HGTV stars (and a tiny home!) draw DIYers to free event this Sat.
The Finkelsteins of ‘Cheap Old Houses’ fame match up with the artsy couple behind the ‘shiphouse on wheels’ (it'll be here!) for a DIY dream event.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — Upstate New York stans Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein live in Washington County, filmed an entire season of HGTV’s Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old House in the Capital Region, and feature stunning homes in towns such as Kingston and Greenwich in their new stunner of a book, Cheap Old Houses (named after the TV show that made them famous).
It’s the latter that landed them a spot as headliners at the Saratoga Book Festival, hitting the Saratoga Music Hall at 2:30 p.m. Saturday for an hour-long chit-chat. They’ll be joined by the artsy couple behind the “shiphouse on wheels” tiny home — which will be parked at Ben & Jerry’s for the entirety of the festival.
The session, “Not an Ordinary House,” will talk about the Cheap Old Houses movement — in addition to TV fame, it’s a viral sensation of 3 million on Instagram, too — that helps renovation fans create their own slice of homey heaven.
And if you happen upon the tiny home parked at Ben & Jerry’s? Its owners, Chloe Barcelou and Brandon Batchelder, will be at the Music Hall, too. The building of their “shiphouse on wheels” (think feminine tulle paired with industrial chic for their own twist on the steampunk aesthetic) was featured on HGTV’s Tiny House Big Living. The TikTok stars can’t wait to talk about their dream home!
I’ll be moderating, so expect a lively conversation covering everything from market trends to where — in that tiny home — Chloe keeps all of the steampunk outfits she wears on TikTok.
For more information, visit friends.sspl.org.
Keep reading about this weekend’s Saratoga Book Festival!
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Storybook magic: Book Fest’s (free!) KidZone claims its own event