully she will be more like Vern and Genevive and not like Laurie, Frank, or Doug (did you see what he did to that fraternities room??? :eek: :eek: ).

Re: Re: It's about time.....
 

I thought I was the only one that was like WTF?:confused: :eek:

I love Vern's creations! Every one of them has been exquizit :p

Good we finally got a sista on the show. I haven't seen her work but I hope she's good. We'll have a new twist of ideas on the show.

I'm not always into Vern's Designs, sometimes his fire, glass, and water themes become too redundant. Every once in a while he surprises me with a nice design.

Genieve- sometimes she's ok but when she put that moss on the walls I was toooooooooo through.

Doug- I hate his designs almost everytime and he gets mad when people don't go along with his logic.

Laurie-I think she does good work most of the time.

Hildie- She's a hit and miss....she kills me with the black high heeled sandals and tight jeans standing on a ladder painting.....wear clothes appropriate for the job. I was too through with her when she glued straw on the walls of one house and stapled brown felt to the wall at another house.

Frank--he needs to stop making arts and crafts for adults. All adults do not want painted ducks and swings along the walls of their living room.

I love Trading Spaces!! I absolutely LOVE everything that Vern does. Laurie is okay, but she uses too many printed fabrics for me. They always look nice together, but I am a firm believer that Less is always More. I used to like Hildie, but when she put that straw on the walls, I couldn't hang with her anymore. Frank and Genevieve I do not like. Doug does what he wants to do without any regard for what people want in their rooms.

Trading Spaces actually had a black designer when the show first started. His name was Rodrick Shade. I only saw one of the rooms that he did and I was less than impressed. I hope this new lady does nice work though.

Someone new.
 

I'm very interested to see what type of designer Kia is. If anyone needs to be replaced it's Frank. I can count two rooms out of the many that he's done that I really liked. Everything else is just horrible-case and point the Delta Gamma room. Who puts red and peach together? He was just throwing any color in that room. Lastly, I'm so tired of him creating wood people to put in rooms. Gunieve is second behind Frank. She's always trying to make something out of something else. In the end it just looks cheap and I'm not even going to elaborate on the moss on the walls. I was also too through.

Now, Vern is the man. He can design my place any day. I LOVE VERN. I also like Laurie. I think her style is very crisp and clean. With the exception of the Delta Gamma chapter room. I'll cut her some slack on that one, because I too have left my brain in bed and tried to be productive at work without it. Hildie and Doug I think have to be caught on a good day. If not, all hell almost breaks loose. Out of all the designers, these two are the main ones always fighting the couples on what to do or not do.

unfortunately, I missed this weekend's Trading Spaces episodes. Does anyone know if there will be a rerun soon? I'm almost afraid to see what Frank did. I would have thought enough guests would have ended up upset enough for them to have replaced him waaaaay back when. :)
If the designers make a mess of your home, what happens? Are they obligated to fix it?

I can't wait to see some of Kia's creations!! I absolutely love this show :D. My co-worker told me about this show and I have been hooked since. I missed the fraternity episode, but TLC tends to show repeats of TS all the time, so I will catch up eventually.

:) :cool:

about time!!!
 

I absolutely LOVE that show.

I will be glad when Laurie leaves; she is a royal pain with her wannabe-southern-belle routine. Did you see the episode last weekend where she took down the ceiling fan when the homeowner specifically said not to? Even the neighbors did not want to take responsibility for it. The room would have looked better WITH the fan than that piece of crap she put up there.

I like Vern and Genevieve; Frank needs to go, Doug has issues.

I will definitely be checking out the Sista.

Don't even get me started about Trading Spaces!! I am seriously considering taking a carpentry class so that I can hook my house up with some window seats and a headboard that spans the entire wall. :D

I have seen about two shows that featured Roderick. He wasn't all that. I, too, can not stand Laurie. She is ridiculous! She is always whining about how she can't lift, bend, paint, stretch etc. because she is pregnant. Well, she needs to sit out for a while! I am also not a lover of ceiling fans and I don't blame her for taking them down, however, please put up a light fixture that is worthwhile. Geneveive is cool. Frank is just wacky. Doug is L-A-Z-Y!! If he can make a couple do ALL of the work, he will. Vern is THE man!! And Hildi is my girl! She is always elegant.

