25 Vintage Trading Spaces Pictures That Will Give You Serious TLC Flashbacks

Updated on 4/7/2018 at 12:40 PM

Once upon a time, before Honey Boo Boo, Jon and Kate, and even Cody and his wives, TLC was commonly known as The Learning Channel. It was a magical place where you learned to revamp rooms in your neighbors' homes using materials that a wacky designer may have found at a party store. (That's if you were lucky and didn't get Hildi, who wanted to use sand or something.)

Trading Spaces ran from 2000 to 2008, and gave us such treasures as carpenter Ty Pennington, who went on to host Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Paige Davis was the face of the series, and she blessed us with her winning smile and clever one-liners beginning in season two. (True fans remember Alex McLeod as the host of the first season!)

Now that the channel is rebooting the design series for another go-around, we're looking back on the original episodes. Be warned that these pictures will remind you just how much has changed since the series first premiered!

Here's (Part of) the Crew: Vern, Larie, Frank, Ty, and Paige

Each show only used two designers from its pool; one for each room.

Paige Davis Was the Host With the Most, and Her Short Haircut Was Inspiring

I Always Liked Frank, Because He Reminded Me of Al From Home Improvement

There's Also Genevieve and Douglas, aka the Cool Ones

Look at This Badass

Rick Rifle (Real Name) Loved Shiny Shirts

Kia Steave Was Tasteful AF, Despite Whatever Is Happening Here

Carter Was the Carpenter Who Wasn't Ty Pennington

Who orchestrated this gallery photo??

And Then There Was the Crown Jewel, Ty Pennington

Aka Cable TV's Sexiest Carpenter

Hildi Freakin' Santo-Tomas

This Woman Is a Trading Spaces Legend

I will never, NEVER, forget the room she covered in hay.

Here's Paige and Hildi in the Early Years

Rockin' those bobs.

Give Me a Picture That Screams "Early 2000s TLC" More Than This One

They Used Hi-Tech Design Strategies, Like Gluing Things to Other Things

Honestly, They Were Always Doing Unforgivable Things to Ceilings

. . . and Lamps

At Least Frank Tried to Work With His Clients (er, Their Neighbors)

Unlike some people who just did whatever they wanted . . . yeah, you, Hildi.

Every Episode, They Had to Pose For Pictures Like This

And Then, There Were the Rooms

MY GOD, THE ROOMS.

This Is an After Photo

Can you imagine seeing this on TLC today?

This Is Also an After Photo

Where circus dreams go to die.

THIS IS AN AFTER PHOTO!

Here's Another Angle, Because You Need to See That Wardrobe

And Finally, Here's a Palatte Cleanser

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