Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Parents' Guide to

Trading Spaces

By Brenda Kienan, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Home makeover on the cheap is fun for all.

TV TLC Reality TV 2000
Trading Spaces Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

age 18+

love it!!

THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS SHOW BACK! THIS IS THE SHOW THAT INSPIRED ME AND MOTIVATED ME TO DO WHAT I THOUGHT WAS NOT POSSIBLE. THANK YOU FOR EYE OPENER AND SHOWING ME WHAT IM CAPABLE OF!

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

Part of the fun is in seeing all of the clever ways a room can be made dramatically different with just $1,000 (or $2,000, if the featured friends happen to choose the secret bonus budget room). Perhaps even more fun are all the crazy antics, minor mistakes, and major fiascos that sometimes happen, especially when designers Hildi Santo Tomas or Doug Wilson really let loose. Santo Tomas is notorious for using unusual materials; in various homes, she has (permanently) affixed cardboard, silk flowers, and hay to the walls (sometimes to the dismay of the homeowners). And Wilson once designed a bedroom using a prison theme. Designers Frank Bielic, Laurie Hickson-Smith, and Genevieve Gorder are less outrageous, and the telegenic carpenters (Carter Oosterhouse, Faber Dewar, Amy Wynn Pastor, and others) seem to build armoires, tables, beds, and kitchen cabinets in the twinkle of an eye. Through all of this, the pairs of friends tackle many feats they never imagined themselves doing: using power tools, slip-covering sofas, and staining shelves until the wee hours.

At the end of the show, each pair of friends goes back home to find out how their room turned out. Sometimes it's awful (in their eyes), and sometimes it's absolutely stunning. Whether the reaction is a meltdown or squeals of delight, viewers can enjoy comparing their own responses to those on TV. A mini-epilogue, filmed two weeks later, shows how the homeowners are actually living in the room and what they've changed since the Trading Spaces team rolled out of town. Aside from the occasional tension caused by bad reactions to the new rooms, there's nothing objectionable here.

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate