It's Finale Here!

Well, I'm on my way to New York City today for the big Top Design finale. Hopefully, I can meet up with this angelic beauty when he, ahem, takes it all in the end.

I promise I'll take lots of photos.

Phaolo

Suite Dreams - Top Design Episode 8

It was late March and the field had just been narrowed down to four. This must be the madness they call the Final Four.


Or not.

The designers went to the Viceroy Hotel to meet up with Todd and Linda O'Keefe from Metropolitan Home magazine. Todd gave them their next task: design a luxury hotel suite based on one of the four basic elements: Earth, Air, Water and Fire. They had three days and a budget of $30,000 for furniture, $3,000 for linens, and $1,550 for lumber and supplies.

Matt lucked out. He got Water. His baby blue room with white and translucent accents looked very light and airy. No doubt he was going to win this challenge.


Carisa drew Air. She made it a point not to paint little birds or puffy clouds on her walls. Instead, she and her carpenter Carl constructed large, black screens that mimicked air vents.

I don't know about you but I had this feeling of being trapped inside a ventilation duct. You know, like from a bad episode of The Land of the Giants. I can picture myself huddling behind the sofa hoping the big, giant pussy wouldn't lunge at me. My life story I know, but I digress.


The element of Fire perplexed Goil. He finally settled on a Chinese lantern-inspired sunset running along the back walls.

Andrea also encountered some problems with her Earth element. She already did an earthy room for last week's challenge. But unlike Carisa (who kept giving us bold colors and stripes), Andrea was mindful not to repeat herself.

In the White Room, the judges gave Matt the win (no surprise there). They also liked Carisa's bold statement.


Once again, the judges accused Andrea of having a sad aesthetic. They didn't like her somber color choices.



The judges really appreciated Goil's effort to dress his room this time. But sadly, they had to let him go.

Goil, you should have gone with your first instinct - turning the suite into a disco. After all, the judges could afford to loosen up a bit, don't you think?

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I'm sorry it took so long to do this recap of Episode 8. Our beautiful cat, Serenity (pictured above peering through the vents) passed away last Wednesday. This chocolate brown, long-haired siamese cat has been with us for more than 12-1/2 years. He'll definitely be missed.

Pressure Cooker - Top Design Episode 7

In the boys' loft, Goil told Matt and Michael it was so painful being in the bottom position. Matt and Michael were both very familiar with this position.

Todd invited everyone to Norman's for lunch. There, he delivered the next challenge: design a chef's table for a mystery guest judge. They had two days and a budget of $2,000 for supplies and $40,000 for furniture.

Even with the limitless supply of energy drinks, Goil couldn't muster up the strength to move his floor panels. His carpenter, the Fabulous Sarah, came to the rescue.


Goil got even more frustrated. He wondered what could've happened to his fabulous super powers. Could it have been an act of sabotage? Or were his superhero tights giving him poor circulation problems?



Andrea used stone and suede for her walls. Michael wanted to put the focus on the food. Matt went with a dark woodsy feeling for his room. Goil tried to replicate the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Carisa admitted she's not the natural type. So that makes her the fakey type.


The next day, Carisa had an eerie premonition that her carpenter Carl would drop the ball - well, actually the beam. She uprooted her tree and moved it out of harm's way just in time.


In the White Room, Goil was able to put two and two together. He discovered the REAL reason behind his diminishing powers.


After a long deliberation process, the judges sent Michael home for his drabby room. They gave Andrea her much deserved due for creating a beautiful room.

Chef Tom Colicchio really liked Andrea's room. But secretly, he was rooting for Matt's leather room.

I Kid. You Not. - TD Episode 2

For the second week in a row, we have a challenge designed around a mystery client– actually, ten mystery clients. But unlike last week's team challenge, the designers will work on their projects individually.

The remaining designers each received a dossier with their new clients' profile. Who knew in order to become a successful interior designer you needed to have some investigative and intuitive skills to help ID your client. Do they even offer a class in Forensic Science at the leading design schools?

The designers were given an initial budget of $8,000, hardwood flooring and $600 for hardware and supplies. Their mission was to construct a bedroom for their new client.

John was enraged that Felicia picked the hardwood sample he was eyeing. He decided to forego the free hardwood flooring. Instead, he told his carpenter to go buy some linoleum flooring.

Midway through the design process, Todd Oldham threw out a few curveballs.

He revealed the big twist: their clients were actually kids, around 10 years of age. Also, the beds they were building should accommodate a twin size mattress.

Andrea whipped together an ambitious bedroom that included a murphy's bed. Carisa transported her client to the Amazon jungles. Elizabeth had a ball building a soccer-themed room. Erik went overboard recreating a Pirate ship. Felicia created a stateroom for her young client. Goil built a clean, modern room with a bed on wheels. Matt turned the spotlight on his future Hollywood starlet. Ryan splashed some cool blue waves on the walls and accessorized the room in hot pink cat furniture.

