Design Star: Saved by your Balls

It’s episode 8 of Design Star and we’ve officially sucked out the silicone and made room for the final three. Tone, Meredith and Danny Appleseed face off to become the new face of HGTV.

It’s morning in Hollywood and it’s time for our designers to shine like a Design Star. Dan says he’s had the dream of being a designer, or a televised designer (not sure what he means — I guess that’s easier than becoming a folk legend of horticulture), since college. Meredith reflects on making it all the way to the final three. Antonio sees this as the next step in his career, he aspires to be badass in every medium possible.
Clive Flynn is in the house to introduce the next challenge. With only three designers remaining, challenge number eight will be an individual challenge. Hollywood is filled with celebrities… I saw Hollywood for the first time this year, and I would say Hollywood is filled with tourists and day glow prints, but sure… celebrities. It’s time for the three remaining designers to make their mark in Hollywood, by designing a celebrity room.

The three designers have chosen their paint cans and it’s time to reveal who each designer will be working for. Danny Appleseed will be redesigning a nursery for Jason Priestley and his wife. Tone will be designing an office for Kathy Griffin and Meredith with have a guestroom in Kelly Kapowski’s house.

Clive informs the designers that they will have 20K, 30 hours and the assistance of two carpenters. Clive releases the contestants to meet their clients.

Dan is super excited, he’s never had a celebrity encounter in his life, and he’s going to be star struck just talking to Jason Priestley. Which novel for Jason Priestley as well. The whole, “I’m Brendan Walsh” shtick doesn’t work on the staff of Jack in the Box like it used to. Full price churros for him.

Dan arrives at the Walsh house first, and he’s immediately at ease talking to the family. Jason Priestley is a nice guy.

Meredith arrives at the Kapowski compound next. She’s be redesigning the “main guest room,” because as one of seven children, she has to have a lot of space available. She would never have a visiting sibling stay in “The Attic.” Get it? Anyone?

Kelly and her non-Morris husband are “the perfect couple” says Meredith.

I disagree, but at least she didn’t marry Jeff. The Kapowskis are looking for a contemporary, eco-friendly design (totally Jessie’s influence). Mr. Kapowski says they are not “modern” people, which may be implied by eco-friendly, but that’s not the case. They like the “lived in” feel. The house was built in 1923 and they would like something in keeping with the period of the house. They like earth tones with pops of color.

Meredith is able to sum it up by saying they’re looking for something thing more transitional. Hopefully it will be more successful than the season 4 “Tori” transition. Right? You have to get on-board with the SBTB jokes, because they don’t get any better.

Tone is on his way to meet Kathy Griffin, he thinks she’s the perfect celebrity to be designing for. Why Tone? Vision problem? Was that a blind joke? Tasteless… shame, shame.

She meets him at the door and announces that this is like a blind date. She asks him what he thinks of her house and what his design perspective is. He says he likes Zen and water features…

Kathy calls Tone out on liking girls too, and says she doesn’t know if she’s comfortable with a straight designer. It may alienate her fan base. Despite the straightness, and the inability to say more than Brick Tamland, Kathy leads him into the new office space for Team Griffin and tells him he can do whatever he wants, which is I hope is not her dating strategy too.

Dan is tasked with creating a toddler’s room/guest bedroom. It has to be adaptable, so it can grow with baby number two, currently on the way. The Priestleys want the bedroom to be a nautical, Cape Cod beach house that can also serve as their guest bedroom. Dan is planning to purchase a changing table and crib for the kid, and a day bed to serve the guest bedroom aspect. He’s also planning art on the ceiling to replicate the hull of a ship. It’s a boy’s room with a nautical theme, so naturally it will be blue. It’s a beach house so all the furniture will be light.

Meredith is planning an eco-convivial bedroom for the Kapowskis, so she’s envisioning a headboard out of reclaimed wood, textual grass cloth wallpaper, hardwood floors, and new organic bedding.

Antonio is given a blank slate and decides on a Zen, modern head quarters. He’s going to put two workstations on one wall and the third on the wall opposite the entrance. Near the fireplace, he’s going to put a conference area for Team Griffin. He’s going to install hardwood floors and create a large US map to plan Kathy’s tour.

He’s off to the store to start shopping and decides on a dark stain, wide plank hardwood laminate for the room. He sends the truck back to the house with the supplies so the carpenters can begin installation while Tone continues to shop. He’s debating color choices, but decides on a two tones of purple for the room.

Dan is shopping for baby furniture and manages to not squeal to the sales girl that’s it’s for “the”Jason Priestley. He wants something white with clean lines since he will introduce the feel of Cape Cod through the furniture. He decides on white crib and changing table so he also selects a trundle bed and mirror to bring light into the room.

I love when people in SoCo feel they’re not getting any light. It hasn’t been a sun-filled summer in NYC. Basically, I’ve felt like I’m being transported home from the pet store in a shoe box with five pin holes in it. All summer…

When Dan arrives back at the Walsh house, he has wall paint and two carpenters. It’s the very end of the day and he hopes to get one coat of paint on the wall before time is called. In the two other homes, Tone and Meredith have begun the installation of their hardwoods as Clive arrives to call time.

Day 2, 12 hours remain:

Dan starts to prep the room before the carpenters arrive and he gets a surprise visitor. He’s some guy. Some handsome guy. Some handsome guy from HGTV… its John Gidding of HGTV’s Designed to Sell.

Gidding is there to check up on the designers, possibly offer some feedback. Dan start to explain the nautical concept and describes the suspended art piece. John thinks that it’s a literal interpretation of the nautical theme, but Dan’s confident. John says “maybe it’ll be cool.” Which is what I say ever time one of my friends decides to get a Chinese character tattoo — it means, “please don’t.”

