TheDesignFile

Kitchen challenge doesn’t lead to great rooms

A friend of mine said last week how excited she was to see the contestants on this week’s Design Star would be doing kitchens because she loves when the designers have to work for real clients.

Not this year.

The Season 7 kitchen challenge was another white box. As the episode opens, the designers are shuttled off to some kind of studio or warehouse with three boxes, each with three walls.

Each has in it a couple Kohler boxes with sinks and faucets. One kitchen had a modern stainless sink, another a black apron sink and the third had two country-style, painted ceramic sinks.

David tells the designers they will work in pairs, have two days to finish the rooms and the winning space will be featured in HGTV Magazine.

Before I go any further, I should tell you what inspired me about this episode, as I’ve tried to do each week. The truth is, there wasn’t much.

I was reminded how much I like to spaces that appear “collected,” meaning the pieces feel like they’ve been added over time. Also, I love some of the lighting choices, particularly when they are unexpected.

OK. So much for that. Back to the recap.

Because Danielle won last week’s challenge, she gets to pick the teams and then pair them up with the sinks. That may be the most interesting part of the entire episode, although we get nearly no insight into what Danielle was thinking as she makes her decisions.

She chooses to make Britany her own partner because she’s a photographer, which Danielle thinks will be good for the magazine challenge. I would’ve picked Britany just because she’s been doing well in the last few episodes.

They pick the stainless steel sink.

Danielle puts Stanley and Hilari on the same team and gives them the black apron sink. This is a pretty funny pairing. Stanley is a contractor who considers himself an artist. Hilari likes all things gold and flashy.

“Our design styles just don’t work together,” Hilari says in the understatement of the episode.

That leaves Mikel and Rachel to work together using the country sinks. This pairing seems OK, except that Rachel – who started incredibly strong with two consecutive wins – has been sinking fast and has seemed increasingly frustrated.

The guest judges are John and Anthony who star on the HGTV show Kitchen Cousins.

Design Star: Party challenge is white box mimic

I was a little worried when I found out that in this week’s episode of HGTV’s Design Star, the contestants would be designing a Hollywood party – and in roughly 24 hours.

I envisioned lots of arguments as the group worked as a whole on some big space.

But actually, the episode was essentially another white box challenge – although one without walls.

And because the white box is one of my favorites, I really enjoyed the episode.

First up, of course, I’ll tell you what struck me most about this week’s designs:

• A great floor can change the entire tone of your space.
• Metallics and mirrors can turn an otherwise average room into something special.
• Space planning can make or break a room.

None of those things are surprising but these designs reinforced the ideas.

Here’s something else cool I learned. If you want crazy cool stuff, find a prop store. Well, at least find a prop store in Hollywood. The designers went shopping in one and it was absolutely packed full of great, interesting furniture and accessories.

Unfortunately, I don’t think we have a lot of prop stores in Indianapolis.

The challenge:

David Bromstad tells the designers that they will indeed create a party – a celebration of the 125th birthday of Hollywood – but each will be in charge of their own lounge area.

Design Star: Surprises mark season’s 4th episode

I really enjoyed last night’s fourth episode of HGTV’s Design Star because the show is down to eight contestants (from 12 originally), which makes it so much easier to follow all the ideas and the action.

Plus, the challenge – which divided the contestants into pairs to makeover indoor and outdoor spaces – was an interesting one with real clients and real client reactions. I should say that I assume it was real – at least as real as it is on any of these shows.

Here are some things I loved in this episode:

• The interesting use of reclaimed wood, in one case for a chevron-patterned fence and in another to make a wooden awning, which was something like a pergola but different.
• Log tables! Regular readers know I adore log tables and these were especially cool because designer Kris hollowed out small holes and filled them with succulents.
• Realistic room designs. These were spaces that families could actually live in, which isn’t always the case.

For me, this was also an episode full of surprises about who did well – and who didn’t.

The challenge:

Host David Bromstad divided the designers into two teams of four and assigned each group a home. Then the team members divided themselves into two groups of two – one to handle an indoor living space and the other to redo the backyard.

Design Star: Quirky designer gets the ax

First, I have to say that I was shocked by the outcome of last night’s Design Star episode on HGTV. The judges sent one of my favorite designers home – something I really didn’t see coming even as she was standing among those with the worst spaces.

That said, I’m not going to reveal which designer went home – or in this case, which designers went home – until the end of this post.

