Trading Spaces in Barcroft

The TV show Trading Spaces came to Barcroft in October, 2002. Here are the finished photos:

Torrey and Cheryll Hairston's room

Sean and Elaine Perkins' room

And here is the story!

Trading Spaces Comes to Barcroft

If you were near the First Road homes of Sean & Elaine Perkins and Torrey & Cheryll Hairston around the first weekend in September, you may have noticed an unusual amount of activity occurring— lights, crowds, decorating and television equipment, filming crews. Those who came to check out the scene were treated to a live taping of one of the most popular shows on cable television: Trading Spaces.

The theme of the show, which is seen on The Learning Channel, centers on two neighbors taking over a room in each other’s home and redecorating it completely, with the help and persistent advice of a professional decorator. Participants are not allowed to see how their own rooms have been re-done until both places are completely finished. Participants are responsible for carrying out most of the work and must stay within a specified, non-exorbitant budget.

The designers on the show have a reputation for foisting unusual tastes or over-the-top looks into otherwise ordinary households; in one memorable episode, a woman seeing her redecorated living room for the first time burst into tears. Nonetheless, the show receives over 400 applications a day from people eager to appear on the show.

Both the Hariston and Perkins families have lived in Barcroft about four years. While watching Trading Places, they noticed that the homes featured for the swaps were usually newer homes, not the older brick colonial styles seen in Arlington. They joked about applying, and came up with innovative ways to get their application noticed, but finally just entered a normal online application in December. After seven long months, they were shocked to receive a call from the show.

The culling session was intense; the couples were first selected from a large group, then cut to a group of 15, and then the final cut selected the top six teams. Each level demanded long phone interviews, videos, pictures, and for the final round, the team had a site visit from the show lasting seven hours. “At that point,” said Cheryll, “we knew we were lucky just to have made it that far, but we could really taste the final victory.” They soon received noticed that they were to be featured on the show.

The master bedroom was chosen as the room to be redecorated in both households. The weekend of taping was hectic, busy, a blur of activity. Many, many people came by to see the event; one woman drove up from Fredericksburg just to catch a glimpse of the proceedings.

By the third day, everyone felt anxious. The “reveal” moment, when each couple would see their new rooms, was not until 8:30PM on the final night.

Cheryll admits that their designer scared them with his choices. The Perkins had wanted a single, warm color; the designer pulled out a medium gray and then proceeded to accent with dark, dark brown. A massive headboard and armoire were added, painted in the same dark brown. “I thought, they’re going to hate this,” said Cheryll. “At one point, I told the designer the rooms was as dark as the depths of hell.”

But... The Perkins love their new room, and the Haristons are pleased with theirs as well. Both were surprised but happy with their new rooms, which were decorated in a fashion they would never have considered beforehand. “The only thing we might change,” said Cheryll, “is the spray-painted squiggly lines on all four walls of our room. They are done to look like ribbons— and it is nice— but maybe one wall would be enough.”

The Barcroft episode of Trading Places will air on Nov. 2 at 9 PM on The Learning Channel. You can check out the show on their Web site.

This page was revised on: July 29, 2006.