daily decorator » Design on TV

The Secret Is Out

TS — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:13:12 +0000

Did anyone catch HGTV’s Design Star winner Emily Henderson’s premiere last night, Secrets From a Stylist? It was definitely must see TV!

Emily’s first show really showcased her talent. I’m sure her 1st time nerves were calmed a bit because her client was her good friend, Ian Brennan who also happens to be co-creator of the show Glee. He made an interesting client. Emily is really good at making things look pretty which probably wouldn’t appeal to your everyday masculine man. Plus, Ian wasn’t your typical HGTV client jumping up and down, wiping tears of joy away from his face when he would see his reveal. Although it may have been part of the show, he was pretty honest when he saw things that didn’t quite make the cut for him.

It pained me a little to see walls repainted and furniture moved in and out until the client was satisfied and the final look was achieved but, sometimes that is how rooms evolve in real life. We try things and see how they look and change them out if we don’t like what we see. It’s a little more time consuming & labor-intensive than David Bromstad’s colorful hand-drawn sketches in Color Splash or Scott McGillivray’s computer generated sketches in Income Property but it makes an interesting show. Here are the befores and afters of Ian’s Hollywood home.

This last pic is my favorite! Bravo Emily! Great Job!

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We Have A Design Star!

TS — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:52:45 +0000

Well, did you see it? The big finale for HGTV’s Design Star? It was one of the best episodes yet!

I loved the final challenge. Emily and Michael had to design 2 separate NYC studio apartments using their show concept and select one of the previous contestants to be their “client” and produce their show. Each would have a lot of help to make it happen in 1 ½ days because they got to pick their crew {gym class style} from all the previous contestants from this season.

I really thought poor Nina would be the last one standing, but nope Michael surprised us all and selected annoying Nina to be on his team. Not only did he select her, he made her his client. Say whaaat??

That guy either has guts and wanted to show how he can take risks or he is just plain CRAZY! Emily got a great crew and after some deliberation, made money-suit Tom her client.

Once again, Michael was a nervous wreck and lacked confidence in himself. Shockingly, Nina stepped up to bat and gave Michael the encouragement he needed. Of course this was after the old, annoying Nina tried to make an appearance at the beginning of the challenge and Michael put her in her place. You go “girl”!

Emily was doing her laid-back, easy-going thing and trying to polish her on-air persona. She is such a team player and not only can delegate well but also took advice really well from her old competitors.

In the end, Michael produced a fabulous segment which was full of energy and fun to watch but his room design was nothing to write home about.

Emily came across as real relatable, her room looked super-chic and “so Tom” but her segment was a little ho-hum.

I knew who I was routing for but, I honestly wasn’t sure who the judges would select.

Michael’s show concept is to show recent college grads how to design their 1st home. Here is the apartment that Michael did…

Love the headboard. LOOOVE how his room divider/curtain that tucks back into that curvy wall! Not sure about the random triangle mirrors and ….what’s that?? Do I see another Nina special up on the wall again. Yikes!

I’m not loving the curtain colors and there seems to be so many curtains. I’m not loving the bare floors either. Maybe I would have pumped up the glam a bit more.

Emily’s show concept is to take inspiration from the client’s fashion style and translate that into their home And here is what Emily put together using Tom’s suit as inspiration.

Definitely a homerun again for Emily. I totally can see her “client” Tom in this room!

Finally, the answer we have been waiting for. Who is the next Design Star????

It’s Emily Henderson people! Hoot Hollar!

I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to seeing what Emily can do on HGTV! Congrats Emily! If you didn’t know, Emily has been a photo stylist and has put together some great looks for some pretty impressive clients. Here is a peek at some of her work including some of her own personal spaces.

To see more of Emily’s portfolio click HERE.

To find out more about HGTV and Design Star click HERE.

Emily’s new show entitled, Secrets From A Stylist starts next Sunday night, August 29th at 10 p.m. ET.

I’m tuning in are you?

