Why home makeover shows feel icky 

I had just moved into a new build home. My home was so new the builders were still coming in to finish work, even after closing. The first thing I did was paint the dining room a deep, royal red. I thought it was so grand and stunning. The building site supervisor walks in and mouth wide makes some comment that this bold colour would make resell difficult.... sir I am not even a month into my new home! Why should I care about resell value?!

It’s so depressing when people NEVER dare to even decorate their home because it will “decrease its value”. Life is more than grey-white neutral colour schemes.

After leaving an abusive marriage, I bought a small condo and had it renovated. The way I wanted. I told the contractors what I wanted and the 'professionals' shuddered when I went with cork backed vinyl laminate EXCEPT in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry rooms which I did in SHEET VINYL. Yup, folks, SHEET VINYL. That's what I wanted. And white appliances. I don't want to spend my life battling finger prints. Seven years later, I still love my place. I don't give a flying f*** what other people think. This is MY space.

As someone who lives in a place with a lot of beautiful victorian town houses I hate this thinking of it as an asset first and home second. They see original stained glass, sash windows, wood carved fascia boards, elegant fire places and stunning hand made plaster work and rip it all out to be replaced with the cheapest plastic windows and plastic board, they'll paint everything white, then replace a nice garden with asphalt and fake grass, split it into flats and then just sell it for a extra 100,000 and therefore locals can not afford anywehere in the town.

One of my big issues with HGTV is that they talk about "forever homes" but don't include basics like grab bars in the showers to make it a place someone can live in to age in place. Apparently, no one ever breaks a leg skiing, or gets sick and needs solid banisters to make it downstairs. It drives me batty.

The idea of homes as professional spaces really speaks to a phenomenon that I noticed in the early days of lockdown - so many people *hated* being in their own homes. I couldn't understand how so many people could be so fundamentally uncomfortable in spaces that, presumably, they had significant say in creating, but this really adds some needed context. Such a shame.

“I wasn’t making a space for me, I was making a space for what I thought a teen’s bedroom should be. How it could avoid criticism. Keep in mind I was the only one in this room.” This floored me. I can relate. So panopticon-y. 😖

I worked in a tile and countertop store for over a decade, and I did thousands of design consultations in that time. Every time someone said, "But what about resale value?" I died a little inside. I started asking, "When are you planning to sell the house?" If they said, "Oh, not for 3 or more years," I'd tell them that trends will change in that time, so designing for what's 'neutral' now is not practical, so why not do something you'll love seeing every day instead? If they said within the next 3 years, I'd ask, "If your house is the same gray and white inoffensive neutral as every other house, what's going to make it special and interesting for potential homebuyers? Give them something to fall in love with." The only bit of my own personal taste that I pushed was staying true to the character of the home. Don't gut a Victorian or 1930's Tudor-style and fill it with the same contemporary blandness as a hotel built last year. Work WITH the style of the house, not against it. What do you like about the house? Let's enhance that!

I have this cheap floral tapestry that I got in college for like 5 bucks that I still love and use as decoration. I had this dream where one day I'd own property and then I'd be able to paint an entire wall like this tapestry. I told my dad this dream once and he made a face and talked about how hard it would be to paint over when I sell. After that, I kinda let go of that dream. After watching this video, I think if I ever get to a point where I can do this I will.

As a lover of historical homes it breaks my heart every time I see an "expert renovator" come in and destroy beautiful antique woodwork, tiles, mouldings, etc. or paint over everything to sanitise it down. One show that I actually like is Rehab Addict with Nicole Curtis because she has a love for these old houses and wants to bring back the history and keep the charm. I hope someday when I have my own home that I can fill it with all the character that I want.

Two years ago I hired a native/perennial landscape gardener to turn my lawn into a beautiful garden. I don't weed much because I love to see what kinds of things grow. Does it look messy? Yes, but I watch the birds and the insects that love it and I cant imagine it any other way. Best decision ever

I think the issue is that these people say "home", but they mean "house". More than that, they mean "property", they mean "fungible asset". Everyone who lives anywhere has a home, but not everyone owns property. And it's sad to think about people buying property with the intention of living there and making it their home, only to get the firm message that it needs to be saleable first, so that it can appreciate - actually making your life there is an afterthought.