Instead, I’ll focus first on what I found inspiring in Episode 3:

- Great rooms. I actually liked every room. In fact, it was startling how well everything fit together – so surprising that it’s hard for me to believe there wasn’t some behind-the-scenes coordination.

- Beautiful wallpaper. Just when I thought I’d gotten past my desire for some funky, graphic wallpaper, these designers get me all excited about it again.

- Mirrors. The client in this episode loves mirrors and we saw several fun examples of ways to incorporate them in unusual ways.

- Tufted furniture. I know I used this one in a previous post but there were some gorgeous chartreuse tufted pieces in this episode that I loved.

Here’s what I didn’t like:

- Gray walls. I can’t believe I’m going to say this because I have been absolutely digging gray, but this year’s Design Star is quickly becoming the season of GRAY! Come on. There are other hot colors out there! Use them.

On to the recap…

This week, the designers were challenged to create a new office suite for Kris Kardashian Jenner (above) and her family. Jenner explains that she and the reality TV family are going to be moving their office out of their home and into a space that looks like it hasn’t been redecorated since the 1980s.

Enter the contestants. They are paired up and assigned a room in the suite with instructions to make the spaces glamorous.

“I don’t want a corporate feel because we’re all about family,” Jenner tells the designers. “I love blacks, white, grays and maybe pops of color. So it’s just beauty and glamor.”

Design Star: White box rooms trip up some

The white box episode might be the most anticipated and popular challenge on the HGTV reality show Design Star and last night’s version did not disappoint.

There were some beautiful rooms and a few disasters – plus lots of rushing around to get these spaces done quickly – so the episode was dramatic and fun.

Plus, Vanilla Ice was the guest judge. I’m a product of the 80s and continue to be fascinated by the transformation of this former rapper’s career, so that made his appearance a bonus.

(When I saw a preview in which Vanilla Ice actually told a designer, “If there’s a problem, you gotta solve it,” – a reference to one of his song lyrics – I actually laughed out loud!)

First, I’ll remind you that I’m personally judging this season at least in part on whether I find ideas that are inspirational. After all, what’s the point of giving a designer his own show if he can’t motivate me to try something new!

In this way, Design Star succeeded for a second straight week. My favorite ideas from last night:

• Amazing, graphic painting – on walls, cabinets and even rugs. These were all things (except maybe some phenomenal hand painting) that most of us could accomplish with a little trial and error.
• Mixed patterns. I love how a great designer can mix different patterns and still make a room feel cohesive. We saw that last night in Rachel’s room.
• Fun light fixtures. My favorite was the chandelier created by Britany (at right) that incorporated a lattice panel, varying lengths of gold chain and an inverted table lamp.
• Rope walls. Actually, I first saw this idea at ModHomeEc studio where I take my upholstery classes (a project featured in so many places, I’ll bet Design Star contestant Mikel got the idea there) but it still looked cool.

OK. On to the competition…

The challenge

This week’s challenge was the traditional white box room. Each contestant gets a 10x10-foot, three-walled room with a sofa, two lattice-sided end tables, rug, a simple white sofa (or maybe loveseat), a table lamp, and three plain cabinets. As you might have guessed, everything is white.

This year there is a little twist. The boxes have been constructed at Union Station in Los Angeles and the public is watching the designers’ progress.

The designers will get $1,000 and an hour to shop at a home improvement store for all the supplies they’ll use for the room.

Former winner David Bromstad – who is dressed in normal fitting clothes, thank goodness – tells the designers that the challenge is not to create a literal living space. They should be more creative.

“You can do anything you want,” he tells them. “It does not have to be functional. But your room should express something about you and your design point of view.” Also, the designers must “transform” something.

Oh! And there’s going to be a camera challenge. I’m thrilled by this news. The winner will, after all, host a TV show.

First comes the shopping and you get the idea that Jordan (at right) is in trouble. He walks around aimlessly without a cart and finally – at the last minute – finds some Japanese-style garden pieces that he buys.

But it’s easy to see right away too that Bex has some interesting ideas for using PVC pipe and Stanley is going to do something innovative with lights.

Hilari had a neat idea to make her space feel like a jewelry box but acknowledges right away she has no idea how to use any tools. Hmm. That doesn’t bode well.

Here’s how everyone does:

Britany: She creates a beautiful space. Before painting the walls a deep blue, Britany uses tape to mask off lines that will look like molding. The finished walls are striking and look like a high-end dining room.