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HGTV’s Design Star…The Glass House

TS — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:08:53 +0000

It’s finally here! We finally get to see the contestants do their own thing! No more being inspired by fruit, cheese, garlic, a trumpet or a carnation. Here’s a room—go design it! Plus, since this is a competition for a show on HGTV, they have to create the room with their show idea in mind. Let’s start with Casey’s room first.

Her show concept: Designer Look On A Budget Repurposing Items You Already Own.

She spray painted various old picture frames and arranged them on the focal wall as art.

She spray painted a vintage chair in a modern yellow to update it.

She spray painted an old floor lamp black and also spray painted an old table lamp which still looked old to me.

For drama she tented the ceiling with fabric.

Personally I think her room feels a little empty. She could have really taken the challenge to heart. There is so much you can do to update old/vintage items and repurpose them besides just spray paint them. How about taking an old door and making it into a cool coffee table? How about making a large scale rug out of carpet square samples? Make pillow covers out of old clothing/knit wear. Make a table lamp out of a cool glass vase. Oh well, definitely a missed opportunity.

Now onto Michael.

Michael’s show concept: Help Recent College Grads Have A Cool Place While Being Resourceful.

His biggest achievement was creating a murphy bed that worked.

He “found” a hub cap and made it into a cool (but tiny) coffee table.

He stuck wall stickers to the wall for whimsy.

Where to start? I hate to say it, but it looks like an upgraded dorm room to me. I wasn’t impressed at all. Maybe he should re-think his show concept. How about a show for brand new home owners or newly married couples. Let’s face it, how many recent college grad guys are watching HGTV. Not many is my guess (at least not openly). I would have at least created something dramatic with the hub cap idea. Maybe use a bunch of them to create a large base for a coffe table instead of that teeny, tiny one.

Whatever, now on to Emily.

Emily’s show concept: Take A Client’s Fashion Style and Translate That Into Their Living Space.

(I think another network already has that show (Hello Thom Felicia of Dress My Nest) but don’t let that stop you Emily.)

Emily took the outfit that she was wearing and translated the feeling of it in the room.

She used spray adhesive and applied a pretty, blue patterned fabric on the focal wall.

She kept things organic with color and texture. There are dark brown woods that contrast nicely with the light colored rugs. There is that earthy green couch that looks fab in front of the blue fabric wall. She had brass colored jewelry on and brought some brass accessories into the room. Her personality has finally been shown in her design!

I absolutely loved it! I felt like I fell into the pages of the much-missed Domino! Which makes sense since she styled for that mag!

Now onto elimination. I knew how I felt but I wasn’t sure what the judges thought. Who should be the final 2?

I think what it came down to was who would you want to see on TV? Who keeps you wondering what will they do next? Well the judges made the hard decision to say that Casey would not be one of those. I’m sure they had to fight Candice to give up her dream of working along side man-magnet Casey.

All images from HGTV.

Stay Tuned…

TS — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:19:49 +0000

Finally, the glass house challenge! Each contestant will have to design their glass house keeping in mind the type of show they would like to pitch to HGTV. Should be interesting!

I’ll be back for the daily d recap tomorrow. See you then!

HGTV Design Star…The Final Four

TS — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:44:00 +0000

Here we are the final 4! Are you finding yourself humming that hip Design Star opening theme song? Scary right?

So we are down to energetic, v-neck wearing, self-proclaimed ”guys’ guy” Courtland.

Sweet, modest and according to Candice Olsen, magnet for the male audience…Casey.

Carefree with a creative-eye, plaid-loving Emily.

And gotta love him, big-smiling, sometimes frazzled, Michael.

So last night’s challenge had to do with, you guessed it food. Last week’s episode was also based on food inspiration. Are we running out of ideas people? So the four were split into 2 teams. Team Courtland and Casey (CC) and Team Michael and Emily (ME).

I’m not sure when these birds are going to be allowed to fly on their own. So we are still in team mode.

Although their designs had to be food inspired, the big creative challenge was to create a dining room using existing furniture and decor–no shopping. I forgave HGTV for falling back on food again when they sent the designers into 2 apartment living rooms where it looked like holding pens for all the cheap finds on Craig’s list.