"Gardens are not about plants; gardens are about people." 😭 ❤

My favorite show is called Restored. He goes to these historic homes and brings them back to their former glory. As well as the input of the homeowners. It’s so beautiful and really brings the historic architecture to life! It brings me so much joy.

My Husband and I were given a house for our wedding gift. Nothing special. They bought it off a friend for 5k; only 600 sqft, 1 bedroom, 30's build, and utterly falling apart to the point it was barely even livable. But we loved it, and it was ours. the first thing I did was paint my kitchen a bright blue, the cabinets white, and each drawer a different shade of pastel color (the counters were this beautiful pale butter yellow mica, original from the 30's. I wanted to compliment them). Had various people describe it as "looking like the Easter Bunny exploded in my kitchen". Can't wait for the day I get to do it again in a new house. "Resell value" be utterly damned.

The best part of Monty Don based shows, is that the only pressure on the homeowners is "I don't want to disappoint Monty." Truth is, Monty always tells them they did a great job as long as they like the results. Key moment in each visit: Monty takes off his jacket and/or rolls up his sleeves to help.

I love that you and your friends played Barbie until you were “too old”. I think this is a much more universal experience than we think it is! We all think everyone else is so much more cool and mature than we are, but we’re all 17 year olds secretly playing Barbies thinking we’re too old.

I've only had one chance for a room makeover in my life. I decided to have fun, made all the walls violet, put shelves in random places, and it has a tiny window that I decided not to remove. My family disagreed on all my decisions but after it was done they all agree it's the best room in the house. The violet changes colour with the natural light and the small window allows for more variation in the lighting. Plus small birds like to hang out in it :) we didn't have a large budget so the furniture was all from ikea but I'm very happy with the results

My husband and bought a gorgeous 1912 house that has incredible original woodwork and built ins. It also has beautiful French doors between the dining room, foyer, and living room. Another couple bid on the house the same time we did. They told the owners they wanted to rip out all the doors and downstairs walls to make it open concept. And that’s why the owners sold us the house.

The most distinct difference to me is that HGTV talks down to the homeowner, while Monty strives to empower them. What a gem. Thank you for showing us. I love this channel!

We just recently bought our first home, and it was a house that had sat on the market for a while for the same reason we fell in love with it - it was a one owner home and the owner had kept exquisite care of the entire home, but everything (except the brand new bathrooms) was over 20 years old. When our Gen Z realtor walked in, she made a face of disgust, but my husband and I were delighted. The light greens, emerald carpet, and rich wood tones of the 80's were perfect for our eclectic vintage decorating style. Everyone talks about how cozy our house is and is shocked to find out the only things I want to change are the old vinyl floors in the kitchen, new quartz counters to replace the old laminate, and to add a green tile backsplash in the kitchen to complement the green paint.

They say “awful” and “embarrassing,” but they mean “perfectly fine and serviceable” and “just like every place I’ve ever lived.”

I did some work years ago for a couple that were doing very well financially. The work involved me spending quite a bit of time walking through their 120 year old mansion of a home. The house was impressive, with large rooms, high ceilings, and grand open staircases, but I was always sort-of uncomfortable while I was there. I could tell that the first two floors were definitely decorated by professional interior designers, and were meticulously cleaned every day by housekeepers. Everything felt so cold and sterile, and the rooms were always spotless. It was like I was in the home where all of the pictures that you see in interior design magazines are taken. There were absolutely no personal touches to be found. No bookshelves housing a collection of worn novels. No wedding photos set out on end tables. No yearbook photos of their children hanging on the walls. No postcards from friends and family stuck to the refrigerator with magnets. No clutter whatsoever. It didn't feel like anyone actually lived there until you got up to the third floor, where you found a family room in a general state of disarray, with a television screen on the wall and a well worn sofa across from it, and kids toys scattered around the floor. I'm guessing that the family spends most of their time in that room while they are home together, and they try to stay away from the creepy magazine rooms that make up the rest of their house.

yes!!! Slow accumulation of special objects is like the antidote to fast fashion/fast home decor. May we *all* take this video as a sign to instead use HDTV for it's intended purpose: comparing the two brothers in the property brothers.