I will be all too excited to see a sister design. Hopefully, now, there will be more brothers and sisters on the show that are willing to allow TS into their homes.

*NOTE to the white designers: Just because we are Black doesn't mean that we want our rooms to be comprised of Kente clothes and animal prints. :rolleyes: *

Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!

Frank made me so mad with that "Ethnic" (code word for black) design he did for the Black people. If you wouldn't do it for white people, then don't do it for us. I think that the couple knows that they are black. They do not need some old man trying to remind them of that by slapping together Zebra print and ugly colors and calling it African.

P.S. Trading Spaces makes the couples sign air tight contracts. If you don't like what they do, then your just out of luck.

I love Vern's designs. I like Genevieve's style too (mostly because I like her use of color). Lori is always pretty good. I like Hildie's use of fabric coverings on walls, although I wasn't too sure about the brown felt thing. She is a bit too cocky for me sometimes though. Doug is a b__thole and is entirely too lazy. Dez is on some really wacked out stuff with those ugly lamps that she makes. Can you all tell that I am SO addicted to the show?

While you were out..
 

does anyone watch the show "while you were out.." on TLC? The show is like a Trading Spaces where one half of the pair does not know about the redecoration being done. I have only seen one episode but the featured designer was African-American. Her name is Lauren Lake and if anyone has watched WE (women's Entertainment's) "Single in the City", then you've seen her. She was the only African American lady featured in the series. From the commercials it seems as though she'll be on TLC for a bit of time.

Re: While you were out..
 

Was that show originally called "To Live and Date in New York?" If it was, Ms. Lake used to be an attorney.

Re: While you were out..
 

I have seen quite a few episodes of "While You Were Out." As a matter-of-fact, the carpenter (or one of them if he's not the only one) is African-American also. The show is not really that good and I doubt that it will catch on like "Trading Spaces." The host is really annoying-- just like Alex and Paige-- and it doesn't have that...that..... whatever it is that TS has.

The catch of the show is that you have to get your other half out of the house and totally re-do a room that you think will be more to his/her liking. The problem it that (as I have seen) is that people are spontaneous. Unless you have a really good plan to keep the person away from home, they are bound to come home unexpectantly. That ruins the premise of the show.

Trading Spaces is the BOMB!!

Re: Re: While you were out..
 

I am not sure if that's what thhe show used to be called but I believe it's the same person. She is an attorney (/singer/interior decorator).

RefinedDiva, I agrre - at least - based on the show I've seen. It does not seem to be as much fun or as entertaining as TS. It's a mix of Bob Vila (my signal to change channels) and TS.

I'm Addicted Too!
 

I have friends that videotape this show. Once I was at their place, and I was clowning them about it. Now I'm addicted to the show. I love when they show the marathons!

I think my fav designer is Vern. He usually does good stuff. And he doesn't complain when he works when he is sick (once he couldn't even talk), UNLIKE Laurie (who gets on my nerves, but sometimes does nice stuff too, w/ the fabrics she gets)...I would kicked her tail if she did something to my house after I specifically said not too (she's lucky she's pregnant)...Geneiveve is usually good too...

I liked one thing that Frank did on the show--that "Mexican-style" as he called it room, although I wopuld NEVER do that in my house (it looked ok on tv in some white people's house though). I just thought it was creative. But, what he did for that Black couple was :eek:, like we all have zebra sscultures in our homes :rolleyes:...And, did y'all see that episode where the lady was constantly arguing w/ him b/c she didn't like what he was doing (when he tried to put all that silver tin all over the wall and THEN on top of that put some decorations--can you say TOO MUCH?!)

