Design Star Challenge 7, My Thoughts

Well, I have to say first - there is a difference between a landscape designer and an interior designer, with that said - I'm in shock at how this project actually had the biggest overall before/after transformation while the interior projects seemed to really fizzle.

The task: transform 10,000 sq. ft. of unusable backyard space into a modern oasis for a young family hoping to entertain, cook, play, and well - anything else that you might do in a back yard. The result:

Thankfully the pool existed, and whoever had the idea to pour the concrete to create a patio area around the pool was really thoughtful to a couple of things: 1) the pool needed deck/patio space, and this was a great solution because 2.) it helped to separate the pool area from the rest of the space, give it it's own corner, and it really ate up a lot of the yard. Not a bad thing in a space this big.

Unfortunately, it's just blah bland concrete. About as pretty as the side of a concrete building blocking your view of the ocean. Why they didn't opt to stamp the concrete, stain it, paint it, tint it before it was poured is beyond me.

With that said, let's get to the real problem with the space:

The $11,000 pergola. Now, let me say that Dan was my favorite and my hands down winner of the show this year. But with the blatant lying, the decision to spend 1/2 of a budget on a cheap looking pvc pergola ... I'm not excited. I 'm not impressed, and I think he should have gone home.

Similarly, I believe that it's time for Antonio to step back a few paces and stop running the challenges like a bookie. Last night I had an anonymous commenter who said: Cannot stand Antonio. Loved Lonni's comment, "arrogance and stupidity" he's definitely the arrogant one....would never want to watch his show....he just puts everyone else down.

I COMPLETELY AGREE!

Thankfully though, the snips from next weeks show seem to show Lonni really coming into her own. Oh how I long to see a real designer space ... that star rated room that the title promises us. Will we see it?

DS6 - "This Job is about Hosting, anyway"

Cue Artie's jaw dropping. The minute that I heard Jason say: "This job is about hosting anyway" I nearly fell out of my chair! The challenge wasn't about hosting. The job as "Design Star" isn't about hosting. The challenge was to design a room for a child client - one that they would live in, love, but more importantly would show that the person who designed it was indeed a designer.

IF this was a competition about hosting, the name of the show would be "Who wants Clive Pearse's job!" The final 5 seemed to have the same issues they've always had: not enough time.

Dan. My poor Dan. I loved some of the elements that he used this week, considering his client. The young environmentalist wanted a green room, and with the new bamboo floors, reclaimed items and re-used pieces he scored big with on green points. The things that I thought he missed:

1. The finishing touches. I hope he didn't intend to leave the platform base raw pine. The clouds on the mirror were really unnecessary, so I'm actually glad to see that he didn't get time to etch that mirror. Unfortunately though, the tape remains.
2. The colors. I'm not so sure about the greens and blues that he used. I'm a fan of the fuchsia, and I think that it's a great compliment to some of the other details. But the green blue combination seems like the colors are fighting against each other, instead of working with each other.
3. The client wanted something that was "earthy" and this room doesn't read that to me. Even with the blue and green paint.

Torie. You know, her idea for the loft bed with the desk under it was great! I loved the blue with the touch of orange/red, even the "name in lights" concept was a good one. What I didn't like:

1. What's with that fabric? I know that she intended for something else. When she first mentioned it she said "basket weave pattern" and so my guess is that Torie simply ran out of time.

Antonio. Oh Antonio, finally finally finally. Someone took an out of the box idea and proved that there is some potential. What I loved:

1. The rocks. Fantastic.
2. The bed. Storage is such a great thing in a kids room - and he really recognized that.
3. The decals.

You know, I had sorta left Antonio out of my book of potential winners, but he has certainly proven with this room that he has great ideas and loads of potential.

Lonnie. You know, even labeled a one trick pony due to her wall treatments, I think that Lonnie took a room that looked so drab and boring, and made it feel like a young and comfortable room for a guy that will last a long while. Pieces like that ottoman, and the desk will be pieces that her client can take with him to apartments, and even into his first home. I think overall:

1. Lonnie scored a homerun in her design, and in her hosting. I was rather impressed.

And then there was Jason. In his exit interview, Jason said he was embarrassed. America hadn't gotten to see his design style, and even though I understand that, it wasn't because he didn't have a chance to show us.