Michael completed his room (installed the hardwood floor and painted the walls) all by himself. Too bad the room looked like it was designed for an elderly person.

John simply ran out of time. He also ran out of patience with his carpenter, who didn't come back from the hardware store with a floor.

Now it was time for lockdown. The designers lined up outside their sterile 12 x 12 cells awaiting the judges' arrival.

In the White Room, the designers were quizzed about the choices they made. Goil treated us to an impromptu lesson on the Theorem of Spatial Displacement.

The judges gave Erik the win and John the kiss off for his unfinished room. John tried his best to keep the raging testosterone beast in check.

So now we know the lead judge, Jonathan Adler, came up with the dreaded "See you later, decorator" phrase. He also described John as the "Mayor of Excuses Village." Note to Mr. Adler: coming up with cute little phrases only work if you're a six year old, for which you are not. For crying out loud, you're a middle-aged man. How about saying things in plain English. Don't try to outdo each other coming up with funny zingers and catchy soundbytes?

(Oh, how I miss my Project Runway.)

Howdy, Partner - TD Episode 1

One by one, the designers entered their lofts. They checked out their competion and sized each other up.

All the usual suspects were there: the diva, the loud one, the prima donna, the ingenue, the villain, the pretty one, the bully, and the quiet one to watch out for.

The designers were summoned by Todd Oldham to meet up at the Pacific Design Center. Todd delivered their first challenge: in teams of two, they were to design a serene inner sanctum for the mystery judge. To clue them into who this mystery judge could be (or more importantly, what his or her taste would be like), Todd presented them with five funky objects that came from the mystery judge's home.

John and Michael clashed from the onset. John turned out to be an overbearing ogre who didn't want anything to do with his new partner. Try as he might, Michael kept getting the brush off. Even in the White Room, the judges could feel the tension between the two. I think ultimately this ogre will have a change of heart. As the fairy tale goes, we know the ogre will soon discover his fondness for the ass.

Lisa and Heather worked together on their room. I knew trouble was brewing when Lisa said she likes to be in control and she likes to work by herself. She's been in this business for quite some time so she knows exactly what she wanted.

Heather hasn't been doing this quite as long, but she seemed pretty eager to pitch in. But Lisa thought otherwise. She made sure Heather knew who was in charge. Lisa went on to create a zenful asian room centered around a huge Chinese wedding bed. How she arrived at that from those five funky objects? I'm not too sure.

Goil and Elizabeth created a fun swinging room. Carisa and Erik created a tasteful, albeit chunky, room with a long wooden fireplace and mantle. Ryan and Andrea went with a bright and funky dormroom. Felicia and Matt created an understated room using a neutral color palette.

The judges eliminated Lisa and Heather. They thought their room was too theme-y. Heather started to beat herself up wishing she could have voiced her objections louder to help steer them away from the Chinese restaurant theme room.

Goil and Elizabeth were named the winners for this week's competition. The judges thought their room was innovative and fresh. Well actually, Margaret Russell, judge and Elle Décor magazine's Editor in Chief, didn't really like it that much. She thought the sand and rake reminded her of the litterbox she had at home.

Meoooowwww!

I'm Back!!!

Thank you everyone for checking back in. I took a little siesta in January. But now I'm back well-rested and ready to start Yawnurizing Top Design and catching up with the Project Runway gang.

Don't know about you but I'm kinda glad I didn't blog Top Chef 2. While I did enjoy watching the first season, I thought season 2 got downright mean and nasty. Sure, Season 1 had Tiffany "the bitch" and Steven "the prima donna." But at least there were other enjoyable characters to root for: Leeanne, Harold and that emotional-wreck David.

On Season 2, I wanted Sam to win. I really can't stand Betty, Ilan, or Elia. Grow up, you guys! Sure, Marcel can be a pompous know-it-all at times but just worry about your own damn cooking. It was obvious the producers were more worried about the spiciness of the cast than the spiciness of the dishes.

Are they looking for the next Top Chef or the next Tough Chef? If that's the case, then why don't they go ahead and change the name of the network to Bravado TV.

Now onto Top Design. Being a part of Team BPR/BTD, I was greatful enough to get a sneak peak at the first episode. While nothing can compare to my number one show, Project Runway, Top Design does have potential. Compared to the HGTV show, Design Star, the contestants are waaaaay more qualified (case in point: scary art lady with the vacuum cleaner/art piece).

I also like a lot of the designers/contestants on Top Design. They're all crazy-talented - not just crazy. So sure, Todd Oldham and the judges are a little rough around the edges, but give them a little time to settle in and they'll be fine.

Hurry on back, Project Runway!

Phaolo