She’s the maker of the interesting chandelier I mentioned earlier with the chains, the inverted lamp and lattice panel. It’s a real focus and also serves as the piece she is transforming in her camera challenge. I love it and so do the judges.

On the back wall, Britany has hung an interesting wooden art piece, although we never get the story of how it’s made. There’s also a red and white striped rug.

Vanilla Ice (I just can’t call him by his real name, Robert Van Winkle) calls it “nautical.”

“My absolute favorite thing in here is the light fixture,” Vern Yipp says. “I love it when someone activates the ceiling.”

The third judge – Genevieve Gorder – says the gold touches make the room.

Design Star: Episode 1 promises good season

There are certainly many ways to judge whether HGTV Design Star’s newest season is a success. Do you like the designers? Are the rooms they create beautiful and interesting? Is there drama and intrigue?

But what will keep me coming back - other than the promise that I’ll write these posts each week - is that I see something inspiring, something that gets my creative juices flowing and makes me want to try something new.

By that measure alone, Tuesday night’s season debut was a great one.

In particular, I saw wall treatments - one done with MDF and another with just paint - that I absolutely loved. I saw a great ottoman makeover accomplished with a shower curtain. And I spied lots of tufted furniture, which I’m digging right now..

So for me, it was a great start to the season.

But if you’re judging on other criteria, it may be too soon to tell. The first episodes of these reality series are so packed with people that it’s tough to get a handle on them right away.

Still, I saw some things to like and to dislike. Let’s look at those and then move on to the narrative of the first episode.

Signs of a good season:

- Judges Vern Yipp and Genevieve Gorder are back and seem to be in good, gracious moods, which hasn’t been the case in every season. Gone is Candice Olson and, while I love Candice’s rooms, that’s good for the show. The first episode’s guest judge was Daisy Fuentes.

- In the first challenge at least, there was a fairly reasonable timeline. Don’t get me wrong, three days to redesign a room isn’t much. But by reality show standards, it’s a lifetime. The result: Better conceived ideas and better looking rooms.

- So far, there doesn’t seem to be anything just silly - like those odd whispering conferences the judges had two seasons ago. And while David Bromstad is still a mentor on the show, his role seems somewhat lessened, which takes one more star out of the spotlight so we can focus on the rooms.

What was annoying:

- David Bromstad’s clothes. Seriously. David (far right) was wearing pants so incredibly tight they looked like they belonged on a punk rocker on stage. Too little left to the imagination here.

- If there was a budget for the rooms, viewers didn’t know about it. This has been a problem in recent years. One of the biggest challenges that any designer faces is the budget. Apparently, though, not on Design Star.

- There was no camera challenge on the first episode. Last year, the show did the best job yet incorporating the very important camera skills into the competition. Hopefully, that will come as this season progresses.

Now, onto the episode. Let’s meet the characters.

The designers

You can see the whole list of designers here. But these are initial impressions of a few of them:

Mikel - This guy (below) likes a “vintage, chic look,” which is one of my favorite styles as well. “It’s all about taking pieces from the past and breathing new life and energy into them,” he says. Yes!

Luca - Not a good first impression. Luca (below right) at the beginning of the episode points around the group and says, “I can do his job, your job, your job...”

Design Star: Season 7 starts May 29

HGTV Design Star is set to return at the end of May and – fortunately – with largely the same setup as last year, which was its best season in years.

Season 7 debuts at 9 p.m. ET/PT Tuesday, May 29.

As far as I can tell, there’s just one big change: Judge and designer Candice Olson is gone.

Now, I’m a big fan of Candice Olson, but this is a good change. She missed most of the challenges last season and wasn’t much fun to watch when she was there.

But Vern Yip – who was much happier last year – and the always delightful Genevieve Gorder are back to serve as judges. And former winner David Bromstad will return as host (no word yet about whether that red sports car will be back as well).

Special guest judges this season will include Kardashian mom Kris Jenner, entrepreneur and TV personality Daisy Fuentes (shown at right with judges), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation star and Emmy award-winning actress Marg Helgenberger, Entertainment Tonight host Mark Steines, and multi-platinum recording artist and home remodeling expert, DIY Network's Vanilla Ice (see him with the judges below).

 

The seventh season will also feature appearances by other HGTV hosts, including Sabrina Soto (The High Low Project), John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino (Kitchen Cousins), and reigning HGTV Design Star, Meg Caswell (Great Rooms).

