Design Solutions the Gen Way

ProblemA girly bedroom in pastel hues and saccharine-sweetflorals puts a cramp in therecent engagement of a fun-loving, 20-something Missouri couple.

A gender-friendly love nestwhere hard edges and leatherstraps mingle with luscious red roses, deep earthy walls,and a favorite painting of asexy pink lady in a big,Baroque gold frame.

A Colorado couple with apassion for food andentertaining long for a kitchenwith more zest than the blandwhite and gray palette they’vecooked up.

Bright plum wine walls basedon the colorful heart of anartichoke speak “vigor, food,life” against the soft, faded,leaf green of vanilla-sagecabinets and black accents ofappliances, pots, and pans.

None. Nada. Zip.

A Scrabble

The romanceof gauchos(cowboys of theArgentine pampas)

An artichoke

(boiled and peeled)

A cavernous bedroom in a NewOrleans neighborhood ofrecent construction needs a“big easy” dose of one-of-a-kind character.

So-so shabby chic. LamentsGen, “Without an inspirationpoint, I felt like I was mockinga style that already existed.Not my favorite room.”

With a big TV and a floatingkeg refrigerator, a Philadelphiahusband’s basementsanctuary looks more like acollection of his wife’sthrowaways than his ownfunctional, masculine style.

A man’s play station inhandsome taupes and brownsfeaturing painted grids, a wall-length wet bar, framedgameboards, and “triple wordpoint” pillows made by sewingblack stars onto pink pillows.

SolutionInspiration

What do a gorgeous garnet ring, a steaming bowl of Thai chicken soup,and a box of Cuban cigars all have in common? They’ve all inspiredGen’s room designs. Some other unlikely inspiration sources:

with what she says felt like 3,000, but in the middle of a crowd, she

knew deep inside that the moment was hers.

Now on the road for Trading Spaces every month, Gen has her own

reality-based platform to break down that old TV stereotype of interior

decorators. Her greatest pet peeve? Rooms that are all image and no

comfort. “That’s what makes design look petty,” she argues. Meaningful

design to her mind is “experiential.” It means embracing memories and

passions and dissecting them for hints of color, form, smells, and

texture: Remembering an island honeymoon, for instance, and asking

yourself, “What color of blue was that water?”

A strong desire to savor a moment is what drove Gen to blindfold

one of her little brothers on his sixteenth

birthday and drive him to Niagara Falls,

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game board

I’ll have the soup du jour with a touch of modern sophistication, please. Consistent with most of her redecorating projects, Gen’s designfor this Washington, D.C., living room had an unusual inspiration—a steaming bowl of Thai noodle soup. The warm yellow walls andwindow treatments hint at a savory broth; the wicker ottomans, framed art, and sisal floor coverings mimic the tight texture of thenoodles. Throw in a dash of red and russet pillows for spice, and the result is a room that hits the spot.

I think it’s important whenever you do something that’s remotelyhip…that you are able to update. Otherwise you’re stuck in

something that becomes very passé.“ ”revealing the spectacular scene before him

at the exact minute of his birth. “Gifts are

gifts, but a sight like that will stay with

you forever,” she beams. Her passion also

fuels an almost evangelical drive to make

audiences take a utility knife to their

family photos—an integral part of almost

all Gen’s rooms. The majority of episodes

feature Gen cropping or manipulating a

homeowner’s snapshots, inspired by the

conviction that a whole scene is not half as

resonant as an enlarged look at the corner

of someone’s smile.

Children’s art also fuels her creativity

because it’s authentic. Thinking like an adult is

limiting, according to Gen, whose goal is to

approach objects and materials with the same

Yes, she really does work this way! Before Gen even sees a Trading Spaces room she’ll bedesigning, she marks up photos of the room with black marker, numbering each“problem area.” She then tackles each problem by offering a specific solution in hernotes. Numbered sketches detail graphic solutions.

before

after

The homeowners of this living room were not afraid ofbold color—they just needed to unify the room’s look.Gen’s selection of bold Scandinavian hues now hasvisual “pop” against snow white woodwork and trim.

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”Conversation with Gen could get interesting. She asked me whatmy name would be if I were a girl. —Brad Loftus (Indiana: River Valley Drive)“ sense of play that allows a 6-

year-old to invent 100

games from the same

cardboard box. This

approach is what made

Gen see a man’s tie as

a curtain tieback (a

pun, no less); it’s also

how she got the idea to

turn a tall shelving unit

on its side and add wheels

to create a mod coffee table. “I

hate shopping,” she laments while speeding up her cart

and jumping on to catch a brief ride. “It’s just not

creative. You’re always working from what’s in front of

you rather than from your imagination.”

Staying open to inspiration means being flexible. Gen’s

own apartment walls have seen five colors during the last

four years. She rearranges her furniture often. At the

moment, her favorite color is a desert red, warm and

almost orange. She saw it first in Morocco and recognized

it again while driving through New Mexico. A self-

proclaimed gypsy, Gen spends her downtime either

traveling or planning her

next big trip. Prague is

next, or maybe Cuba.

Though not an avid

souvenir collector, she

has a small bull

collection that includes a

special find taken from a

Barcelona wall. Instead of

tearing off the latest bullfight

Back to the hotel after a long day taping another episode

advertisement, she patiently chipped away at its edges to

remove layer upon layer of posters at one time. They

now hang stuck together on her apartment wall as an

archaeological homage to the traditional Spanish pastime.

As for what Genevieve may attempt tomorrow, all

you can expect is to be surprised. The only designer to

don roller skates in order to paint a ceiling, Gen enjoys

how Trading Spaces has given her the freedom to

grow and expand her own design studio (self-named gg

Studios). Her own line of hip greeting cards is a

success, and she has big hopes for a new line of blue

jeans. Others might consider Gen a dabbler in different

industries, but she sees continuity in every venture.

Asked by a college freshman what design classes she

should take for a career like Gen’s, Gen answers,

“Study everything—not just design but history,

languages, math—and travel. Be a strong person; then

you can be a strong designer.”

Travel

Children’s Art

Often overlooked, it’s the first part of a room to affect yourbrain’s level of happiness-inducing serotonin. Kill the overheador add a dimmer switch. Think accent lamps and sconces.

From romantic silver to sleek chrome, every room needs a little polish.No metal in sight? Buff some cream-based metallic polish on anything that ticklesyour fancy.

No, not that stiff, cucumber pose you strike in front of monuments to document tripsto distant cities; instead, snap and frame artful remembrances of defining lines,curves, and experiences.

Crop it, frame it—and face it, it’s usually more imaginative than anything an adultmind could conceive.

Stay in one place your whole life and what have you got? One palette. Keep on themove and on the lookout for inspiration and color.

Lighting

Metals

Quick and easy tricksto perk up yourrooms.Gen’s Top 5 Mood Enhancers

Photography

Off-camera, candy-red heels put a bounce in her step.

95On the set, Gen is fun-loving but focused. Meeting fans, shopping fordynamite accessories, filming how-to segments, and swapping designerhorror stories with Edward are all part of the daily grind.