Saturday night, at a wonderful party my friend "Margaret" and her husband had, I got into an interesting conversation with my landscape designer neighbor about this season's cast. We both recognized how difficult it must be to have that sort of stress on your creative flow, but we agreed that it was also the true test of a design star to be able to creatively think and express an idea even "on your toes". So that's my closing question this week. Who has it?

Design Star Challenge 5, My Thoughts

Is it just me? Am I that picky? Are my expectations really too high? Even with the rooms turning out the best of any group challenge rooms of the season, I was still left scratching my head wondering where were the designer touches, the ideas, implements, and combinations that leave you saying: "WOW, now that's a Design Star!"?

Nathan, Lonni, and Jason tackled the family room of a military family in military base housing. Vanilla to the core, this room was one that needed to provide tons of function as well as tons of style. In the end, the room turned out like this:

Not bad, right? Just, not great. Jason was in charge of the shopping, and he's a pretty good shopper, especially if you're into an eclectic mix (which I am). But being a pretty good shopper doesn't mean you're a pretty good designer. Likewise, Nathan, who had a great concept for the entertainment unit which was built to hide and compartmentalize the gaming systems and their components, didn't have the ability to complete the project in a reasonable period of time. Leaving the team ultimately out of time, with a plan that hadn't been completely executed. Lonni did a great job with her Chevron painting on the dining room wall, but, as beautiful as it was - and really spot on for the homeowners, it looked to be like too much work for the time that they were allotted. The fault in this room didn't lay in the hands of one person who mismanaged their time, but in the hands of the group - which seemed more interested in single contributions than the finished product.

What they left out:

1. A desk, or a space for computer gaming - which was expressed as a need by the client. The reason: there wasn't enough TIME to put the desk together. Now, of course, Nathan got blamed for the desk - and rightfully so to some degree. He had volunteered to put it together, and he didn't make sufficient use of the time he had. BUT, knowing the degree of the challenge, and the time constraints, the shopper (Jason) could have opted for a desk that was not build-it-yourself.
2. Curtain rods. Genevieve said it just when I did - "Buy a dowel from the hardware store" and then pan camera back to Jason who suddenly got it - just a little too late. Even the homeowner noticed that they didn't have any privacy (where the houses are less than 3' from each other) because the drapes were stationary.
3. Personality. Drama. The IT factor.

Now, I like Jason, I like everyone who is in the competition at this point. Did I narrow down my choices of people to go home to include him? Yes. Did it also include Nathan? Yes. Did they send the right person home? I'm not sure.

After some on camera tussling, Torie, Dan, and Antonio finally seemed to be working as a unit to complete this space:

Which of course ended up getting many of the raving reviews of the night, and I agree with the judges. The space is interesting, colorful, textural, and it relates to something, and someone. The idea for the two televisions is genius - not only functional, but really cool! I love the clean lines of the sofa, the color, the size, the shape. It's great, and the collection of colors is really very well executed. There isn't much here: brown, green, and blue. All colors we see and feel in nature everyday - the perfect compliment to the homeowner, who wanted a "neutral" space.

What I didn't like:

1. I wasn't so sure about the artwork hanging to either side of the smaller television. Not only was it not hung level, but it seemed to really sort of compete for attention with the other items in the space. I think without them, the space would have read more clean, and fit better into the other lines in the space. (i.e., that sofa, and the linear wall unit.)

What I loved:

1. Well, obviously the colors, but also the way that even with some pushing from Antonio, they gave the client a neutral and inviting space without giving her tan or brown. So good for them.

What I would have done differently:

1. Not much, actually. I thought it was the better of the two rooms, and with the exception of the two pieces of art on either side of the smaller television - I think that everything here really works well together.

Now, do I think that this room has the "IT" factor? No, not really. Many of my blogging friends have living rooms nicer than these, that they did with less money, and fewer hands helping. So, I hope I don't sound too harsh when I say, when will the design STARS emerge?

Design Star Episode 4 : My Thoughts

YAY! I'm finally "unlocked" and there is no message threatening to delete the contents of my blog indefinitely. Thank you to everyone who wrote to google on the blog's behalf. Many of you have sent your returned emails to me, and it's humbled me greatly to know how much you enjoy reading everyday. Now, onto Design Star:


I'll start out with this: They sent the right people home ... and I think that everyone would agree. As for everything else, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed. With the blog being "blocked" by spam seeking robots, and a heavy project that I am knee deep in, I've had very little time to watch television leaving me completely free of any episode teasers HGTV might have aired during the week. So when I sat down, ice cream in hand, to watch this weeks episode I was excited to see how the designers would handle this challenge.