This should be fun!

There were 2 diy projects that stood out for me. Michael’s room was filled with little angel statues.

He said a prayer and took a hammer and chisel to them and created a pretty cool mirror.

Hopefully the angels will forgive him! It is kind of like decoupaging with the pages of the Bible. Yikes!

The 2nd project I liked was when Casey took an old throw rug and used it to make an ottoman out of a side table.

Or should I say Courtland upholstered it. Looks like Casey gave the hard work over to the man again.

(p.s. Do you think he did a few push ups before this shot? Just asking.)

So the final rooms looked like this. Team CC came out with this.

And Team ME created this…

All four had to do a videotaped host presentation. The girls were actually uncomfortable to watch. You know how you cringe for people when they embarrass themselves? I think Casey even ended hers with a hokey wink! I think the judges are just blinded by her looks and didn’t even mind that she had a shaky voice and that weird wink. Emily tried her best but doesn’t trust herself enough to succeed.

Courtland is obviously comfortable in front of the camera and super confident. However when he tried dropping the name of the chef that prepared them their inspiration dishes he said Aron Santos instead of Aarón Sanchez. Ouch. There is that cringe feeling again. Big mistake. Michael’s was o.k. a little too flirty according to the judges. So the victim of this episode’s elimination was Courtland. And this is the reason why.

It’s faux wrong! He keeps putting that cheesy finish up wherever he goes. Enough with the cheese Courtland!

Now 3 and counting. Who will be the star???

For more on Design Star click HERE.

To see what this guy (one of my favorite Design Stars)

David Bromstad has to say click HERE.

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HGTV Design Star…Camera Ready

TS — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:19:10 +0000

Design Star is winding up and we are down to the top 5 contestants. Last night’s challenge was to design a studio kitchen for a Sears Catalog photo shoot. Since the Red team has dwindled down to just lonely Courtland, the judges decided to add Emily to his team. Emily does prop styling for a living so they felt that although their team only consisted of 2 people, they did have that extra advantage.

Each team had to select a cooking-themed basket to design their kitchen around. There was an Italian basket, a French basket and a tropical basket. Emily and Courtland chose the Italian basket. The basket was filled with things like colorful olives, tomatoes, fresh pasta bags, Parmesan cheese, garlic and prosciutto. Each person had to pick one item that had to be somehow incorporated into the design. Emily chose garlic and Courtland chose the block of Parmesan cheese. They shy-ed away from all the colorful items and decided to go bland all the way.

Now the Blue Team was Casey, Michael and Alex.

They selected the French basket which was filled with french bread, purple grapes, red onions, roasted chicken, escargot, apples and a cork screw. Casey picked the french bread (good choice–rustic, fresh and oh so french), Michael picked the escargo (could be interesting) and likeable but sometimes clueless Alex selected the silver cork screw (huh?). Alex was convinced this was a good pick because it represented function and so does a kitchen. Whatever Alex… might be time to pack that bag.

I have to admit this was a pretty uneventful episode. Floor people came in an layed the studio kitchen’s floors.  Cabinet people came in to set up their cabinets in the fake space. Then counter people came to set up their counters in their fake kitchen. Then the nice people at Sears delivered their nice appliances. Ho Hum. Wake me up when it’s over.

The only thing keeping me awake was this pretty face…

(Guest judge John Gidding.) P.S. Did you know he was a model for Romance novel covers back in the day? Sorry, I digress. Back to the show…

You would think since other people are putting together the main aspects of these pseudo kitchens they would have so much constructive time on their hands to really think outside the box and surprise us with mind-blowing design. Nope. That didn’t happen. We ended up with 2 nice but BORING kitchens. Why do the expected with basic matching upper and lower cabinets, the popular island, the overdone granite counters? How about painting the cabinets, maybe chicken wire for some cabinet doors in the french kitchen, or replace the typical island with a distressed, wood dining table, or really unique lighting. Anywho, here is what the Red Team (Emily & Courtland) whipped up for their Italian kitchen.



I do see the bland likeness of the garlic in the tiles and the nice texture but bland color of the Parmesan in the walls.

