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Trading Spaces Revisited
A Look Behind the Scenes as one Katy Family Renovates their
Trading Spaces Kitchen
© Katy Magazine - Katy, Texas 2005
September 15, 2005
By Karen Jaggers
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In Katy Magazine’s last issue we featured Trading Spaces Comes to Katy. Since then, there has been a great deal of interest in what happened since the show aired. One of the couples’ rooms was designed by Hildi Santo Tomas, who is
known for being one of Trading Spaces’ most outlandish designers. The other room, designed by Frank Bielec turned out to be everything the Queens expected and more. Robin Aranzas’s negative reaction on the show only enhanced the
episode’s popularity. The Trading Spaces message board received thousands of hits and sources say this was one of the most talked about shows in its history. Katy Magazine has received many requests asking us to follow up on the
Aranza family after their ‘reveal’. Here are some of questions many readers have asked since the show first aired.
You completely renovated your kitchen from Hildi's design. Why?
Robin Aranza: “Four words – It wasn’t our taste. The gold was so bland and overwhelming and there was so much of it. The tiled surfaces were rough and not user friendly. We make a huge mess in our kitchen when we cook. Our
countertops before, while they may have been Formica, were in essence solid surface for easy cleanup. That’s what a kitchen needs to be and our new one wasn’t.”
Frank Aranza: “If Mama ain’t happy – the house isn’t happy!”
It’s been a few months since the show aired. What is your overall view of your Trading Spaces experience?
Robin Aranza: “It was the ride of a lifetime. Never in a million years would have thought we’d get to have an experience like this. We love watching these kinds of shows on TV and would think, ‘Wouldn’t be fun to do
something like that?’ But then to actually get to do it???? What a blast!”
Frank Aranza: “Fantastic. It was great! Wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
What was it like seeing yourselves on television?
Robin Aranza: “It was so weird - -almost surreal to think that so many people were watching us. It’s not like watching yourself in home movies at all. I couldn’t believe I have so many wrinkles – aargh!!!”
Frank Aranza: “People are always telling me I look like Ray Romano and I don’t think I do after seeing myself on TV.”
What was the best part of doing Trading Spaces?
Robin Aranza: “Getting to know so many new and interesting people. The cast, crew, and everyone involved with the show are phenomenal people. Learning new techniques and seeing what goes on behind the scenes.”
Frank Aranza: “Meeting and working with Frank Bielec.”
What was the most difficult part?
Robin Aranza: “Not liking the room that was done for us. We had promised to be totally honest in our reactions for the ‘reveal’. We felt so bad that so much work had gone into its creation and that it was not workable for
our family.”
Frank Aranza: “Stripping the paint from the kitchen cabinets.”
Do people in Katy recognize you from the show?
Robin Aranza: “We’ve had a few people come up to us in stores and such saying they’d seen the show as well as the article in Katy Magazine. They always want to know, ‘Have you finished redoing the kitchen’?”
Frank Aranza: “Yes, some people have mentioned they saw me on the show.”
Are you and the Queen family still friendly?
Robin Aranza: “Oh yes! Our relationship was never in danger – we all went into this for the fun of the experience.”
Frank Aranza: “Yes – closer than ever.”
Is there anything else you’d like to mention?
Robin Aranza: “I still haven’t figured out how Hildi could have missed the mark in her design. She had advance access to interviews of us, photos, and footage of the inside of our home. She actually spent three days in our
home with our neighbors who personally know us. Our home is overwhelmingly traditional and the colors are shades of green, red, blue. While she is known for making dramatic changes in the rooms she designs I don’t believe she
takes into account what actually works for the families whom the room is being designed for. Lastly, why would she choose to paint solid oak cabinets and then use a color that was basically the same as they were? While the show
allows you to protect items we chose not to protect the cabinets since it would have been okay to re-stain them – just not paint them. Same on the countertops – keep them user friendly with low upkeep. If you watched the show you
saw where Frank Bielec involved us in every aspect of the room design we were doing for Mike and Janice. Not once did you see Hildi involving the Queens or asking them for ideas as to what we would like. The design was all hers –
but they did all the work.”
Frank Aranza: “I enjoyed my 15 minutes of fame.”
Epilogue: A Happy Ending
The Aranzas are delighted with their final renovation. Even though the Trading Spaces room was completely wrong for their family, the Aranzas say the Trading Spaces show was an experience of a lifetime.
Renovating a Trading Spaces Room
The Aranza’s spent almost a month remodeling their newly renovated kitchen. Here are some of the things they changed and kept from the Trading Spaces episode.
What Changed
*The wallpaper was removed and the wall was retextured and painted.
*The paint on the cabinets paint was removed and the cabinets were refinished.
*The countertop tiles were removed; granite was replaced with slate backboards.
What Stayed
*The light fixtures
*The sink
*The breakfast room table
Karen Jaggers is a freelance writer. She lives in Katy with her husband Mark and children Lauren and Dalton.
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