The idea was to make useable, livable space out of a detached garage, evidently while keeping the function of a garage, i.e., those ugly doors can not be replaced by a series of gorgeous french doors (*le sigh!) No matter, the interior space roughly 20x17 was essentially a blank canvas and in theory fantastic design still could be made. Both spaces were your average garage detached from a home built in the 1930's. Nothing redeemable.

So, of course there are teams. Team 1 = Dan (my fave), Nathan (my second fave), Tashika, and Lonnie. Team 2 = Jamie, Tori, Antonio, and Jason. Immediately I think: "Wow, Dan and Nathan on the same team, they'll do a great job - even with Tashika." But the fact of the matter is, they didn't - and I don't think that they would have, even without Tashika. The owners described their interior as eclectic, but they appreciated the 1930's Spanish courtyard style of their home. They wanted a space where they could watch television, entertain, be a family, but most importantly felt like an interior room. The finished product:




It's not the fact that they left it partially unfinished due to the myriad of delays they encountered, the look here is (in my humble opinion) restaurant spanish. That look that you see in any middle of the road spanish restaurant. The sunwashed color, the dark and heavy wood: and those elements alone aren't bad - but together, it's too expected.

What I loved:

1. Using the fabric on the back wall. Whether it was Tashika's idea or someone elses really doesn't matter - it was a great way to diffuse that and create texture, interest, and depth in that space.

What I would have done differently:

1. I wouldn't have created the sunken living area in this space. As Vern said, the height of the garage was questionable without the addition of the platform. And anyone who saw the show, watched the husband duck almost 2' to get onto the platform from the door. I think that the idea was great, and it was a good way to deal with the uneven floor, just not in this space. We have to remember that the "white room" challenges are really the time and place to show off the creative theory. Residential projects like the 2nd challenge kitchens, and now this garage, are spaces that are left for people to use, enjoy, and ultimately appreciate as finished spaces. I would have simply shimmed out the floor with exterior pressure treated lumber to make it as level as possible, then layed decking timbers to create the look of a hardwood floor. That could have then been painted black, because even with wear, it would have fit nicely into the Spanish style the homeowners were looking for.
2. I would have replaced the garage door with something that had more windows to let light into the room.
3. I would have painted the interior timbers of the garage and the entire "cieling" the same color as the walls (an antique white, or soft muted bisque color) to create a false sense of height.

The family of the second space, well the wife anyway, really wanted a sophisticated Hampton's feel for a home office / family room / work out space / gameroom / theatre / slash slash slash. You name it - she wanted it, and why not? Here you have the eyes of fresh, young, talented designers working with your space - I'd probably be sure to tell them to hang the moon, too! The finished space:

Team 2 definitely did a better job. The white floor, the soft green on the walls (which picks up as blue here because of the seafoam color, it appeared more green on television, and was described as a light sage by the group) the seagrass rug. In my opinion, they really gave the homeowner what they were looking for here, albeit text book Hamptons.

What I loved:

1. The color.
2. The idea of doing a white floor, with the seagrass rug.
3. That they gave the owner the television, office, gathering, and exercise space they asked for.

What I would have done differently:

1. Again, I would have painted the interior ceiling of this space. (Probably white)
2. I would have left the wainscotting white, and had the color only on the upper portion of the wall space.
3. I would have done more with the back wall (behind the sofa), that mirror sure seems lonely, don't you think?

Now, I cringed when I heard the homeowner say: this looks like a set up from a furniture store. I certainly understand that one-stop shopping was the best way to handle their time constraints, and budget concerns, but ...

I will say that I am happy for anyone who got the opportunity to be a part of this season. Television, in particular, HGTV is a wonderful opportunity to show everything you've got, and with that sort of weight, it's obvious that some people will make mistakes that they wouldn't have otherwise. HGTV exec.'s, picked these folks for a reason - and looking at the online portfolio's of many of them, they're all very talented. My thoughts are not meant, in anyway, to depreciate the hard work of any of the designers.

With that out of the way ... I was so excited to read the comments you all left on the chair teaser from last week. I left the chair as it was, but used it in a design project that I just finished last night. I'll get the before and after's ready for posting tomorrow!

