Trading Accessible Spaces!

By Joan Leotta

Trading Spaces Applicant Rules
[ from tlc.discovery.com ]

1. For production purposes, participants must live near one another, preferably right next door.

2. You must either own the property or have written permission from the owner.

3. Each home must have a "team" of two people—spouses, parent and child, siblings, and friends are all welcome. All participants must be at least 16 years old.

4. The room must be at least 12'x12'—big enough for the camera crew to observe the work.

5. The room must already have furniture in it. Any furniture that should not be touched can be removed beforehand, but the room cannot be empty.

6. You and your neighbors must both be able to take the same two days out of your schedule. You might need to take off work, as these shows are not always filmed on the weekends.

7. Interested groups (with confirmed neighbors) should fill out an application.

In addition to submitting the form, mail photos showing all angles of the room to be transformed, a picture of yourselves and the exterior of your house to:

Banyan Productions
Attn: Trading Spaces Application
530 Walnut Street
Suite 276
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Click here to apply

Trading Spaces , the popular The Learning Channel (TLC) reality show, pairs couples or families with their neighbors, with the goal of improving one room of each other's house in two days and for under two thousand dollars. The everyday folk who guest star on the show each week are paired with Trading Spaces regulars who have expertise in interior design.

Recently, Trading Spaces invaded the home of an everyday person who presented a new challenge to the show. Three-time 2002 Paralympic ski champion Muffy Davis and her husband Jeff Burley got a room redone, accessibly.

Idea into action

Doing an episode that featured a person with a disability had long been a goal for the Trading Spaces team.

According to TLC Executive Producer Kathy Davidov, while the normal procedure for the show is that people get together with their neighbors and apply to be selected, on occasion the producers select themes for special episodes. Davis was originally chosen to be part of a show that featured Olympic athletes.

"Olympian Picabo Street was originally going to trade spaces with her friend, Muffy Davis," Davidov explained. Street has known Muffy since their childhood days, competing in junior ski events before the injuries that led to Muffy's need for a wheelchair.

"When scheduling prevented Picabo from participating," Davidov continued, "we were thrilled that Muffy agreed to trade with her neighbor. We had been looking to do an episode like this for a long time.

"When supervising producer John Harvey talked to Muffy in person," said Davidov, "we knew that she would be the perfect participant. She has a fantastic energy, a great sense of humor, and great athletic ability. Because of Muffy's attitude and comfort with her situation, we thought it would be inspirational to other homeowners who had special needs. More importantly, physically able people would see that people with disabilities have the same decorating challenges as anyone else. We invite everyone to apply to participate on Trading Spaces." (See the Trading Spaces Applicant Rules sidebar for details.)

Decorating Challenges

Part of the success of Trading Spaces are the inventive ways that the designers quickly and inexpensively transform the rooms. Hosted by Paige Davis, the original Trading Spaces program plays three times a week in many parts of the country and has given rise to several spin-offs. The original format limits two sets of neighbors to redecorating one room each, but related shows in the Trading Spaces family invite whole families to redo whole homes. Shows have even featured such whimsical additions as carousels in the yard.

Fans of the show are well aware of the program's strict timetable and budget. At Davis' request, no changes to these rules were made to accommodate her. For example, explained Davidov, "When we asked Muffy over the phone if the lack of an elevator or ramp in their neighbor's home would be a problem for her, she replied, 'not at all.'" She indicated that her husband Jeff "would just throw her on his back and carry her like he always did." Said Davis, "Jeff is my legs. We go everywhere, even where my chair cannot go."

Davis and her husband teamed with Trading Spaces designer Frank Bielec while their neighbors and good friends Jason and Michelle Reverri-Courtnoy teamed with Edward Walker to redo each other's basement office/recreation room spaces. Under Bielec's direction, Davis and Burley created an Asian-inspired room for their Salt Lake City neighbors. At the same time, the Reverri-Courtnoys create a country-inspired recreation space for Davis and her husband.

Davis noted that the design choice "was kind of ironic, since usually Frank does more country-inspired rooms and Edward is more known for Asian themed spaces." But, as of January 2005, both couples are still delighted with the Trading Spaces renovations, which were completed in May 2004 for an episode that aired in September.

Said Davis, "The Trading Spaces experience was wonderful. They gave me a drill and a saw and embraced me as just another person on the show—not someone different.

"You can see why it is an award-winning show because the cast and crew are just as wonderful off-camera as on-camera," she continued. "After the wrap, the technical folks stayed and played waffle ball in the street with us. It was an intense two days. When they left I had Trading Spaces withdrawal. I'd recommend the experience to anyone–regardless of how your house turns out."

Trading careers

Muffy Davis, whose 2002 Paralympic wins were in the downhill, super G, and giant slalom events, has retired from professional skiing. Since her 2002 turn in the Paralympics, Davis has been working as a motivational speaker, is writing on a book, and is a member of the staff of the University of Utah Rehabilitation Center in development and outreach.

This Spring, however, Davis and her husband plan to trade their lives in Salt Lake City for several months for other challenges. They are doing a world humanitarian tour during which will visit areas hit by the December 2004 tsunami to develop assistance for persons with disabilities who were caught in the disaster.

Edited by Mary-Louise Piner.