The 12 competitors are:

• Jordan Cappella, Venice, Calif.
• Danielle Colding, Queens, N.Y.
• Bex Hale, Abilene, Texas (shown at right)
• Rachel Kate, Minneapolis, Minn. (shown in photo at bottom on left)
• Miera Melba, Delray Beach, Fla.
• Yuki Northington, Bay St. Louis, Miss.
• Luca Paganico, Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Stanley Palmieri, Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Britany Simon, Phoenix, Ariz.
• Kris Swift, Austin, Texas
• Mikel Welch, New York City, N.Y. (shown up top with David Bromstad)
• Hilari Younger, Dallas, Texas (shown at bottom of post on the right)

"Our finalists had an amazing opportunity to work with powerhouse stars and create some of the most stunning designs we've seen in the history of HGTV Design Star," Yip said in a statement provided by HGTV.

HGTV Green Home is bright and open

I’m always fascinated to see the HGTV Green Home and get a glimpse of the newest trends and technology.

This year’s home may not be my favorite – but there’s still lots to love.

The house is located just outside Atlanta in Serenbe, a community in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia.

HGTV will offer viewers an insider’s peek at the residence in the HGTV Green Home 2012 special on Friday, April 13, at 9 p.m. But you get to see some of the photos here today!

I really like the kitchen and dining area – particularly the rustic table and benches but also the pretty cabinetry. Plus, the rustic floors are fantastic.

The house was designed by Kemp Hall Studio and constructed by FrontPorch Builders. It’s a sort of modern, farmhouse style with a design inspired by Southeastern culture and regional architecture, HGTV says.

I love the pinkish-red accents in what’s called the Georgia room.

The home features an open floor plan with three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.

It’s meant to showcase “21^st-century responsible living” with design and construction elements that include solar panels and concrete countertops as well as recycled and recyclable rugs.

"We want our viewers to discover how they can live harmoniously with nature but still have a connection to contemporary architecture and the latest in eco-friendly products and practices,” said Kathleen Finch, general manager, HGTV.

Above is the the pretty living room. I love the color scheme.

Design Star's Nina goes to Style Network

OK Design Star fans…do you remember Nina?

Nina Ferrer was the designer that viewers loved to hate in last year’s season of the popular HGTV reality show. Personally, I was kind of a fan.

I liked some of her designs and I didn’t care that she was outspoken and, well, determined to get her way.

Design Star contestants are usually scolded when they don’t stand up for themselves. But Nina seemed to get in trouble when she did speak her mind and got kicked off halfway though the season. Emily was the eventual winner that year.

But Nina may have the last laugh after all.

Although Nina didn’t win her own show from HGTV, she’s now joining the successful Clean House franchise on the Style Network.

Actually she’s joining another former Design Star contestant – Michael Moeller – in hosting a new series. Michael was last year’s runner up (although somehow not as memorable as Nina). See a photo of both at right.

Clean House New York debuts at 8 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 17.

“Clean House New York is set to transform the Big Apple's worst dwelling disasters into warm and welcoming oases, one apartment, condo, co-op, brownstone and walk-up at a time,” Style Network says of the new series. “These New York natives are intimately familiar with the unique challenges homeowners face in the city that never sleeps.”

Check out this preview:

Q&A Part 2: Genevieve on Design Star & Twitter

Today is Part 2 of my fun interview with HGTV’s Genevieve Gorder, who was just as sweet and delightful to talk to as she is to watch on her show Dear Genevieve.

You can read the first part of my interview in yesterday’s post. In Part 2, I ask Genevieve about Design Star and her penchant for tweeting.

Here’s what she had to say:

Question: I have to ask about Design Star. I really enjoyed the outcome and really enjoyed the season.

Answer: Good. So did I.

Q: How did you feel about the way it all turned out?

A: I was really happy. We film so many different shows as designers on this network and you’re not in control of how things are edited or how they’re presented at the end. That’s left up to a series of different people in production and you kind of just blow a kiss and let it go and hope it turns out great.

With the production team we had on this year’s Design Star and many more to come, they knew exactly what they were doing. They knew the format and they knew design.

And I think it really showed in the way in the program was cut and the energy and the visuals. I thought it was beautifully done and very carefully done. I was really proud of it this year.

It’s our biggest show and it did really well. I think everyone at home noticed the difference as well and loved it.