My Thoughts: Design Star White Room Challenge

Ok, so what would you do? Someone walks you into a space 10'x10' with 10' ceilings. They give you $1000, and say design something. You get a sofa, ottoman, coffee and side table, lamp and 6' 5 shelf bookcase. Oh, one more thing - that money - use it at the grocery store! Last night certainly presented a challenge to the designers on Design Star, a challenge that I think most of them conquered. Each room said a lot about the designers' unique vision for design, and how well they can plan, create, and finish a design when left to their own devices.

This week I was most impressed with two rooms, and you can probably guess which ones those were. The first:


Dan's "Apple Orchard" Re-envisioned. Now, for the record, Dan is my pick this year for winner of the show. I think he has a unique and tasteful vision and a flair for design that several other designers on the show just haven't found yet. And for the design: shopping for items to design a room at a grocery store is not easy, I took a spin around the local store here the other night with this challenge in mind; so with that said I loved:

1. That he painted the sofa to mimic leather - such a fantastic idea of the space he created around it.
2. Love the firewood graphic on the walls, and the firewood used as legs to the console table.
3. Love the fact that he used three basic colors for the design: brown, red, and white and that he repeated so many of the textures and accessories to create a continuity that reads expensive.
4. Really like the space plan.

Things that I question a little:

1. Where did he get the extra lumber he used in some of the creations here? Am I the only one who saw this? I know that the vertical frame to the apple graphic behind the sofa is the two side pieces to the 6' bookshelf. Where is the top piece from? Evidently, it is the unused side to Nathan's bookshelf he decided not to use in the space, but was that fair to the others?
2. The art in this room (in theory) is nice. I love that he used the shelves from the unit to create canvas, but I think that the art could have had a larger scale circle. For me, the art missed the mark.

Overall, though - this room was by far my most favorite of the night, and I see the most potential for design success in Dan.

Moving on to my second favorite of the night:

Now there are a lot of things about this room that make me tilt my head. You know, that sorta confused animal head tilt. But I picked this room as my second favorite because of his thoughtful use of grocery store items. As creative as I might be, I would have never used milk to create the striped effect on the walls of that room - and as beautiful as it was, I still feel sorry for the team of prop staff who had to work at deconstructing that space. Ewww. The things I loved:

1. The wall treatment. As confusing as the idea was, and as smelly as the days after must have been, the fundamental theory of the technique is fabulous. Really fabulous.
2. The orange ring chandelier! Now, if that wasn't your favorite grocery store item put to good use of the night - then you weren't watching! :) The idea of a capiz shell chandelier made with oranges by hanging the provided lamp upside down, and linking orange cuttings together around it - that was genius.
3. The flokati-esque rug made from oatmeal and rice.
4. The use of twine to create interest to the provided tables.
5. The graffti "fabric graphic" he created on the sofa.

The things that I questioned:

1. The candles. They just had me a little perplexed. I understood the idea, but I think overall they didn't add anything to the overall presence. I would have liked the room without them, or seem them used as sconces on the wall with orange peel covers.

I again, will say that the challenge, overall was conquered by all the designers. I was impressed with so many of the ideas in almost all of the rooms - but these two were my favorites of the night. And, really had me saying, "I would have never thought of that."

Now, what would I have done? Who knows - it's so hard to say without having $1,000 to spend at the very same grocery store on the very same day. My mind travels to reynolds tin-foil though, and having that backwall fully covered in a basket woven pattern in the mirrored-like finish of the foil. Of course, I could have just used foil on the walls to create a series of mirrors too, for a repetitious look. In fact, I think that corn husks woven together would have been a fantastic idea too, but time allows for very little of that sort of creative work. What about you? What would have done? Who was your favorite? Do you think they made the right choice in sending the "color expert" home?

Bad Decisions = Good Television

Watching this season of design star is a bit different than seasons past - for me. If you've been reading the blog - you'll remember that I auditioned this year for the series. Obviously, I didn't make it - but I find myself sizing up the competitors that did, and the general production value of the show.

Last night the "designers" took apart two kitchens in the earliest kitchen challenge episode of the series run. Split into two teams of 5, Group one was asked to transform what was a perfectly decent kitchen into a family focused entertaining kitchen with a Moroccan/Italian theme.

