Design Star - Season 4, Episode 2

Wow. This weeks episode was crazy, huh?!

"Team Amy" re-designed a Kitchen for the Johnson family...

BEFORE:

AFTER:



"Team Nathan" re-designed a Kitchen for the Boucher family...

BEFORE:



AFTER:



And I had fun creating a quick re-design on Team Amy's room-

I did a stainless steel backsplash, because we all know what happens when a Design Star team attempts a tile job. (For those who haven't seen the show- it never gets finished!) Attaching stainless steel panels would be a lot quicker, and would satisfy the homeowners craving for a more modern and eclectic kitchen.

I chose a flooring that more-closely matched the flooring in the room next door.

I covered the center of the ceiling with beadboard, and hung a drum-style pendant light in place of the bulky, florescent light fixture.

I used an assortment of barstool cushions, just to keep things fun and fresh. Each family member could pick their favorite! :-)

I placed slate placemats on the bar. (Of course I would have written the family members names on them with chalk) :-)

To break up the visual heaviness of all the dark cabinetry, I used an off-white colored island, topped with butcherblock.

A woven-wood window shade speaks to the tone of the butcherblock on the island and the color of the floor. This keeps your eye moving around the space, and makes it feel well-balanced, not so bottom-heavy.

I moved the cook top to the other side of the room, and used an above-range microwave, that vents, above it. (which Dan would have totally had to install- you'll find out why in a minute) I didn't like the way the cook top broke up that nice expanse of countertop in front of the bar, and I really didn't like the way the vent looked hanging above it. It was such a distraction.

(I would have moved the fridge over to the area where they built the wine bar, and put the wine bar to the left of the it.)

And lastly, horizontally-laid beadboard, painted in a dusty blue semi-gloss paint, would protect the front of the bar from getting too scuffed up by dangling feet.




(Hover your cursor over the bottom photo to see it transform from Team Amy's to mine)

But, in all reality, can you imagine actually designing, building and fully accessorizing a Kitchen from scratch in the amount of time they were given? <:-P Holy insanity Batman! This is where the above-range microwave bit comes in. The day Kevin and I got ours, we were sure we could install it, not only on our own- but lickety split, to boot.

We quickly discovered that it would have taken us hours to decipher the directions and assemble the big ol' thing. And we definitely would have struggled to install it ourselves. Thankfully, one phone call to our electrician and the job did indeed get done lickety split. I swear, that man could sell tickets to his "one man microwave installation show". The speed at which he worked was truly remarkable.

So when I look at what the contestants were able to accomplish in the amount of time they were allotted, I think they did fairly well. But "fairly well" definitely isn't going to wow this distinguished panel of judges, and once again, they were pretty brutally honest with the teams this week.

As far as what I thought of the rooms, well, of course I thought the Amy's room should have been accessorized, and Nathan's room was accessorized a little too literally for my taste. But its really about what Candice, Genevieve and Vern think, and I would keep that in mind each and every week I was lucky enough to be there. They are, after all, choosing this years winner. And I really don't think HGTV could've have done a better job choosing judges this time around.
All three of them have very successful shows on HGTV, so obviously they know "what's up".

Think about what types of designs you see on their shows. They're beautiful, fuctional, comfortable and livable.

Think about how they would probably define "good design".

Vern's website says, "Vern's calling card is his attention to detail, married with precise, clean-lined interiors, balanced with a sense of warmth. Often with Vern's designs, less is more and something in the room always "pops" due to its graphic nature."

An interview with Geneiveve says: "I'm into the earthy tones and styles that fuse culture and time. My home is a reflection of my travels I have a variety of masks and door-knockers, photography taken by my father, friends and me, and colors inspired by a Moroccan palette. I like my rooms light, textural, sensual and most of all comfortable."

And Candice's biography on BarnesandNoble.com reads, "Her signature style incorporates creativity, practicality, and timelessness to create sophisticated yet accessible designs."

And while they may select a winner who's definition of good design is different from theirs - I'm sure the person they choose to be this years Design Star will be one who can consistently create beautiful, functional, comfortable, livable designs.

After I created my Photo Drawing last night, I did a little research to see what Geneiveve and Vern did when they had to design on the fly on HGTV's "Summer Showdown".

Here's what the fabulous Genevieve created from scratch-

And here's what Vern did-

And of course we all know a Candice room when we see one...


...fortunately for her, Clive never seems to bust up into any of her rooms yelling, "STOP! THAT'S IT! TIME IS UP!" and unfortunately, for us, she hasn't made an appearance on Summer Showdown yet. I wonder if she will sometime? That would be a trip!

Big news Tuesday and Wednesday. Two new websites to announce....stay tuned for more details! :-)