apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Did anyone watch Design Star on HGTV?

Is it me, or does it seem a bit sad in a sense? I mean, they scoured the country and that was the result?

I think AT has readers that are more design savvy.

In some ways, I enjoyed the show because I was always waiting to be amazed. David did a great job on the wood shavings carpet in his pet room. I actually liked his final room challenge in Bryant Park - although the judges were right, color was needed. I think red would have been the one.

Overall though, I wasn't dazzled. I really like Alice, but for her personality more than anything - she is charming and seems to have form deep connections with others, she can relate to people. I'm sure that, if she wins her own show on HGTV, she'll grow and become much more design savvy as she will become totally saturated in the world of design.

I like David as a designer more than Alice, but I disliked the playroom/parents den in the basement he designed on the last episode. I wasn't feeling it at all. Very dark for a basement with no windows.

Anyone have thoughts on Design Star?

ay, why didn't we hear about this...
would love to love/be-grudge them, like superstar djs (cable tv-less whimper)

I so wanted to like that show, but it was definitely missing something. I'll still watch the finale though

Personally, I think a lot of those HGTV shows are attracting more of the suburban group and McMansion tastes and a lot of the designers reflected that style (with a couple of exceptions). I think they are targeting a less design savvy and less trendy audience.

I agree about David's basement, but I feel that way about a lot of the final designs on those shows (how livable or practical is most of Trading Spaces???). Yet for some reason I still watch a lot of them...

i think amy nailed it: most of the folks reading apartment therapy (and other design sites, like holly's) are a lot more design-savvy than the average hgtv viewer. if you watch shows like "house hunters," you get an idea of what qualifies as good home decor for most people. when watching hgtv, i constantly have to remind myself that most of the country does not have easy access to great design resources (from boutiques like zinc details to major chains like room&board).

re. the final two contestants: i'm with holly on this. i like alice's personality better, but think david has her beaten on the design-front. i hated her past two designs. they lacked any creativity. i would never hire her because i just don't feel like she has more to offer than, say, the apartment therapy community.

Hmmm....why is it when "they" scour the country they never stop at my house? We always seem to hear of these things when they're on the air. Why is that?

Did everyone see the first episode with the woman who did the vacummn cleaner as art?

I voted for David. I think, however, Alice will win. We'll see.

I do know several people who would have been incredible on that show.

i spent all last weekend housesitting and watching the HGTV back-to-back marathon of this. so i'm pretty well caught up. (except i never saw any of the Vanessa episodes, which is who somebody here compared me to in a thread a few weeks ago.)

i like both David and Alice. I like Alice's personality better, and the fact that she's from not too far from my home turf (which also enables me to get why she does what she does sometimes). but it really frustrates me that she doesn't seem real able to build her concept in a way that maximizes the best features of what she's been given. i remember twice in a row she had rooms with big huge windows where she arranged all the furniture facing away from the nice views. mmmmkay...

i also think my red living room (a cozy red armchair and strong red accents on white walls and wood tones) beats the shit out of David's red studio.

giving them all some credit: i know people who've worked on design-oriented reality shows, and one hurdle they all face is that their supplies, materials, and decor can only come from pre-approved nationally available sources. like IKEA will be a sponsor on the condition that they incorporate a certain number of IKEA pieces. some flooring company is the sponsor, and their product of the week is bamboo floors, so in this episode everybody puts in bamboo floors whether it works or not. this is why things seem so cookie cutter so often.

I watched the show... I didn't want to... but I couldn't help myself because I'm obsessed with reality shows... especially ones that involve design. First of all, some of the people they had on the show were complete design idiots. Second, they took these people with no talent and gave them no money and no time to execute... it was rediculous. They tried to set it up like Project Runway but interior design is way more involved and difficult than making a dress! And then Vern (who I usually love) sat around and complained about the lack of creativity... I mean, come on, on Trading Spaces they got time in advance to design and shop for their spaces... so lame.

And the host! Oh my god, he was the most obnoxious and stupid host I've ever seen. He was no Tim Gunn. He had no insight. He made the most idiotic observations ("Wow, it's a mess in here...") Gee, thanks, you're a genius. He made that Katie Joel chick from Top Chef look like Oprah... and that's pretty bad.

As for who wins... I think Alice and David WERE the best in the show (they didn't have much competition) and also the nicest. The producers should call it a tie and let them be co-hosts.

I am having to laugh at the attitudes of a few of the comments here. One person's 'design savvy' is another person's 'trendy trash'. Shopping at Room and Board doesnt make you any more or less savvy than shopping at Ethan Allen. It's just a different design sense.

I personally do not decorate in any one particular style, but I like MidCentury Modern enough to regularly check out Apartment Therapy, which is dominated by it. But I also know that decorating in that style is no more creative or original than what you see on HGTV. Let's face it...if MCM is your style..you're rehashing a trend..not creating one.

I think the show is fun and fluffy. And given the budgets, and the even more difficult time constraints, I really do not think too many people would have done better. Especially since these original contestants had no prior knowledge of how the show would work. The next season's contestants will definitely have an advantage.

Also, it was a good idea to have a group of designers with different taste and styles. That provided the broadest appeal to the widest range of viewers, giving them variety of types to identify with and to get as many people as possible hooked on the show.

They've already announced there will be a second season for Design Star..so if you really think you could do better...go for it! This is the first 'reality' show that I've watched, and I have to admit, I'm looking forward to the finale.

David won! :)

I think both Alice and David are adorable, and I would have been just as happy to see Alice win... But David was so cute when they announced his name. He is so expressive, connects with people in a very sincere way, he's real... And although he isn't the polished designer that has eons of experience like so many on HGTV, he is unique in that he doesn't come with that polished attitude, he's relaxed, creative, normal... Someone that we can relate to and take inspiration from. I think he'll make a great addition to HGTV.

He's young, hip, from Miami (the up and coming design mecca), and very urban-minded in his design approach - I think he'll draw many viewers to his show in spring '07. Alice would have also been a good choice, but honestly, HGTV needed David much more.

Holly

sjv...that's why I used "savvy" and "trendy" in the same sentence. I think they often go hand in hand.

To me, "savvy" means that you know the names of people in the industry - furniture designers, design houses, design movements, etc. I don't think a lot of HGTV shows are targeting that market. And most of the homes featured don't reflect that level of knowledge or interest.

I agree that shopping at Room and Board is no more savvy than Ethan Allen. People rip on the Ethan Allen crowd often here, but it won't be filling up the landfills any time soon like all of those Ikea purchases.

yes!

whereas half the contestants on Design Star couldn't so much as pick up the right kind of caulk at a hardware store.