O.K. onto the Blue Team’s french-inspired kitchen…

This one appeals to me a little more than the Italian kitchen. But the lighting, the stools and the abundance of random food on the counters kills it for me.

In the end, the judges were mainly disappointed with Emily and Alex. Emily for not showing off what she does for a living and Alex, well for the cork screw. Alex tried to save himself with some ridiculous talk about how he brought function and shiny stainless steel to their kitchen but he just dug his grave deeper. And so with cork screw in hand Alex had to leave the premises. Maybe there will be a little more excitement in the next episode–fingers crossed. It was truly a missed opportunity for the teams. They could have really designed something beautiful and unique.

For example, when I think of a French kitchen I think of something like this…

And when I think of an updated Italian kitchen I think of something like this…

I don’t know why neither team went for the tropical basket. They could have created something like this…

Still searching for the Design Star. I’m not seeing it. This could be disasterous for HGTV. One of these talents is going to have their own show. I hope the contract doesn’t promise them a prime-time spot if these designers don’t step it up!

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HGTV’s Design Star…Trump Time

TS — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:15:00 +0000

Sunday’s episode of HGTV’s Design Star had Donald Trump Jr. as a guest judge while the designers competed to decorate two model apartments in the Trump Plaza Residences in Jersey City. They had the same teams as the last episode minus Nina which made team Red just 3 people Courtland, Tom & Stacey. Team Blue was Emily, Michael, Alex and Casey.

Using a budget of $25,000, each team had to design their apartments keeping the luxurious Trump brand in mind and also each contestant had to incorporate some New York City souvenir.

Team Red was a complete mess from the beginning. Between Stacey having panic attacks, Tom getting carried away and going overboard with his “bold” paint color and Courtland shrugging his shoulders and not allowing his design to shine through, they never had a chance. Tom decided to make the “luxurious” bathroom look like a cheap dance club bathroom with a tacky color of blue all over the room. To make matters worse, Stacey decided to set up the bed with just a box spring skipping the mattress. What??? And Courtland just let it all happen.

Here is what the Red Team presented as a luxurious space.

And this picture doesn’t quite capture all the “hideousness” of the bathroom but it gives you a good glimpse.

The Blue Team wasn’t a complete disaster but they didn’t come up with anything spectacular. I would say their space is nice but nothing to write home about. Here are a few pics of their space…

Definitely a better space than the Red Team’s but I’m not sure I would put the Trump stamp on it.

When it came to elimination time, the judges were so disappointed with Stacey’s input into the Red Team’s space. Can you blame them? Painter’s tarp for curtains, a non-functioning, sad-looking bed and she failed miserably with her individual challenge by placing her NYC souvenir under a glass dome which was a challenge to show off your creativity. They didn’t even go through the motions of seeing her taped presentation and booted her out the door immediately. It was probably a good thing that they didn’t show her taped presentation because she had to wipe the tears away from her face before she could even begin trying to “sell” the space on tape. Just not meant to be Stacey.

But wait a minute. Hold the bus! Vern and the gang are not done! Donald Trump Jr. was so upset with Red Team’s room he had people taking it apart and fixing it right away. This meant more than one person had to face the chopping block! So as you probably would have guessed someone had to pay for that hideous bathroom. And that someone was Tom of course.

What a shame. So much confidence and sometimes just so clueless. I don’t know about you but I’m not seeing a Design Star yet. To see more on Design Star click HERE.
All images from HGTV.

NYC Loves Jeff Lewis

TS — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:21:37 +0000

He’s here folks. Bravo’s Jeff Lewis is in The Big Apple. He has unveiled his sleek, California-modern House Beautiful Kitchen of The Year right in the middle of Rockefeller Plaza! Jeff will be showing off his design all this week with a few of his co-workers/castmates from Flipping Out. To see the full schedule click HERE. Here are a few snapshops of the ultimate, dream kitchen with that Jeff Lewis magic touch.

This is House Beautiful’s 3rd time showcasing The Kitchen of the Year in Rockefeller Plaza.

