what did you think of last night’s top design?
Episode 4: One Man’s Trash…
Finally! Top Design ventures into a task we’re all familiar with here at Shelterrific: Trolling yard sales for decorating treasures. Last night, the contestants were given a small budget ($500) and a day of shopping garage sales around Los Angeles to create their rooms. I don’t know what street they all ended up on, but someone tell me where that it is so I can plan my next trip out west! I can’t think of anything more fun than stumbling upon an alley filled with castaways up for grabs. As for the final products, anything as bright as Carisa’s wins my heart. That girl can shop, and it makes you wonder how much better last week’s bungled beach bungalow would have been if she had been the one to go to Pier One. Speaking of which, Mr. Non-Conformist John is so annoying. It’s obvious they’re only keeping him around because he’s the show’s alpha dog. Margaret loathes him, don’t you think? Felicia’s room was very confused, and I can see why she was eliminated. She’s humorless, but the worst of the bunch? I’m not sure. — Angela M.
P.S. On a style note: Loved Kelly’s crimped hair! I think her weekly outfits are a riot. She deserves a guest spot on next season’s Project Runway.
February 22nd, 2007 at 9:09 am
This is the first episode that made me want to keep watching it.
The others left me thinking, “Well, it’s really only it’s first season, it will be better next year.”
I would like to see them venture more into furniture design instead of limiting them… even just for one challenge. I would like to see more design and less decorating.
February 22nd, 2007 at 11:04 pm
I just got my TV back from the shop, but I *still* haven’t managed to see this show yet. The pic above reminds me - without having compared them side-by-side - of the picture post you guys did from the week where they had to design for kids, although I know this is a different designer.
So are designers on the show using “white with brights” as a crutch? (That would be a bummer, even though it’s a color scheme I love.) The thing with the pic above is that the walls on the left side of the room (the upper halves of both the left wall, and the left half of the far wall) look so bare and unbalanced compared to the rest of the room. That 25mph sign does tie in the orange in the room, but I think I might have tried it on the left wall over the bed. =/
February 23rd, 2007 at 8:20 am
I have loved watching this whole set of Bravo shows (Project Runway and Top Chef), and was really excited to see Top Design be added. But, I agree with the comment above…most of the challenges haven’t really been that interesting. I liked the garage sale theme for this week (more realistic than just buying everything with a big budget from PDC), but I wish they’d do more than just those white boxes in their studio.
I was also irritated by Felicia’s elimination this week. Yes, her room wasn’t good, but I don’t think it was the worst, by any stretch. And, this marks the second week in a row where a woman, who in previous episodes had won/come out in the top few, was eliminated seemingly primarily based on negative impressions from one detail (last week, paint color, this week, the afghan), as opposed to a man (in fact, the same man!) who has consistently been in the bottom 2 or 3. I feel like, just like on Top Chef, while women sometimes win the challenges, when it comes to eliminations, it’s the women who re shipped off as quickly as possible, while the men with personality/attitude problems AND poor cooking/design/execution, are given the benefit of the doubt over and over and over again (i.e. Michael from Top Chef). Normally, I tend to be naive and assume that sexism doesn’t exist, but in these shows it seems to be happening a lot. I mean, Felicia’s room had more problems than just the afghan, but if that wasn’t in the room, you can’t say that it’s so much worse than John’s cage, black walls (sorry, in a small studio you just can’t pull that off!) or Michael (another male in the bottom repeatedly given the benefit of the doubt). As for Elizabeth last week, yes those colors were not particularly suited for a cabana in Miami, but why was that worse than John’s HORRIBLE shopping? It wasn’t! I mean, my god, if you can’t freakin’ pick out some reasonable furniture, how can you be a designer?
I think you’re right, they keep those obnoxious guys on for the drama/controversy, as opposed to talent and what they actually produce. But, it seems like it’s the women (who seem fairly normal and reasonable personality-wise) who suffer as a result.
February 23rd, 2007 at 8:23 am
John was eliminated last week… are you talking about Ryan?
March 6th, 2007 at 10:39 am
whoops, yeah, I meant Ryan.
March 6th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
Looks like the hills above my ‘hood in Silver Lake. There are always good garage sale spots around Maltman Ave. south of Sunset Blvd.