John also asks if Dan is going to paint and Dan says, this is the color he selected. John thinks it’s a bit much, Dan assures him it will be broken up with linen curtains that he’s adding all around the room. If the Priestleys are unhappy with the color, he can also distract them by just taking off his shirt.

Gidding leaves and Dan is able to give his carpenters directions for the boat sculptures and head out shopping.

Meredith is out shopping for grass cloth wallpaper and comes across a wallpaper with a large print on it that she loves. It’s not in stock, but they can print it for her on the grass cloth.

She’s simply giddy about the purchase as she heads to the next store. The next store is an eco-affable furniture store that has pieces made of reclaimed wood. Mere finds a large piece of wood that she wants to use as a head board and some end tables. It piece for behind the bed looks to be the size of one of the pillars at Stonehenge, but it is pretty.

Tone has a lot planned for day two. He has to prep the desktops and shelves and go out and get the large US map he’s using for one wall, when John Gidding stops in. Antonio says he’s creating three separate work stations for Team Griffin.

He shares his plans for the Plexiglas map and the conference area. Gidding comments that Tone really need to incorporate all the needs of a three person staff into one room and Tone responds that he likes the challenge.

Dan is at the fabric shop looking for some prints to use in the room. Dan says that fabric plays a role in creating a soft, calm space. He find some brocade fabric that will bring a textural pop to the white curtains he’s purchased.

Tone’s at the custom shop ordering the map and some things for the custom work areas. Tone knows they can use a CNC machine (not the music factory?) to cut out the map and make it look precision.

It’s Meredith’s turn for a visit from HGTV’s John Gidding, she’s more concerned that a handsome man has appeared when she’s a hot mess, then fearful he’s going to say something patronizing about the room. Which he then does.

Meredith explains that she’s creating a light airy and eco-amiable space for the Kapowskis, with a pop of color. Maroon in honor of the Bayside Tigers, I believe. John’s points out that the “pop” of color is more muted than he would expect, most people like warm pops of color and then he’s on his way.

30 minutes are left in day two and all the designers are reviewing the plan for day three with their carpenters as they try to finish up painting.

Time is called, and the designers return to the house where they have a bowl of ice cream and a chance to share their feelings about being in the final three.

Day 3, 8 hours:

Dan’s first task of the day is to make the curtains. He’s adding a panel of fabric to the store bought curtains and he needs to hit the sewing machine first thing.

He’s also creating original art for the room, “a window to the ocean.” If this kid was being born to Jason Priestley in 1994, I’m sure he would actually have a bedroom overlooking the ocean. I guess the paychecks have diminished over the years.

Meredith’s wall paper arrives as she heads out to shop. In one store she finds chairs and the media console. No mention of this store’s relationship with the environment, but it is all contemporary furniture. As Mere returns to the Kapowski house, she sees the piece she bought to be the headboard is still in the truck and is not prepped to be mounted on the wall.

Antonio is shopping for the conference area and is selecting a lot of small tables and rugs, very dorm room chic stuff. When he returns to the house he’s able to hang US map with the assistance of his contractors.

One hour remains and Meredith is the one who experiences problems in her last moments, the headboard is not able to be secured to the wall and she has to just prop it up on the end tables.

Time is called for the end of work day three. The designers will reveal the spaces to their celebrity clients and host the space.

The designers are on the way to the elimination and talk about being in the final three. Meredith says it would be awful to make it this far and not win, Antonio says he thinks he has something different to offer as a part of HGTV’s lineup, and Dan says he’s confident in his hosting skills.

Elimination:

Dan’s up first and giggling he premieres the nursery in the Walsh home. They love it. They like the beachy feel and the fleet on the ceiling.

Genevieve says it’s finally a designer room. Candy Stallion likes sculptural art, the use of vertical space. Vern likes the custom art and window treatments. I think it looks like a Babies ARGGHH Us catalog, nothing special.

Vern reprimands Dan for giggling and Gen thinks he’s stiff.

Meredith is up and hosts Kelly’s new room. And it’s really beautiful. I think it’s the only room this season that I would like to move in to. Kelly agrees, she loves her eclectic, contemporary, eco-amorous room.

Vern thinks the room is gorgeous and Gen likes Meredith on camera, she has a nice temperament. Vern wants to know why the headboard is so low, which I didn’t even notice, so Mere has to admit the headboard wasn’t mounted to the wall… and the bullshit reason to keep Dan materializes. Low headboard = mortal sin.

Antonio’s up with Kathy Griffin’s new space.

Ms. Griffin thinks it’s cool, Vern thinks it’s unique. Candice likes Tone’s hosting style, he’s a “bullet point” guy. I bet Candy has Mr. Stallion draw stars on his neck in lip liner and use bullet points in the bedroom.

Vern thinks the map is very clever, but says the scale of several pieces are wrong. The tables and rugs are too small for the space. Gen wanted something more cutting edge from him.

While the judges are deliberating the designers are in the green room congratulating themselves and saying it’s going to be a hard decision.

Back in front of the judges, Clive tells Dan that the nursery is gorgeous but the hosting is forced. Meredith is relaxed and natural in front of the camera and the room is sophisticated, but they question her ability to multitask. Tone’s room meets the team’s needs, but he cannot abandon scale when designing. He’s a unique and engaging host.

Mere is canceled, for not being interesting enough, and not designing the room around the Girls of Bayside monthly calendar.

Did you think Dan and Antonio rooms were better designed than Meredith’s? Did anyone else hope to see the Miss Liberty crown on Kelly’s bedroom shelf?