The 1st Kitchen of the Year in 2008 was designed by Christopher Peacock. Here’s a peek…

And I loved the replica of Ina Garten’s kitchen last year…

All photos from House Beautiful.

HGTV Design StarThe Competition Gets Heated

TS — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:54:27 +0000

Last night’s Design Star was great TV {spoiler alert!} We had blood, sirens, macho firefighters, and a complete tongue-lashing by the physically small but verbally large Vern in the elimination room! It all started when Judge Genevieve selected 2 new teams–The Red Team ( Stacey, Nina, Tom and Courtland) and The Blue Team (Emily, Casey, Alex and Michael). The challenge was to design a room for 2 different NYC fire companies with each designer putting in their signature element.

The Red Team went on a shopping spree at Sears and bought everything in site. Here is what they designed or should I say threw together?!

It looked like a macho room on steroids. Big, bulky exercise equipment, big, bulky furniture and of course Nina’s signature abstract wall project. A “bulletin board” depicting words in braille. Braille? Are you kidding me? To make matters worse, Tom painted a beautiful tin ceiling in a depressing, fire damage-like black. Then Courtland installed an entertainment center with what looked like charred wood paneling. Not their finest moment. Of course Stacey didn’t help with her itsy bitsy #5 sign to personalize the space.

After Michael nearly lost his finger to a nail gun the Blue Team rallied together and here is what they designed minus one team member.

A surprising turnaround for Alex. I thought for sure that he was a goner last week and now he paints a great, cityscape on the wall and also installs injured Michael’s signature piece (the desks). What a team player Alex! Way to go! Of course the girls helped polish the room with the great silhouette of a fireman by Casey. Love it. Then Emily helps create the graphic coffee table.  Two thumbs up Team Blue! (Couldn’t help myself Michael!)

Now on to the tongue-lashing! I have witnessed Vern get a little hot under the collar. But last night he was a blazing with outrage! The judges were overcome with anger when they walked through Team Red’s steroid room. To say they hated it is an understatement. I think I heard words to the effect of wanting to vomit. Yikes. That’s bad.

In the end, the writing was on the wall. Literally in braille. And so our lovely, young, over-confident, one-trick wonder Nina was sent packing.

The painful elimination ended with one last scolding from Judge Vern until he cannot even stand to look at the Red Team anymore and demands them to, “GET OUT OF HERE!” Remind me to never cross Mr. Vern Yip! Can’t wait for next week.

HGTV Design Star…In Bloom

TS — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:11:54 +0000

Got my Design Star fix last night and I loved how the challenge this week was for each designer to pick a flower and incorporate the essence of their flower in their design.   They kept the same teams as the previous show–not sure why. So it was the men’s team again against the women’s team + hammer-loving Dan. Poor Dan all alone with those ladies who don’t seem to know the difference between a nail and a screw.

Back to the flowers…

The men’s bouquet of flowers was beautiful. They happened to select flowers that worked great together. It was clean, simple, fresh and delicate. The women + Dan’s team had a more intricate look. They decided that their bouquet was romantic and that was going to be their main focus. Each team had to design a small, NYC studio apartment.

Here is a peek at what the men’s team came up with…

Love the floor lamp and the yellow art work is fab! Who thought that a room inspired by a bouquet of flowers could still be masculine?

Don’t you love it? It is fresh, crisp and simple like their bouquet!

Now on to the women’s + Dan’s team…

The ottoman/coffee table is perfect reminds me of the stigma of a flower. The rug is a little too literal and I just don’t see their bouquet as clearly with their design.

I personally didn’t get the swing. Maybe I am biased because my least favorite contestant Nina came up with the idea. I thought they were concentrating on romance. That swing screams playful childhood to me not romance. Sorry Nina.

In the end, the judges decided to scrap the idea of judging the designs between the teams and just judged on each individual’s input. Nice guy Dan who kept falling into the roll of the ladies’ contractor had a hard time making sure his flower (the daffodil) was represented in the room. What will the girls do without Dan?

To find out more about Design Star click HERE.