Hildie trips me out too w/ her clothes. I always wonder if she even cares if she gets paint on her clothes? :confused: And that straw on those walls! :eek: She would NOT be decorating my house (that couple had kids!!!! They did NOT like what she did)...But she usually does nice stuff...

I'm w/ you on Doug too. Remember when he put that brown makeshift fireplace on top of the old one? That ish was ugly! I never like what he does...

Re: While you were out..
 

Yeah, I've seen "While You Were Out" and I did not like it one bit. First, the host is really corny and the premise of the show is kind of corny too. Why would a TV show want to follow some random guy on a golf trip. That seems a little suspiscious and odd to me.

Also, it seems that every room that they do is a "theme" room. If the husband is in the Navy, then the room has to look like a red, white and blue submarine. I just don't like stuff like that. I never want a room that will be out of style in a few years. Themes get old really quickly. Who wants to look up and have to redo an entire room in two years because they are tired of feeling like they are on a boat? Not me.

Re: I'm Addicted Too!
 

But do you remember that was the house where the lady started crying? She started in the room and then excused herself and was crying in the other room. Everyone in the room got quiet because that lady was boo-hooing kinda loud. They told Doug not to mess with the fireplace in the first place. He violated some type of city code that had to do with ventilation, so the owners had to take it down anyway.

I love Trading Spaces!!
 

Trading Spaces is my show!!! And I can't wait to see what the sista brings to the show. Some of the designers are getting a little too predictable in their designs.

Vern is my favorite, but alway does stuff with bold colors and really contemporary.
Hildie like some one said before is really a hit or miss sometimes. You really have no idea where she is going with her designs until she is completely done. Before the whole straw on the wall thing, she totally blew me when she painted those people in Seattle's sofas hot pink :eek: :confused: . It's a good thing that God let it rain that night and it ruined the furniture which forced her to go over budget and buy them new couches.

Frank needs to stop making everything into a storybook fairytale!!!:mad: Did you see when he gave that couple a castle headboard and then a matching one for the dog! Does he not realize that a grown-ass man has to sleep in that bed.
Doug can be alright with his designs sometimes. But he does not consider what the owners would like and what would flow with the rest of the house. He is also VERY lazy and arrogant.

Geniveve is cool. She did kill me with the moss thing too, but other than that she tend to be alright.
Laurie is ok. She overdoes it with the tapestry stuff though, which is usually what puts her over her budget.

I tried to watch while you where out, but it is very.... bland. I can't stand the host (and by the way I like Paige), and it just doesn't have the same flair as Trading Spaces.

OK..... time for me to get back to work now ;)

This weekends shows
 

I absolutely am a Trading Spaces Feind!!! I usually set my Saturday evenings to go out after both eppy's are done (especially if they are new).

Did anyone see this past weekends shows? I really liked both kitchens. Doug really suprised me and came up with something that he thought the couple would like. Even though it was very cluttered with that big table, the butcher block countertop turned out good.

I really liked Gen's kitchen (not the side wall, though) with the tiled counter! My husband and I went to Lowe's Sunday to see about doing the same thing! And did you here what her budget was!!! She still had $250 to spend! She should have found something else to do with that money, like bar stools or a new floor or something!!

The new designer Edward will make his debut next week and I cannot wait to see the new AA designer!

***On another note***

I know many people don't like Frank's designs, and I would not like them in my house either(I don't do the country thing), but I recently got the chance to meet Frank at a Foleys. Let me tell you, he is a wonderful guy! He genuinly (sp?) loves people. He and his wife stayed to talk to everyone in the audience and Frank signed autographs. He is one of the nicest men you would ever want to meet!

I like Frank. He does seem like a fun person. I like his designs... for the people that he designs for. Like HopefulProspective, I am not a country kind of girl,... or Victorian,... or flowery, etc. You get my point. I am ultra-modern. Frank is real good with that country/family-type thing. I even love the way that he can freehand a painting (did anyone see where he painted the portrait of the little girl Audry, peeking from behind a cabinet?). The people that get Frank are usually happy with him and that's what matters.

