The Johnsons and the Rosarios switched houses last week and for 48 hours could not go home.
"Not a problem. It's like going away for a trip," said Brad Johnson as he used a paint roller to cover the walls in four-year-old Mikey Rosario's bedroom with bright blue. "It's all part of the experience."
The high-ceilinged room was furnished with a set of staging lights, a ladder and cans of paint and empty of toys and any kind of furniture. Two houses down on Gentle Heights Court in Ashburn, the Rosarios talked with designer Kia Steave-Dickerson about their plans to give the Johnson's bedroom a maharaja feel.
"They travel a lot," said Charisse Rosario, adding that she wanted the room to have a romantic look while providing a reading area for Rachel Johnson, who likes to read. "I think it's a little paradise in itself. It's a room separate from the rest of the house."
As neighbors watched, camera crews from Philadelphia company Banyan Productions moved from house to house filming the company's designers, the carpenter staff and the two couples at work. The filming was for an episode of the "Trading Spaces" television series, which airs daily on The Learning Channel (TLC). With the help of the two couples, staff from Banyan Productions painted on Thursday and finished the decorating on Friday, using furniture, supplies and materials within a $1,000 budget.
THE SHOW is based on two neighbors switching homes for two days and decorating a room the homeowners select. Two designers from the eight-member team arrive to the homes with a design idea, seeking input from the residents' neighbors on the final design.
"It's the ultimate neighborhood gossip show," said Denise Cramsey, executive producer of "Trading Spaces" for Banyan Productions. "Everyone wants to know what goes on in their neighbors' houses. ... Now, people are turning their attention to home and neighbors. People turn it on and see themselves."
At the same time, Cramsey said, the neighbors have no idea what is going on in their own homes. The show creates suspense on whether they will like the rooms once the neighbors and work crews are finished with the work, she said.
"That I like it, that's what I'm hoping for," Brad said.
Charisse Rosario selected her son's bedroom as a second choice when her first choice was turned down for too high of ceilings. "It's a room that's partially decorated and needs more oomph to it," she said. "I just wanted it to include his imagination, which is wild, and to be functional."
Hildi Santo Tomas of Atlanta, Ga. designed Mikey's bedroom with a camping scenario, pitching a tent in the middle of the room and installing a rock climbing wall, along with placing stars throughout the room.
"We wanted to give him a good room," said Brad, who admitted he was an "addict" of the show at the influence of Rachel. "I humored her and signed the application. Mike did, too," he said about the application Rachel and Charisse submitted last April to be on the show. "I didn't expect to get picked. ... It's pretty exciting actually. It's publicity man."
"It's awesome. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Charisse said. "It's like winning the lotto."
BANYAN PRODUCTIONS has produced 60 episodes in 15 cities and municipalities since the company took over the series in May 2001. The series premiered in September 2000.
The Gentle Heights Court episode is expected to air in mid-October. Episodes typically air six weeks to two months after the filming. Each episode premiers Saturday at 8 p.m. The show airs daily at 4 p.m., at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and at 12 p.m. on Sundays.