This rings so true! This week, I was at a friend's house. She had HGTV on her television. The people on TV were taking on a gorgeous kitchen, with real wood cabinets, and green accents on the tile backsplash. This kitchen was my dream kitchen. The hosts debated which shade of "greige" they should use and took every bit of personality from the homeowner's place. It was sad. And you're right! Monty Don is so different. I love his show.

super privileged to own my own home, but after 15 years of renting i am SO happy to be able to decorate in a way that makes ME happy, regardless of what some future buyer might think. taste is so subjective, for all the future buyers who might hate your home, there is someone who might love it? and thinking of your home in terms of who might live there after you sucks up a lot of the joy that comes from trying things out and playing around with your space. editing to add: holy heck i am motivated to both watch this show, and also make my garden as glorious as the inside of my house!

This video is giving me a (positive) existential crisis. I've always perceived myself as liking the sterile hotel aesthetic, and have tried to set my home up as such, to the extent where I've self identified as a lover of McMansions (environmental and other socialpolitical impacts aside). But this has me wondering, do I *actually* enjoy those things, or have I just been buying into the HGTVification of interior design? Have I not seen the actual breadth of what a home can look like? How does one even determine the aesthetic they like? Am I just soulless? Do I have bad taste? These are all positive questions to ask myself, so thank you.

It wasnt untill I had my last 2 children (who have autism) that I realized my home only needs to be functional for my family and welcoming. That looks different for everyone. I tossed the perfect idea of the home and began making the home cater to us, not society.

I bought a small house on a couple acres to let my son rent-to-own it from me. He painted the walls bright primary colors - yellow living room, blue kitchen, red bedroom, and green guest room. Definitely not what anyone would recommend for resale value or what I’d personally choose but he says the colors make him happy. And that makes ME happy.

Back in the 90s and early 2000s HGTV and the DIY channel used to have wonderful programs that showed you experts either helping people redo their homes the way they wanted them or gardens or teaching you how to do it yourself. My mother and I used to watch them a lot. Sadly, it turned into what you see today and nothing was meant to be learned anymore, the DIY channel was swallowed up and destroyed by HGTV eventually. You also had shows like This Old House on PBS. I learned a lot of the Latin names for plants from one show which came in handy at gardening centers to be sure I got the right plants. I remember how fantastic it was to see a show where a woman was the host showing you how to do all sorts of repairs and renovations yourself as she was helping homeowners do the work. We used to wish she would come to our house. I still remember the episode of her installing a Solatube. Of course it all turned into someone coming in and telling you that you needed to paint everything grey, toss everything you own or like, and not showing anyone how to do anything for themselves. You basically were conned into thinking you needed to pay a designer and crew to ignore how you wanted your house because of resale value. Monty Don is a wonderful example of what those kinds of shows used to be.

I did not expect this to turn into a Monty Don feature but certainly not mad. The HGTV effect reminds me of going to a boys high school where if you wore anything with flare or personality that stood out that was something to be ridiculed. That resulted everyone wearing bland clothing with no room for expression

My bedroom at my grandparents house as a kid was my FAVORITE. The wall was painted blue first and then my entire family and I spent hours putting handprints all over the upper half of the wall with a rainbow of fingerpaints. Even my brother put one despite his hatred of getting anything on his hands. I got a wonderful memory and I loved the result

Ever since discovering Monte Don I've never pronounced "COMPOST" the same way. Delightful man.

I started redoing the house to get it sellable. Then realized that, in today's market, I would only be able to buy a lower quality house for twice what we paid for ours. So we decided to stay and I did the last few rooms to MY taste. The livingroom, kitchen, dining room look exactly like ME and people love it and ask me to redo theirs. Most importantly, I love it. I am proud of it. It is decorated like nothing on TV or pinterest. Granted, we now plan to die in this house.

That Monty dude sounds so delightful! I wish we had more hosts like that on American TV.

I heard a host once say "You just need more pillowing". I don't know why, but it always cracks me up.

I grewn up and still live in an absolutely mess of a house that my dad build himself (literally) for 40 years. Since 2019 we've been renovating ourselves and it's finally feeling like a home. It's so functional. I don't think I could ever leave now, there's been too much sweat and tears put into it, and it is now, after 40 years, a place so cozy and resting.