I thought that the "fireplace" thing that Doug did was really nice. I actually liked it. It was unfortunate that they were TOTALLY unhappy with the room. Doug misses more than he hits with his designs. I KNOW that everyone saw that movie theater family room. How are you going to turn someone's room into a movie rom? How are you going to make a movie room with an 18 in. TV?

I pretty much like everyone except Laurie. When is she going on maternity leave? I am sick of her. I was watching this weekend and she didn't even help to unload the room. I mean, I know that you are pregnant, but pick up a pillow, a CD case, some magazines, or something!


I think that the problem sometimes is that people are not open to change. If I ever went on the show, I would have no expectations and would be open for almost anything. Some people just want a fresh coat of white paint and a slipcover and a few pillows. That's a waste of time, effort, and money. I also feel that some of the designers should comply with some of the homeowners requests. That might raise the satisfation rate.

I LOVE TRADING SPACES!!!!!!
 

I'm very excited about having Kia be a designer on the show. I don't want her to replace anyone. I like all of the designers, Frank being the least liked. I would never let him do my house, but I think he's worth having on the show.

Hilde-I like most of her designs, but she killed me too when she put straw on the wall, and when she cut out fabric paper and used it as wall paper! That was a bit much.

Vern-He could do any room for me. I think he's great at every room he does.

Genevive-She's good sometimes. Sometimes I think she is way off base.

Laurie-I like her! She's really nice to me. Y'all be nice to my girl! I think she looks cute in her maternity outfit (that one that she wears every single episode!). Did you all see it this past Saturday when she took that piano out of that couple's house when they specifically told her not to? I would have been a bit perturbed by that.

Doug-Another one of my favorites. I think he does a great job most of the time I see his work.

I think Paige is the cutest little host. She's always warm and fuzzy! Why don't you all like her? I think she's the cutest little thing-way better than the host before her. I don't think the designers liked her at all.

Re: I love Trading Spaces!!
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by lovele1978
[B]
Frank needs to stop making everything into a storybook fairytale!!!:mad: Did you see when he gave that couple a castle headboard and then a matching one for the dog! Does he not realize that a grown-ass man has to sleep in that bed.
[B]
QUOTE]

I cannot imagine my fiance sleeping in a bed w/ a castle headboard - LOL!! I do, however, find Frank to be quite fun and entertaining to watch. For a minute there, I used to think that perhaps he had a little bit too much sugar in his tank until he mentioned something about his wife.

BTW - My TLC was acting a little "crackish" over the weekend. I briefly watched "A Wedding Story" (what little of it that was clear - :mad: ). Was there a cast member of TS that was getting married?

Re: Re: I love Trading Spaces!!
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by FeeFee

Quote:

Originally posted by lovele1978 BTW - My TLC was acting a little "crackish" over the weekend. I briefly watched "A Wedding Story" (what little of it that was clear - :mad: ). Was there a cast member of TS that was getting married?

Actually, there was. Paige's wedding story came on this past Saturday after Trading Spaces/Makeover Story.

Re: Re: Re: I love Trading Spaces!!
 

I kinda chuckled that here name is Mindy Paige Davis Page!

She joked about them calling her Paige Page!:D

Re: Re: I love Trading Spaces!!
 

What does his wife have to do with anything? You are right, he is sugary. Sugary feminine men get married too. I noticed his sweetness the first time I heard him speak and watched his mannerisms. :D

Re: Re: Re: I love Trading Spaces!!
 

Oh my gosh, he is soooo full of sweetness - LOL :D

Delph998 - Thanks for the confirmation - I guess my eyes are still functioning pretty well. :D

Kia's Debut!
 

Tune in to TLC on Saturday, Sept. 21 (8:00p.m. EST/7:00p.m. CST) for two new episodes — including Kia's debut!

