Design Star Challenge 3

In this week's episode of Design Star the designers finally got to work on their own. This was a problem for some. Hee Hee. Having company, I don't have time to work out a full-fledged recap but here are my quick-takes impressions from the episode.

Temple--proof that you do not need a "degree" to be a design star. She did a FABULOUS job. I actually thought her room was the winning design. She had a sleek, minimalistic, elegant room. The gray paint on the walls was inspired. The four chain license plate surrounds as art--very pleasing aesthetically. The best thing in the room? The shiny grill displayed above the sofa and the doohickeys that she attached to the front of the sofa.

Vanessa--proof that big talk often masks little talent. Her room was horrible. I feel for her because she had next to nothing to work with in that she had to shop in the beauty supply store. Seems like she could have done something better than hot glue makeup stuff all over some boards for art, however. I particularly enjoyed the way she pouted everytime someone else got a compliment after her own dismal review. I think part of the reason Vanessa went home today was because she led the judges to believe, in the first challenge, that the credit for the design in the bedrooms was all hers. She was declared winner and the expectations were high for her after that. She was disappointing in challenge two, and crashed and burned in this one. Buh-bye.

Teran--proof that lines from the Princess Bride come in handy. He kept using this word--"Victorian" to describe his big blue room with gold circles and modern accessories. I do not think that means what he thinks that means. His room was nearly empty, possibly because he kept spending his time giving Teman advice. Note to Teran--take the tags off your accessories next time.

David--proof that fish bowls are versatile. David's design was judged to be the winner. He did do some very cool things in the room. The orange wall with a positive/negative design of squares was striking. The square geometry of the walls contrasted well with the circular theme of the rug and the art over the sofa and the sculptures. The fishbowl sculpture was very sharp. It sparkled in the room with the lighting. The dog chew sculpture very creative. I disliked intensively his "rug" made of animal bedding which I didn't think was practical. His design was more comprehensive than Temple's, ultimately, so I understand why the judges gave him the win. He rocks as an artist.

Donna--proof that people who like things on a slant can't help themselves. Ignoring what she was told about positioning furniture on a slant in a small space being a bad idea--Donna positioned her sofa on a slant. I really hate slant-y furniture. Overall, not the worst of the designs but not even close to the best. I thought it was an insult to Temple and Alice who performed with excellence to be dismissed from the room at the same time as Donna. Setting various automotive filters around the room isn't particularly creative or original either. Lucky to get through to the next round again.

Alice--proof that nice people can keep trekking in a reality competition. Alice shopped in the camping store and made inspired use of the fabrics she found there. I loved her color palette--admittedly, green is my favorite. I loved that she de-constructed the shelves to make shadow boxes and so did the judges. Very solid performance, overall.

Teman--proof that you can lose sight of the big picture. Teman spent so much time taping his back wall in order to give the room color that he hardly spent any time on the rest of the room. It was unfortunate, because he started out with a coverlet for the couch which was wonderful and graphic and could have been the focal point for the room. Instead he created this bizarre taped wall that ate all his time and competed with the coverlet. I really believed that Teman might make it through when it came down to between Teran and him. I wonder if they got rid of Teran just because they didn't want the two people who shopped at the beauty store to be eliminated? That would have revealed the challenge to be unfairly weighted against the beauty shop people. I hate to see conspiracy theories everywhere, but the beauty shop people didn't have access to near the supplies that the others did, particularly fabrics. In the end Teman's how was cancelled and Teran will now compete for the both of them. I felt the twins' pain, though, because I know in that situation while they both wanted to stay, they each knew their twin would have to go to make it happen. It's tough when you are rooting for two people at the same time. Singles don't have that conflict.

Tym--proof that you can run out of ideas for using a catch phrase in your blog because I can't think of what Tym is proof. Tym chose not to use his money for paint and used dog food bags for art and to add color. Paint would have been an improvement. He made interesting use of de-constructed animal cages but some elements of the room were wierd--ie, the dog leash hanging from the wall like a "hamster noose" as Vern Yip put it.

Next week, two more eliminations and another group challenge--something to do with a kitchen remodel. Sounds like Temple might have a rough time of it. I'm rooting for Alice or David to win at this point, with Temple doing respectably well.