What I think of this room is really inconsequential. Design great, Candice Olson said enough. But, it's hard for me to believe that the "Color Expert" of the group, who apparently is one of only 150 in the nation who have a Color Expert degree, picked this combination of colors, in this finish, in this room. I believe that Vern Yip said: "It looks like a rainbow threw up in there!" And I have to say, in my absolute nicest voice, I agree.

Suffice it to say, this doesn't look like a designer kitchen. They look like stock cabinets from Home Depot. The layout looks like one of 8 you can pick from the basic kitchen design studio programs available at big box stores, and the dark on dark on dark on dark is going to get very dated, very quickly. $20,000 to spend on cabinets and granite counter tops is a lot of money. (Appliances and Flooring were included outside of that money.) To me - and yes I know how easy it is for me to pick it apart, being on person who wasn't faced with the actual challenges, or the "team" environment - it doesn't look like they made the best use of those funds.

What I would have done differently:

1. Color. I would have never spent the time that they spent on the faux finish of that space. The look is decidedly Moroccan, but it doesn't work with the aged faux tin backsplash - which I think was a good idea for the amount of time they had. I would have gone with something bold, maybe a persimmon color to pop against the dark cabinetry.
2. The lanterns above the island were a miss, to me. I would have picked one great Moroccan fixture for the price of those three.
3. I would have spent less time styling the island, and more time styling the bar. It would have been more functional, and less cluttered looking. I think that three stools (there were 3-members of the family) on the other side of the bar area (to the right in the photo) with 3 great place settings with some vibrant patterned plates would have been a great touch.
4. The garden window is over styled. I would have concentrated on editing a bit more.
5. That fabric (probably picked to go with the colors of the kitchen) is a miss to me, too. I would have gone with a faux roman shade look, in a stripe or a solid. The suzani like print to that fabric, paired with the wall colors and textures, the mismatched shapes of the light pendants, and the dark on dark on dark ... it's just, a hot mess.

Now, this kitchen had an unspoken "win" from the judges. And if you watched the episode, you know why. If you didn't. Team 2 was asked to create a modern space great for the entertaining lifestyle of a young family:

This is the after. Now, lets break down the challenges of this team: there was one guy on the team, 3 on the other. All of the cabinetry and heavy lifting fell on him, and when you're faced with that sort of work load, obviously you will fall short. The base cabinets weren't square, so the granite didn't fit properly, the tile wasn't finished, the space wasn't accessorized, and the paint and finishing mouldings were all askew.

Candice Olson said: "For the look you were going for I have to commend you on your finishes" talking about the linear composure of the cabinetry and the almost white granite counter tops with great square edges. I agree, and would have picked those for this space too! In fact, I think that this team did a lot of things right, showing that somewhere down the line, a leader - whether it was Amy or Dan did what they should have done. It was the team members that were letting each other down.

What I would have done differently:

1. I would have spent the time making sure that the cabinets were level and ready to accept the granite. I know that was a difficult task for one person - but I think there would have been more hands available if people hadn't been shopping for backsplash tile. Another thing I wouldn't have done in the time constraints of the challenge.
2. I would have used stainless steel open shelving in lieu of all of the dark cabinetry up top. I think that a mix of both would have been a great modern touch that would have worked for a young family that likes to entertain.
3. Instead of tile on the backsplash, I would have painted - the same color of the walls above the cabinetry which I think I would have picked to have a bit more yellow to it.
4. In a modern-esque kitchen, I don't think that the accessories should be all over the place. Minimal is best ... but I would have put SOMETHING out there! A large glass bowl on the island filled with limes, a long narrow planter on the ledge above the sink planted with wheat grass, a bamboo cutting board with stainless handled knives to the left of the sink, and a few bottles of pelagrino under the microwave lined in two rows, 3 deep. And if I couldn't find time to set the props for styling, I would have at least found time to wipe down the cabinets.

And at the end of the night, after asking each person of the team who their weakest link was, and after each of them said Tashika, they eliminated Amy. I called it before it happened, even told Scott they'll keep her for good tv. I guess the controversy that the producers hope will come next week was more entertaining than giving someone with real potential a shot.

Next week the designers will face individual challenges, and I have to say I am ready for this. With items they could only purchase from a grocery store, the designers will get a 10x10 white box, a few items from ikea, and a gallon of paint. Here's where I hope that the true talent begins to shine.