My pet peeve with these shows: in the reveal, owners gasping and saying "it looks like a *hotel*" like a stab through the heart I wish they would dream weirder, but to each their own. If that is what they want, I suppose it is fine for everyone involved

I think part is the story American home shows want to tell, and part is the impermanence of homes today. For those who can’t afford it, homes have become a tiered ladder. You start with a starter home, buying to stay in for a few years, or make money on to trade up however many times. You expand the square footage as your family expands. And when you think of ownership as a temporary situation, it’s not too different from renting. So you keep your style for the general public..and this collides with minimalism and purging and design influencers and hgtv, and style becomes barren. Then add to that the environment and construction waste and temporary use and we lose sight of individualism.

Monty Don is a UK national treasure! And I stopped watching HGTV after the 100th time I watched Joanna Gaines hang rusty farm implements on white shiplap walls. Turned it off in disgust and years later still have not watched any show on HGTV.

In the early 00s HGTV had some great shows. They were about how to update your space on a dime and be creative about it. They also had actual gardening shows on. Then the Gaines' turned everything "flipper-core" (sorry couldn't help it😂). But I'm not a flipper and my home is actually a double wide manufactured home. I love RU-vid for filling the void HGTV created.

“…even though I will never see this garden in my life, I am so happy that it exists.” Well said Kendra. 💖

I was OBSESSED with Big Dreams, Small Spaces. I loved the emphasis on work, the way each garden was individualized, and Monty Don’s whole deal. Perhaps the only person in the world who can wield garden shears with megawatt charisma.

I remember an interview with a real estate agent on a news item about rising costs of real estate that was probably self-serving in context, but it's stuck with me as being quite profound. He said your house is not an investment, it's an appliance. A very expensive appliance, yes, but you should primarily think of it as something you _use_ rather than as something you own so you can sell it one day.

one of my favourite home renovations happening on youtube right now is Ariel Bissett's! She's renovating a 150(?) year old house in the maritimes of Canada largely by herself over the span of several years, following her joy and style inspirations, adding vibrant paint colours on both the walls and trim, light blue kitchen appliances and board and batton among so many other incredible features across the house. She talks about the house being her lifelong house and not caring about resale value, and her house project(s) is deeply inspiring to me in terms of seeing colour use in a house (and seeing her learn all those new skills)

HGTV needs to learn from all these British shows : grand designs, restorations home, big dream small space, etc.

Can I recommend the show Grand Designs to you? It has a very similar vibe to Big dreams, small spaces but is about people’s wild build houses and they have extra seasons where the come back and check on them. Grand designs is all about building homes with insane amounts of personal character. Also if you want a show about home renovation where the team comes in with a to presenter who is honest about not really doing any of the work himself and who really highlights the contractors DIY SOS is the show for it, plus a lot of their big builds have them building adaptive measures into houses for people with disabilities, it’s incredibly amazing to watch 😊

My studio apartment is a hodgepodge of what I could get second hand (in my tiny town), whatever was cheap , upcycled, random art and souvenirs. In other words absolut chaos but I love it

MONTY DON IS STOMPING UP THE LANE!! My wife and I love Monty, and also your videos, so this video is like Christmas

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You put into words what I feel in my gut about these styles. Somehow the gods of design decide that granite is out, and quartz is in, or "dark and cozy" is out and "white and bright" are where it’s at. Open concept is 11th commandment and somehow, I'm supposed to be ok with my stove cooking spicy food being 12 feet from my primary couch without a wall in the middle. One never thinks about how an innocent show on HGTV can breed compliance to a standard, but that’s what we as a society are doing now. HomeGoods to IKEA to HGTV, it’s all about “this is what’s good for you”. Funny enough for a little while I used to subscribe to Architectural Digest (yes, the actual paper kind - and yes I’m old), and it turns out all that magazine does is to show off celebrities and sell stuff. There is very little “Architectural” in it. In a bougie way, AD is HGTV for vapid rich people and aspirational vapid rich people. It just feels good that I’m not alone in this.

I found this show during lock down and my garden completely transformed. Monty Don really helped me embrace what I needed and wanted.

