Haahahahaa! Karen this is SO funny. I'm bursting into laughter reading these posts again, and remembering writing and reading them at the time. Well done! And my favourite part about Martha Stewart dropping in with her dish towel parachute!!! WAY too funny!

Thanks for all your hard work Karen! Can't wait to read it in its entirety. Jodi-

thanks for the thoughts and suggestions. oaktown and writersblock, I love the idea of a projector! I hadn't even though about that. We're calling an AV person to see if they can help us with that. louisana, you're correct, the wall between the open kitchen/family/dining does not fully separate the living room, so there will be sound transfer. Actually, one of the bedrooms does not have a wall going to the ceiling so there is a lot of noise carrying around the space. Here's how the space is laid out (pre-remodel): ineffable, I'm a TV listener too. We have Sonos speakers we've installed in the house and I could be perfectly happy just listening to Pandora and watching Downton Abbey and SNL on my iPad, but my husband would be so lost without a TV of his own. tom_nwnj, thanks for the recs -- I will check them out. Good luck with the remodel! robotropolis, thanks! I like the idea of putting all the comfy seating in the formal living room and just making the den/space next to the kitchen just a "lounge" area -- for drinking wine, playing games, etc. I think it would significantly enhance our use of the house as we don't currently use the living room. That room is bathed in light most of the day and has the best views of any room in the house -- it seems like a waste not to utilize it. linelle, we were just visiting friends recently and they had a TV (LARGE ones!) in every room, including several of the bathrooms. The owners both work in the entertainment industry, but it was slightly overkill. karenseb, thanks for the nice words. In our upcoming kitchen renovation, we plan on replacing the double ovens with a pantry as we have no pantry and limited food storage space. A tv at the end of the bar is still definitely an option if we can recess it -- we're going to have an AV person come out to measure. If all else fails a TV in the master bedroom is an option, but I'm not generally a fan of TVs in bedrooms.

The only reason why I watch HGTV any more is if I'm channel surfing and need a breather for a couple of minutes. I don't need to watch anything for long because I know exactly what people will say ("needs updating," "stainless," "granite," "open concept") and because the end product is so predictible - and so predictibly soulless. Like someone said, it's the Target look. Plus, like some have mentioned, it's the lack of respect for perfectly good rooms. Oh, excuse me, perfectly good "spaces." I have seen a few shows in which original details, usually done in good materials and that have a certain amount of interest (not to mention, fit the style and period of the house) are ripped out in order to "update." I've seen it on both Love It or List It and on Property Brothers. What's both amusing and sad is that viewers are being spoonfed a bill of unpalatable goods. First, they're led to believe that every house they buy or live in needs "updating." That of course, costs money, money that they might not (probably do not) have to spend. I know - we all realize the whole point of these shows is to get people into stores for expensive things like countertops, cabinets, stainless steel whatevers; to get them to redo entire rooms, especially kitchens and bathrooms. My opinion: Closely related is that the shows lead people to believe there's no other way to decorate their houses. Like decordummy says, what about antiques? The irony is that if you flip through Architectural Digest, World of Interiors, Antiques & Fine Art, and other magazines like those, you'll see both antiques and ornamentation/anti-Target look. That's not to say there's nothing contemporary, but houses in those magazines show individuality, creativity, they reflect a personality and point of view - even when the look has been 100% created by the designer. The other amusing but not-really-funny aspect of the HGTV philosophy is the whole "open concept" thing. I sure hope first-time home buyers, particularly people who buy new houses, understand what's going on with that. What a scam, if you ask me. What a gift to home builders, and with the buyers paying the bill! Same square footage, but what's missing with those "open concept" houses? Doors, walls, moldings, hardware, trim, and all the other things that define actual rooms. Instead, people are paying the same amount per square foot for "spaces." I've wandered a little OT, but not entirely, I hope. Oh, and will someone please mail those property brothers a decent shaver?