New York: Half Hollow Turn
Two generations of the same family mean double trouble for Frank Bielec and debutante designer Kia Steave-Dickerson. The mom-son team help Kia create a funky new hang-out space. The mother-daughter team create a "cautious contemporary" living/dining room.

Original Airdate: September 21, 2002

Host:
Paige Davis

Designers:
Frank Bielec
Kia Steave-Dickerson

Carpenter:
Amy Wynn Pastor

I usually like Frank's designs; I rarely like Hildie's or Gen's. Laurie is usually cool. Doug does fine with adult stuff but he's not functional or kid-friendly for sure. I've never seen a room that Vern did that I didn't like.

Well...
 

Who actually watched the show? I didn't see everything but she does have class (I liked her sexy outfit). I don't think I liked the border that she used on the house, but other than that, she did a good job. I'm sure she'll get better with time and more experience on the Trading Spaces. What did you all think?

3 Pages full of Trading Spaces and no mention of Ty? :D He's one of the reasons I watch!! While You Were Out's carpenter is pretty cute too, but I'm not sure what side of the fence he swings on. ;)

I love Trading Spaces, Vern is my favorite by far. the only room I really loved of Doug's is that brown and white room where the woman cried about the fireplace. It was beautiful, right out of Instyle magazine, I guess there's no accounting for taste. I haven't seen any rooms I like so far on While You Were Out, the rooms look cheap. And what's even crazier is that they spend more money on the room!

I'm looking forward to these new designers, they'll shake things up a bit

Hmmm, I didn't like Kia's design on the walls, but I did like the seating she created and the purple. Hopefully she will get better with time. This was one of the rare times I actually liked Frank's design. The only thing I didnt like was the little drawing crap he did on the pole wall hanging....but other than that, I liked the room.

I'm with you...I think she's going to get better with time and more experience being on Trading Spaces.

I did get a chance to catch Kia's debut and I thought she did well. I don't know if I'm feeling her personality yet, but her designing skills seem up to par. Something that I did like about her is her shape. I mean, she's actually shaped like an average black woman (*gasp*)!!! Hips and all! I agree with what everyone said about the border. Her color scheme was very nice, but borders are just kind of passe to me. I've seen borders come down on Trading Spaces, but never go up. I also liked the fact that she listened to her homeowners opinions, unlike Doug. I hate the beginning of the show when the designer asks the homeowners what they want to see done in the room, knowing that they don't give a rat's a$$ about what they want. They've already bought all the paint, picked out all the fabric and given the carpenters all their sketchings, so why even front like they're going to incorporate the homeowner's ideas? I haven't seen the other new designer yet, but I'll be back to comment after I do.

Now I don't know about how cute Ty is, but he CMTFU. I swear, the man is crazy. The carpenter on While You Were Out always seems to have a stank attitude to me and he's never able to accomplish the tasks set out before him. There's always one project they have to scrap at the end because he runs out of time. I can't stand the host of the show, Anna Bocci (sp?). She's just annoying. And I agree that the rooms often look cheap and nowhere near the $1000 Trading Spaces rooms. Has anyone seen the show on The Discovery Channel called Surprise by Design? The format is similar to While You Were Out and I believe it only comes on M-F, during the day. I played hookey from work yesterday, so I caught it somewhere in the middle. I think that too many of these shows are popping up now. Just give me my Trading Spaces and I'll be happy.

I agree with the person who says she'll get better with time. I liked the color scheme and the bench, but I really wasn't feeling the border. Did y'all peep how the lady was giving her a hard time? (Ex...when she asked her not to use the vertical blinds). The curtain did end up looking better though.

I think that her designs will get better over time. The room was not to my taste. I just don't know what it was about it. It was nice, but I don't think that I would have liked it for myself.

I think that the designers get a little power trippy sometimes. I know that they are in charge and yes, sometimes, some people just don't like ANYTHING and want to give the designers a hard time. However, I can't stand when designers like to "flex their muscles" and come out with "I don't care, I am the designer" type attitude. Anyway! You can take that back to the bus because I can't work like that. Doug is good for stuff like that...