I'm living that apartment life still, but my decorating faux pas that I absolutely *love* is that I have 130 posters ranging from postcard size to 11x17in taped bare all along the walls. I've been collecting the posters for 11 years, and they've been put up in every place I've lived since my first college dorm. They immediately make a room feel like *my* room, even though I've moved every 2 years max for a while. I couldn't give a single damn if having unframed posters everywhere makes it look childish, I think it's fun and cool and more people should take this philosophy to their space

I adore Monty Don and genuinely perked up when you first mentioned him. His documentaries on visiting gardens in foreign countries are also lovely, he comes across as so genuinely interested in people. I can’t get enough of him and his joyful perusing of gardens.

I’m not exaggerating when I say watching Monty Don gardening shows got me through COVID and stressful work situations. He’s like a combination of Mr Rogers and Bob Ross. So soothing, so nice, so encouraging. I wish I could know him in real life and I understand why everyone loves him. He had a tough life early on with addiction and credits gardening with saving his life. Awesome man! I would like to be on a show where a designer doesn’t do their style. They help me execute MY crazy vision and refine it here and there with ideas I hadn’t thought of.

Monty Don did two amazing series about visiting the gardens of Italy and France explaining the designs of them and their places in history as well as talking with the head gardeners and people with plots in a public gardens with the same enthusiasm. I would happily watch that man visit every country in the world and explain the gardens to me

I love the Big Dreams Small Spaces show! Totally agree that it’s so much fun to see unique dreams come to life, with budgets that are large and also nonexistent! The sensory garden was one of my favorite epidsodes.

I love Monty! He got me through the pandemmy and I made my own huge vegetable garden with his help. The BBC makes some amazing programming if you can access it.

Finished this video immediately watched big dreams small spaces. I'm not really a crier with media but the first episode made me tear up multiple times. The love and care in that show 😭😭

Since you liked Monty I have another british reccomend: “Interior Design Masters” its a best british bake off but interior design duh. Each contastant has a unique style and you can see how much they love decorating Ps OMG I didn’t expect the Monty Don section I love him 😭😭😭 can’t believe others watched his show.

Your videos are always so informative and - odd word maybe, but the only one I can come up with - gentle. And THIS video's made me teary eyed listening to Monty Don in the mudhead garden. Your larger point, about designing for your life at home rather than for some unknown expert's opinion of what sells, is fundamental and wise. It also speaks to my problem with "The American Dream" being expressed purely in materialistic terms. The dream is not a home of your own, but rather a house you can sell to buy a bigger house - if you just never make your house a home.

Thanks for putting me onto Big Dreams, Small Spaces. For those unfamiliar with U.S. public tv, I recommend "This Old House" as a better American alternative to HGTV stuff. Plenty of episodes here on youtube

I kinda feel this way about home blogs/websites, like Apartment Therapy and House & Garden UK. it's good to remember that I gotta focus on what I like, not what I think places SHOULD look like.

I'm a professional commercial interior designer. When asked to help on a home project, it is 100% giving choices, informing with options, and encouraging the person to get what they want from the space. They have to live with it, not me. You have permission. Have fun.

I moved into my first house with a garden this year and slowly shifting it from what worked for the previous tenants to what works for my life has been a joy - it's comforting that the pace is so slow I can take weeks to make decisions and pull the weeds out later, and that it will all grow back so the landlord won't care when I'm a bit haphazard pruning the hedges. I spent the pandemic watching every episode of Grand Designs I could and while there are definitely things to criticise about that show, at least all of the decisions are driven by the people who are going to live in the house. It seems like a cruel joke to have some random people come into your home, condescend to you about what you want or need, tear out the real wooden features and paint it all beige!

"Wow! Oh, this is terrible." is simply hilarious I'll definitely be using that line IRL someday

From a creative person who does unorthodox things with their garden and home (happily eccentric weird style): This video is a GEM! People are happier when they tap into their creativity. And I want to see MORE of this!!!

I do find it a bit ironic that on the other side on house buying shows often unique styles are more likely to get a purchase and have bidding wars over them. I remember one was an interior designers house in Scotland and it was just a normal bungalow from the outside but inside was amazing. Even though it wasn't were the couple wanted to be tey loved it and went for it straight away and I belive they had to pay above asking price. Another terraced house I remember had 1 less bedroom than the couple wanted, yet the interior was so brilliantly quirky, they got into a bidding war and payed a price that was the same as that of a 3 bed rather than 2 bed on that street. Moral of the story if you have good taste being unique will be finite and actually you can get exactly want you want and if it does come time to sell up you will get more than the bland corporate look.

