Why Reality Design Shows Should Be Bulldozed
A No-Vanilla Manifesto Mic-Drop on the Interior Design Industry's Most Insulting Reality Shows
Interior designers + home lovers, brace yourselves. This isn't a rant. It's a reckoning. Reality Design Shows aren’t just TV shows, they are relentless televised trainwrecks of taste, timelines, and talentless tyranny.
And it’s high time we called them for what they are: an insult to the craft we bleed for. If you love design, or worse, if you're trying to do it yourself, this one's for you.
Let me set the scene.
You’ve spent years studying spatial planning, materials, codes, human psychology, acoustics, lighting temperatures, heritage overlays, ergonomics, history, sustainability, art, composition, AND construction.
You've interned, apprenticed, drawn until your wrist cracked, and cried into your SketchUp file more than once.
You’ve helped real people with real budgets and real lives make real decisions about their real homes.
And then… The Reality Design Show!
A “reality” show where a bunch of amateur couples are handed an entire house and told to “design” it - one room per week. Cue the stress montages, budget blowouts, tantrums, and tradies patching up dodgy work just in time for “judging”.
Excuse me while I dry heave into a swatch book.
A Reality Design Show Is Not Interior Design—It’s Design Theatre
Design is not putting a few Kmart vases on a shelf and calling it “Scandi luxe”. It's not choosing the beige tile because "we ran out of time" or painting everything white so the room feels "fresh".
That's not design. That’s retail styling with a mild panic attack.
Design is intentional. Emotional. It’s responsive and layered and specific. It doesn’t happen on a stopwatch, and it sure as hell doesn’t happen between ad breaks and sponsorship promos.
On reality design shows, the only thing that’s consistently built well is tension.
“One Room A Week?”—Get Absolutely F#&ked
Kitchen design in a week? Installed by Friday?
Do you know how long proper kitchen design takes? Between spatial planning, custom cabinetry, benchtop lead times, joinery detailing, lighting coordination, appliance spec’ing, and trades scheduling—you’re looking at a minimum of 8–12 weeks. And that's before install.
On reality design shows, a kitchen materialises in 7 days like it’s summoned by design fairies. Who’s measuring twice and cutting once here? Spoiler: no one.
And, in my opinion, the results show. Poor ergonomics. Garbage sightlines. Lack of cohesion. Function? Forgotten. Just pop in a wine fridge and call it “luxury”. Give me strength.
And Now… Let’s Talk About the Sponsorship Elephant in the Room
If you thought any reality design show was a design challenge, think again. It's a glorified product placement bonanza wrapped in beige paint and budget drama.
Contestants don’t have free rein—they have sponsor obligations. That’s right. Need tapware that actually suits your space? Too bad. If it’s not on the approved brand list, you’re out of luck. Want that custom lighting fixture you saw in Milan? Sorry, mate, (insert sponsor here) is your god now.
It’s not about what's best for the space—it's about what’s best for airtime, brand visibility, and post-show sales. Designers who live and breathe authenticity are forced to watch these Frankenrooms stitched together with whatever was on sale, in stock, or "required by contract".
The result? Franken-designs that serve the sponsor more than the space.
The Tradie Trap: When Contestants Get All The Credit
And while we’re here, can we talk about the trades? The real unsung heroes. The chippies, sparkies, tilers, and plasterers pulling all-nighters to make a half-baked room look finished for judging. It’s their skills that hold the houses together. The contestants? They're off camera, having a D&M about how hard this is.
And then, come Sunday, the judges coo over a “vision” that was pulled from Pinterest and propped up by tradies in survival mode.
Meanwhile, trained, qualified interior designers across the country are being undermined. Clients walk in asking why we need six weeks for concept development when “The (insert any reality design show name here) contestants do it in two days.”
Because they’re not designers. And that’s not real.
Design Is Not a Game Show
Design is nuanced. It involves listening, interpreting, problem-solving, layering, planning, budgeting, and collaborating. You can’t skip straight to cushions and call it done. And you certainly don’t need to turn it into a gladiatorial contest with a $100K prize to make it meaningful.
We’re not here for shock reveals or sob stories. We’re here to make spaces that work, that hold lives, that tell stories—slowly, beautifully, thoughtfully.
Every single reality design show cheapens that. And it cheapens us.
So, What’s the Alternative?
Hire a qualified designer. Not your cousin with an eye for beige.
Plan for real timelines. Great design takes time.
Respect the process. Good design is quiet magic—it doesn’t scream in “room reveals”.
Know your worth. If you’re a designer, stop apologising for being professional. You’re not a contestant. You’re an expert. Own it.
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In Case You Scrolled Too Fast:
Reality design shows are NOT interior design, they are glossy design cosplay.
Real design takes time, intention, and experience—not crash deadlines and competitive crying.
It disrespects the profession, misleads the public, and encourages unrealistic client expectations.
And it’s sponsored to the teeth—meaning product choice is about what’s paid for, not what’s best.
Interior designers are not contestants. We’re collaborators, craftspeople, visionaries.
The only thing we should be demo’ing is the credibility of those shows.
Call to Action:
Done with design delusions?
Book a real consultation with a real interior designer; me! Whether you’re in Adelaide or on Zoom, I’ll help you design a space that doesn’t just “reveal”—it reverberates.
→ [Book Your Consultation Today]
→ [Zoom Design Session Available]
Let’s create a space that screams you—not “Prime Time Filler”.
Did You Know:
Did you know that many reality design show contestants aren’t even allowed to do most of the physical work due to union regulations? That’s right. The very “DIY reno heroes” trope is a farce. They have teams of tradies working behind the scenes to meet deadlines. It’s less "weekend warrior", more "project manager with a GoPro."
THIS Is a Reality Design Show I’d Watch:
Imagine a reality show where the contestants are real interior designers who get six months to renovate a heritage manor, with no time constraints, a real client brief, and the only prize is the client's tears of joy.
It’s called The Soul of the Space. There’s no judging panel. Just a golden retriever named Charli, a glass of champagne, and a reveal that brings goosebumps.
Now that’s reality.
Are you a fan of reality design shows? Or not? Why? I’d love to know your thoughts.
Love, Penelope xx
The Anti-Blah Campaigner