In with the Old

I literally made an IMDB account just to write a review on this show. It passes itself off as a revivalist/restoration home renovation show. But honestly all it does is exhibit obnoxiously pretentious people that basically modernize beautiful historic homes into these ugly Pinterest-esque monstrosities. I love historic homes and vintage/antique things in general and this show is insulting. The only reason I gave this show a rating of 4/10 rather than a 1/10 is because of the beginning of each episode that shows the original state of the featured home and the history behind it. Other than that it just aggravates me.

It's a shame to watch something that's outlined as being sensitive to old houses and their history, yet the show is filled with trendy, wanna be influencers who destroy so many perfectly good original features of all of these places. Original beadboard, tile, plumbing fixtures, windows and more is all destined for the landfill so these hipsters can get the latest Chinese made trend they've seen on Instagram and purchased at HHome Depot. Painful to watch as you realize that most of these girls are eyeing a potential hosting gig with Magnilia Network who produced the show. You see them creating look and learn projects for no other reason than to play TV host. No husbands, partners, or other experts/consultants seem to be willing yo say anything to slow these girls down from their own, personal old house destruction. This is original fabric that cannot be returned. The hippest, greenest way to restore a house is to KEEP as many original fixtures, finishes, etc as possible.

I love restoration stories, especially of beautiful buildings which have been abandoned. But I couldn't take more than 15 minutes of this show. Loads of "look how cute my family is" footage. Loads of "look how pretty the landscape around here is" footage. Not a lot on the design and construction of this project. And to top it all off, the narrator is vapid and annoying. So disappointed. Love the concept but hate the show.

The first episode was a real missed opportunity in what they shared about the adobe bricks. That is a technique created by indigenous people and the expert they had teaching them about it made it seem like it only came from the pioneers. I'd have loved to see some history there and not just a white-washed version. There is a whole lot of rich history in the US and I'd love to see more than just a narrow perspective of wealthy white influencers, we already get so much of that perspective all of the time. No shade to the designer, just thought this was a missed opportunity and wanted to voice this somewhere.

This will hurt the soul of those who love history and and classic architecture and design. The Pinterest idiots make a big deal about saving original features like natural wood and stone but then completely ruin it by painting it. They remove practical, functional upper kitchen cabinets to put up.. nothing? Bathrooms and kitchens look like they were done in an afternoon with stuff found in the clearance section of Lowe's. Pedestal sinks with no storage. To each his own but why destroy beautiful natural materials and classic architecture and style when you really want your place to look and feel like a 19 year old's first apartment?