My favorite US home reno show is Restored hosted by Brett Waterman. He's truly knowledgable about architectural styles and genuinely excited to explore what is original to the vision of a home.

Monty Don is a literal national treasure. He's got the chillest presences, love him on Gardener's World. Tbf though UK garden reno shows tend to be pretty great - some of the UK home ones are pretty good too. Personally love both Your Home Made Perfect and Love It Or List It.

I’m 36, and became a solo homeowner at 34. After living at home and with roommates, I decided I’d do something truly out there. I painted my master bathroom a very dark espresso brown, in a very high lacquer paint. It matches the excava quartz counters, and it’s so reflective you can see candle-light. Everyone thought I was nuts… until I accented with gold inlay and now it looks like a Japanese maki-e shikki box

Monty Don is a gentleman with his love for people and his four legged friends is heartwarming!

Love that you talked about Big Dreams, Small Spaces probably the only helpful 'home' makeover show I ever watched. I wish they would use this approach for interior makeover shows too. Monty Don is a treasure.

I remember when HGTV came on the scene, and a lot of it was like, "how to decorate using thrift store finds" and "cheap ways to make your first place not look like your college dorm" and some gardening stuff. It was kinda neat, then. The house I have now - my first and probably only - would never pass muster for the TV. And I love it, because I get to do with it what *I* want to, and don't need to think about resale. My nieces and nephews are going to have a nightmare to deal with when I die.

I lived in a very expensive home in Utah where people redid their kitchens regularly. We couldn’t do that. I can’t tell you how many time I thought I needed to update the kitchen or get rid of the colors I had and furniture that I had because my house wouldn’t sell. Well, we couldn’t afford that. Our location was HIGHLY desirable. We sold the house for full market value …. Our home was immaculate and had been very well cared for. The people who bought it, ripped out the floors,, redid the kitchen, painted (everything gray) and actually chopped down stunning flowering trees worth thousands and hid our views of the Rockies with plantation shutters on every window. It’s their house now. Live with what you love!

my flat is a beautiful Edwardian brick property and I even have a turret, where I can sit and watch the world go by. However, it's had the landlord special, all the Fireplaces have been removed, the plaster work has been covered over by Wood chip, there is no garden anymore. I can see a slither of the original plaster work between a banister and it is gorgeous it has these panels with Greek style vases and Beeding made of plaster flowers along the edge. They haven't bothered to remove anything from past so I have 3 different plug types going back to the 1930s. Random wires all of the place and the taps have been put on backwards and the cheapest doors I have ever seen. The staircase is luckily original however has random paint marks and lots of scuff marks. The wood fascia boards, with beautiful detailing are also original but falling apart but I don't want to say anything as I'm too scared they'll take them off and replace then with plastic.

5:14 Nice editing. This was the most fun progress bar that I’ve seen in a while.

Kendra, I am literally begging you to watch Grand Designs. BBC show, Kevin McCloud assists people in their (usually) ultra-unique, one off homes. The show's been going for 25 years now, and every episode is an absolute triumph. Even better, sometimes they fail! Sometimes, people just can't do it, and sharing in that misery makes the majesty of these homes all the sweeter. A whole mess of the episodes are on youtube now. It's a breathtaking rabbit hole.

Monty Don is dishy. 😍 I love that show for all the same reasons you do. It, and Monty as the host, have respect for the wishes and tastes of the gardens’ owners. The personality and quirkiness they bring to their gardens are lots of fun. HGTV shows are soulless in comparison. Really enjoyed this video!

I LOVE big dreams small spaces. I rewatch it every winter. Homes and gardens are for creative expression and personalization and Monty helps them achieve their dream. I don’t think they ever even mention resell value.

I’ve never seen that show or heard of it before now, but hearing clips of that lovely gentleman talking made me tear up! Somehow, across space and time, he said something I needed so badly to hear

Sooo excited to find out that half of this episode was about Big Dreams Small Spaces. I loved that show so much, wish they'd made more seasons!

