Artscene Oakville Beaver · WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2006 19 HGTV crew paints the kitchen red By Catherine O'Hara SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Ever wondered what would happen if you allowed your children to work with two designers to revamp a room in your home, without any parental supervision? Bill and Suzanne Fretz found out when their daughters Jodi, 27, and Kate, 24 convinced the producers of HGTV's My Parents House, that their parents' kitchen lacked warmth and deserved a makeover. As a result the crew of My Parents House invaded the Silverthorn Drive home April 3-7. More than 20 crew members were given freedom to create the Fretz family's ideal cooking space. While Bill and Suzanne were staying at the Sheraton Hotel in Toronto, Jodi and Kate alongside My Parents House's design team completely gutted their kitchen, transforming it into a functional, modernized milieu for all family members to enjoy. Designers Emmanuel Belliveau and Andrika Lawren formulated a plan to please all members of the family and added their own touches. Some may remember Lawren when she was the on-camera designer for Much Music's Much In Your Space decorating show, as well as a guest designer on HGTV's Homes To Go. Belliveau, on the other hand, played the employment field working in kinesiology and flight attending, before following his designing passion from Vancouver to Toronto. Before beginning the project, Belliveau and Lawren drafted their designs onto boards, which were then presented to the Fretz daughters. Their plan for the wall was a beautiful, bright, but bold shade of red -- Coral Red. "We were both so shocked," said Kate. "I didn't think they were going to use red." "The red was definitely what I CATHERINE O'HARA / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER RIGHT AT HOME: My Parents House designers Emmanuel Belliveau and Andrika Lawren with Jodi and Kate Fretz in the brand new kitchen of their parents home. noticed first," said Jodi. "It's some- reflect their parents and add charac- modern look. thing so far from what my parents ter to the space. Belliveau and Lawren incorporatwould actually choose for themselves, Their father is fond of cooking and ed only the highest end appliances I don't think they would ever have the their mother enjoys baking. and fixtures available on the market, courage to pick that colour." The design team chose to provide which Lawren said is a tribute to their After overcoming the boldness of more counter space by adding a large great suppliers. the wall colour, the girls described island. The fridge and dishwasher were how much they both loved the design Since their father loves knives; the the only appliances that the design and the concept created. design team inspired the girls to cre- team kept in the room. The rest of According to Belliveau, the design ate a corkboard with knives painted the Fretz family's kitchen was sent to layout was created in one week's across its surface. At the top of the the dump. time. "Picking out our finishes, the board, Dad's catch phrase "Can I "The kitchen had no character," back-splash as well as the granite is make a suggestion?" was displayed, said Lawren. In turn, the design team what took more time." adding a touch of humour to the created a wonderful, functional Working on an accelerated time- project. space, with a lot of personal touches line, Lawren said both Belliveau and The girls also focused on Mom's for the Fretz family. herself worked non-stop. "It's design- passion for baking. Not only do the designers proing in tandem," she added. "There was a play on the fact that duce an appealing product for their The family mainly inspired the Mom has a love for bread," said clients, they give the family a good, design. Lawren. "There is a lot of bread in the reliable product. "We have to main"We design for our clients, meet- room, just for Mom." tain integrity in our work," said ing them beforehand to determine The sisters, with the help of the Belliveau. what their likes and dislikes are," said design team, created new light fix"We are very hands on," said Belliveau. tures out of wine bottles. This idea Lawren. "We not only oversee the "It is important for us and for the was inspired by their parents' love for design, we help get the job done." show to incorporate the family back wine. The bottoms of wine bottles With only four days to complete into the room," said Lawren. were cut out. The bottles were then the project, Belliveau described the Jodi and Kate took part in crafts hung from the kitchen ceiling, above undertaking as controlled chaos, but chosen for the room to personally the island, creating an original and admitted the insane environment is part of the fun. "We are making a show and providing a design," said Lawren. "We are combining two things together, it's crazy." The design team was on set at the Fretz family's home 17 to 20 hours per day. "We couldn't have done it without the electrician and the plumber staying way beyond the call of duty," said Belliveau. "There is definitely a satisfaction in our timeline," said Lawren. "We are designing a room in three days and working with an incredible team that is also shooting a television show around it." Midway through day four of the project, sisters Jodi and Kate as well as the design team were exhausted. The parents arrived April 7 in the late afternoon for the unveiling of their new dream kitchen. Cathy Hansen, producer of My Parents House, was present. "The parents were absolutely delighted with their new kitchen," said Hansen. "It was a complete shock for them." Kate and Jodi were especially apprehensive about Mom's reaction regarding the Coral Red walls, but to everyone's surprise, she loved the colour. "Mom loves the design. It's something they never would have thought of," said Hansen. "The room actually appears bigger and has a much better work flow for this gourmet family." The family is ecstatic about the new space and was quite anxious to start cooking. The Fretz family's episode is expected to air in the month of June. My Parents House is looking for more homes within the GTA and surrounding area to tackle as their next project. If you have one or more siblings, you are eligible to enter your parents' home for the show by applying online at www.hgtv.ca -Casting Call link. SOME APPOINTMENTS CAN'T BE RESCHEDULED. Switch to Cogeco High Speed Internet for Business. 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