Premise
In each episode, two sets of neighbors redecorated one room in each other's home. Each two-person team had two (later, three) days, a budget of US$1,000, (later $2,000) and the services of a designer. Although the producers generally allowed the teams to go over budget slightly, there was one instance when a designer went $150 over budget and the producers forced her to return a rug she bought for the project she was working on.
The teams have no say over what happens in their own homes, but are able to give input into what happened in the home they are redecorating. The teams are not allowed to enter their own home for the duration of the show, and the transformed rooms are revealed only at the end of the final day.
The show was generally credited with sparking a nationwide interest in home decorating and improvement television shows in the United States. At the peak of its popularity, it inspired ancillary products such as two Trading Spaces books and a computer software program. The show also served as the launching pad for Ty Pennington, one of the show's original carpenters who went on to become host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC.
Read more about this topic: Trading Spaces
Famous quotes containing the word premise:
“We have to give ourselves—men in particular—permission to really be with and get to know our children. The premise is that taking care of kids can be a pain in the ass, and it is frustrating and agonizing, but also gratifying and enjoyable. When a little kid says, “I love you, Daddy,” or cries and you comfort her or him, life becomes a richer experience.”
—Anonymous Father. Ourselves and Our Children, by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, ch. 3 (1978)