Design Star from a Regular Blogger's Perspective

So, I must know...after last week's post on the Design Star Season Premiere on HGTV, did any of you watch?

In honor of the show's second episode airing tonight (set your DVRS: 9 pm/8c on HGTV!), I thought it would be fun to recap a few highlights from the premiere.

It is important to note that while I read a lot of blogs, many of them home decor related, and I am pretty good at spotting things I like, I am not an interior designer. Words like "scale", "cantilever", "budget", and "texture" are out of my range of expertise...which falls somewhere between colors in the lines and in love with Nate Berkus. 


At any rate, the show started with a bang in New York, New York. The contestants' first challenge was to pair up and make over the penthouse in which they will be staying. Partner and group challenges are always full of dra-ma! because you always end up with a looney or two who just can't seem to work well with others.

I did very much like Kellie and Karl, who teamed up to beautify the Bonus Room.

Before:

After:

Karl's focal wall mural was much better than anything Nina created last season, and Kellie's little nook under the stairs was a nice use of space. My kids would probably love to live there. I think I would like that very much.

Meg is another designer I liked. Some might wonder if she comes across as a little cheesy, but I thought her idea for a show about "Design Crimes" sounds like something I would watch, or (at the very least) DVR with intentions to watch. She was perky without resembling a hyperactive poodle (something her fellow cast-mate, Leslie cannot claim), and although the room she worked on with Tyler was a bit plain, I liked the color combo with the purples. Maybe this is because I currently have purple toenails. Either way, I liked it:

Leslie and Cathy's room didn't stink, but their personalities kind of did. Leslie gave cheerleaders everywhere (including the one who writes this blog!) a bad name with her ENTHUSIASM! over everything. She seems nice enough, and made some good choices, but she needs to tone it down a little. Indoor voice, maybe? Cathy, who would like everyone to know that she won an Emmy for broadcasting, was bossy, and snobby, and very snippy. I don't think I could watch an hour of her all by her lonesome on the screen.

Here's their room:

It's not hideous at all. Just kind of a snooze. Reminded me of something I'd see at a corporate retreat center. That was my main beef with the first episode. The designs weren't terrible, but they weren't fantastic either. Sometimes I wonder if, to be really fantastic, you might just have to take some risks.

A few teams took risks, but not in a good way.

Kevin and Bret's tangerine bedroom would be perfect for a teen, but not a pair of grown men. The fact that they had to create a sign that screams "RELAX" is sort of the first hint that maybe the room is not working. I'll give them props for taking a risk with the color...just didn't pan out here:

Mark and Blanche took on a bit too much in their room, which led to an unfinished bed and weird (to quote Vern Yip) "grandma doilies" made from tea lights screwed into the wall. Again, props for taking risks and shooting high. They just missed the mark:

To be quite honest, what annoyed me more than any other thing during the whole episode was the new host, Tanika Ray. She is very beautiful and smiley, but 99% of her lines came across as if she were answering questions in the final round of the Miss America pageant. I kept waiting for her to say "world peace." I'd rather see more mentoring from David Bromstad or more input from the judges, who seem much more cheerful this season. I like cheerful.

So combined with the fact that this season's Bachelorette is a complete pyscho and whiney and immature and I don't care to watch it live, Design Star now has my full attention on Monday nights this season. I believe that tonight marks the introduction of the dreaded "White Box" challenge, so you're going to want to tune in if you haven't yet.

You can find all the info. on the designers, judges, and last week's episode here on the Design Star site.

What do you think? Any favorites yet? Anyone you want to see get the boot already?


Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored campaign by HGTV Design Star and Crafterminds. All opinions are my own.