Design Star…My Sunday Night Reality Fix

Reality TV is back and just in time for me. I have been suffering from reality TV withdrawal since the end of of American Idol for the year, but on Sunday night Design Star will return with twelve new designers hoping to earn an HGTV show of their own. This year’s candidates range in age from twenty six to forty six and come from New York City all the way down to Texas. They come from a variety of backgrounds. Several are professional designers, but many are not formally trained. The hopefuls include a construction worker, a mason, and a missionary! For complete biographies you can check out the HGTV website here.

Vern Yip host of Deserving Design is back once again as a judge. Vern is a proud new Popa! Son Gavin was born in January of this year. In the background is a work of art Vern had commissioned for the nursery. I’m looking for pictures of the entire room!

Candice Olson is returning also for a second year. I love her show Divine Design, because I think she creates beautifully inspired yet liveable spaces. I thought she was a fair judge who shared constructive criticism with a sense of humor last year.

Finally, there is our old TLC barefoot designer Genevieve Gorder. Surprisingly, to me, Genevieve who seems so warm and fuzzy on her own show Dear Genevieve turned out to be the harshest critic. I was expecting Paula Abdul and got Simon Cowell instead! :) So, I’ll be watching on Sunday nights for the next few weeks. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find someone I like as much as my favorite Design Star winner.

David Bromstad was the winner of season one of Design Star and now hosts his own show Color Splash. David is famous for adding original art to the rooms he designs. I recently learned David started his career as a Disney illustrator! I’ll be posting as the show progresses. Let me know what you think!

Design Star......Green With Envy?

Antonio Ballatore, a forty year old set designer from LA won HGTV's Design Star competition last night. His competition was twenty six year old Dan Vickery from Oregon. I've been reading comments on the HGTV website. Whewww...I felt like I had opened a can of worms! Most of his detractors criticized the green master bedroom in the house. But do any of you remember this bedroom?

This is the master bedroom in the HGTV 2009 Dream Home--green. That color that Genevieve called "almost offensive" in a good way when Antonio used it. Even the ceiling is green.

This is the master bedroom that Antonio created for real people who share their space with a small child. He did this, a kitchen, a family room and a child's room in four days with $50,000. Oh yeah, and he threw in a bathroom for free :) The color is not the exact same as the Dream Home bedroom, but they are definitely related. This room doesn't have as many of the beautiful white accents...but again, real people will live here. I think it looks more like Real People...as least the ones I know :)

I've been reading comments that call the color "nauseating", "painful", and "insulting". "Terrible" was probably one of the nicer descriptions. Oddly enough, I bet these are the same people in love with that "fresh green" in the Dream Home. Okay, so he's not Vern Yip. Candace Olsen called him "Design Star meets the Sopranos". I fell in love with Antonio in the white room challenge when he offered to help Lonni. I like nice guys. I like nice talented guys. I'll be watching The Antonio Project next Sunday night. Yo Antonio! Congratulations!