I spent this summer having a house clearout and rearranging rooms that just weren't working for my family anymore. We'd designed them like we thought we should, not how we wanted to use them. Its amazing how doing a donation run and moving some furniture around can completely change a space. And now its 100% ours

this is why i like watching youtube creators renovate their homes. theyre always doing some wacky shit, and even if i personally hate it, im still glad theyre being true to themselves and treating their home as a *home,* not just an asset ❤ also, the mudhead is amazing and gave me so much joy to see, so thank you so much for sharing that. loved the “controversial” backsplash, too. it was so… sweet? friendly? homey? idk, i just really liked it. i thought it was better than the inspiration. i think “professionalization” is a good word for the greige trend in real estate. personally, though, i do not want my home to look like an office space. idk. maybe thats just me : P

I love your differentiation of personal and professional space. I never thought about it that way.

I had no idea who Monty Don was before this video, but I love him.

This was an excellent video. I've been trying to refashion my garden and encountered a lot of HGTV-esque bs in the American gardening world. This was the perfect video for me right now, really validated all my instincts. Thank you! ❤️

I watched the Property Brothers a few times. In one show I remember distinctly, the wife was adamant that she absolutely despised a particular curtain design that was one of the options. That was the one they went with. The utter lack of respect and consideration for the homeowner astounded me, and really turned me off to the show. I haven't watched HGTV since then.

big dreams small spaces is such a special show, I'm so glad you think that way as well. Monty Don is such a warm, reassuring specialist, it's such a good show.

3:56 reminds me of the recent Twitter thread where an artist had to sell her beautifully and lovingly decorated, pink/ orange/ Memphis design-y house and people were worried it’d get remodelled. 😢

The Monty Don stuff is making me cry. Absolutely beautiful.

My husband and I watched all of Monty Don's shows during lockdown. After, we were able to buy our own house, and when making decisions we ALWAYS reference the mudhead. Always build the mudhead.

There's an entire channel on Roku that's just like, Monty Don shows (or similar). My dad's converted me into a complete fan, and I was delighted to see you talk about Big Dreams, Small Spaces. I love that man.

17:57 And that's the thing about creativity, it's boundless. There is no right or wrong in pure creativity. The HGTV shows and such are trying to standardize creativity, essentially stamping out and stifling, for the purposes of monetary gain.

I ❤️ Monty Don! He's so genuine. Growing up I watched thr Christopher Lowell show on the Discoery Channel. He was all about showing you how to put together a room using what you already had or making what you needed. He used what you had and rearranged it all to show you what you could do. Loved is show. He really showed how much he enjoyed making over spaces and Shari g his knowledge of designs. The home makeover shows need more people like him and Monty. They actually care about the people and their spaces.

4:20 I actually needed to hear this. Over the past five years (I'm a renter), every house has felt less and less like a home. I live in a box with blank walls and wallpaper. I can't hang decor as ANYTHING will damage it. It's the same concept, this box has to stay pretty for the next renters. I feel less than when I look around and it's not "pinterest perfect" or "Martha Stewart approved".

I love when people merge Monty Don's advice with their own desires. The gardens they created on that show were absolutely amazing and also very unique!

Thank you for contrasting these attitudes so directly. Honestly, I feel like Grand Designs is the same way: Kevin may question the sanity, er, the scope of peoples' projects, but he's almost invariably delighted to see the completed projects (even when it takes actual years for them to come to fruition). And some of them don't ever get done--but he still visits and they chat with the homeowner. It's a much more realistic version of this phenomenon, and one that seems far more respectful of peoples' tastes and individuality than the US version. I'm like you: loved houses and got sucked into HGTV growing up, but I was always so frustrated that the finished projects never seemed to reflect the people who were living there so much as the designer who hosted the show. Also having worked on building several houses growing up, I was baffled at how little time ANYTHING took to accomplish. I think that's largely why Monty Don's gentle approach to gardening is so soothing and reaffirming.

I am a massive fan of “Big Dreams, Small Spaces!” It is exactly the kind of show I want that documents a renovation. The producers and Monty don’t sterilize the people or spaces, and instead highlight the eccentricities and beauty of them. One of my favorite episodes highlights a family that incorporates model trains into their garden- it was so much fun! This show was so healing for me to watch after seeing so much sterilization and nastiness on HGTV. Thank you for this video!

Thank you for your honesty.

I love watching tiny home videos here on RU-vid cause they all have such fun personalities and stories. And you can actually tell that someone lives there too!