CasaSugar

Found It! Preston Lee's Bedroom Wallpaper

CasaSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:00:49 -0800

If you follow Top Design, I'm sure you have lots to say about the contestants' designs . . . and you might have even been inspired every now and then. In the finale, the "House Challenge," each room had its own appeal, but I couldn't help but love the wallpaper in Preston's polished, though slightly impersonal, bedroom. Personally, I love it!
Does it look familiar to you? If you follow Casa, it should. To find out where we've seen this wallpaper before, read more!

You've seen it . . . in my foyer! It's the Graham & Brown Paste the Wall wallpaper in Tempting Turquoise, which I reviewed for Casa Beta. It can be peeled off in full sheets when it's time to decorate, so it's quite the innovative product. But, I also just simply love the design, and I think Preston used it well in his space.Photo courtesy of Bravo TV

Top Design, Finale: "House Challenge"

CasaSugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:00:33 -0800

At long last, we're down to the final three contestants on Top Design: Ondine, Nathan, and Preston. I actually really like each of these contestants, and would be happy to see any of them win the grand prize of $100,000 to expand their design business, as well as a feature in Elle Decor. (Though of course I have my favorite, as I'm sure you do.) For the second half of the finale, the three contestants must finish decorating the rest of their townhouses, which they started decorating in Episode Nine.

The contestants start off the finale on a shopping spree sure to make any Casa reader green with envy, hopping from wallpaper shops to antique stores to warehouses stocked with gorgeous furniture. When the contestants meet up with India, they get a surprise: Natalie, Eddie, and Andrea are back to help the designers on their homes. Uh-oh: Eddie's matched up with Preston, and we all know from previous episodes that Eddie completely hates Preston. Poor Preston.

Ondine's concept for her home is retro glam, while Preston's back with his concept of traditional modern (which Eddie seems to hate, incidentally). Nathan's concept is a little more conceptual (at one point he describes his hall wallpaper as "Golden Girls disco"). Eddie's still up to his douchey antics; he shirks his duties and, at one point, leaves his phone on the stairs when Preston is trying to give him instructions. The designers all seem really stressed out by the time line, and the many projects which seem to be nowhere near completed.

To find out who won Top Design, read more.

After a grueling two days of work, stress, and worry, the contestants' rooms all look beautiful. I loved Nathan's self-painted dining room art, as well as his office's collection of eclectic, tightly grouped framed art and photos. Preston's monochromatic molding in the guest room was wonderful, though I wish he had shown a little more personality in his styling. And Ondine's little girl's bedroom, with its circus-bright yellow-striped walls, was bright, fun, and perfectly designed.

In the end though, there can only be one winner, and that winner is . . . Nathan! I have to say, I wasn't expecting them to go with the eclectic, wildly creative Nathan, but I'm so pleased that he won. He showed the most individuality of all of the designers, and I'm glad that he was rewarded for his imaginative designs. (Oh, and now that it's all over, I can tell you that he's been my favorite for the past several episodes.) Congrats, Nathan!

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Photos courtesy of Bravo

Who Do You Think Will Win Top Design?

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:00:53 -0800

Photos courtesy of Bravo

Test Your Top Design Know-How

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:15:02 -0800

Have you been watching Top Design faithfully this season? We're down to three designers, Ondine, Nathan, and Preston, and tonight's the finale! To see if you can identify the three designers' signature styles, take my quiz.

Question 1 of 9

This room, which was featured in Episode Seven, "Room of the Future," was designed by whom?

Top Design, Episode Nine, "House Challenge"

CasaSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:15:18 -0700

For last night's Top Design, which is the first of a two-part finale, the remaining contestants face a daunting challenge. Instead of a single room, Eddie (who celebrated his birthday on this episode), Ondine, Nathan, and Preston are responsible for styling an entire house in two days. For the first half of this finale episode, each designer is given one room for improvement in each house. The designers also have $20,000 per room to work with; the twist is that only three of the four designers will be coming back for the second half of the finale to finish their homes.

Nathan and Eddie both chose to work in the master bedrooms, while Preston chose a dining room, and Ondine one of the tiny bedrooms as an office space. I loved the backstory we got about each contestant, as well as the photos of their homes, in this episode. (Though, did anyone else notice that we didn't get to see any photos of Eddie's home?)

To see who won this challenge and who's out, read more.

I was disappointed with Eddie's use of latticework on the wall of his bedroom, which made his traditional bedroom look positively elderly. Ondine's abandonment of her curtains seemed like a cop out, and I wished that Nathan had pushed the envelope in his design; it just felt dull. On the other hand, I loved Preston's use of color and pattern, and his room was both soothing and easy on the eye (just like Preston).

Flipping Out personality Jeff Lewis guest judged the episode in Kelly Wearstler's place, and all of the judges were notably more difficult in quizzing the contestants for their design decisions. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with most of the designs; the designers didn't seem to do much more in this episode but arrange nice furniture on a generous budget. I missed the creativity of the previous episodes.

At judging, Preston, Ondine, and Nathan were sent on to finish their houses, and Eddie was sent home.

Did you think Eddie deserved to go home? Whose room was your favorite? Did you love the contestants' use of wallpaper this week? Tell me in the comments!

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Photos courtesy of Bravo

Top Design, Episode Eight: "Light It Up"

CasaSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:45:24 -0700

Three men (Preston, Eddie, and Nathan) and two women (Ondine and Andrea) remain on Top Design. Right off the bat, we are treated to more homesickness from Andrea (in case you forgot, which it is literally impossible to do if you watch the show regularly, she's Ricky Schroder's wife). As the episode begins, Andrea receives flowers and a love poem from her hubz, which she says makes her even more homesick. Many of you have been anti-Andrea, but I was actually starting to warm up to her. However, this display of adorableness has made me change my mind yet again. (And was it just me, or did Ondine seem a little sarcastic when she said she was thrilled to have met her?)

But on to the design challenge! Things started with a switcheroo, as the designers were asked to complete a pop design challenge before moving on to the main challenge. Using Jonathan Adler accessories, the designers styled the same sets of beige sofas. Eddie won immunity for the challenge (I did love his fern and floral table arrangement). Still, he continues to be a cheeky and, dare I say, rude, dude.

To see who won, and who had to leave, read more.

This week, the designers were challenged to create a room around one focal point: Swarovski crystal lighting. The fixtures were absolutely stunning, and the designers had $22,000 to spend on their rooms. I was in love with Nathan's super-funky rich girl's bedroom - I admired his bold use of the wooden horse and the Keith Haring-esque pop art colors and designs on the wall.

And yay! Jonathan Adler's hubby Simon Doonan was the guest judge for this episode. Though, sadly, this meant that we were denied the opportunity to observe more of Kelly Wearstler's wacky style. Luckily, Nathan helped us out with his bling-bling silver leather jacket, which he wore at judging.

The judges hated Eddie's use of his Swarovski chandelier, which they said looked cheap, but they loved Nathan's room, as well as Preston's, and Preston's sleek living room was declared the winner of the challenge. Before they could declare a loser, though, Andrea offered to leave, since she was homesick for her kids and husband. Did they let her go? Absolutely.

What struck you about this episode? Were you more annoyed by Eddie's attitude, or his obsession with Martha Stewart? Do you get the impression that Preston is a sweet shy nerd who's being ostracized by the cool kids? Tell me in the comments.

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Photos courtesy of Bravo

Top Design, Episode Seven: "Room of the Future"

CasaSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:30:45 -0700

With only six designers remaining, competition is getting stiff on Top Design. India Hicks reiterates this point when she meets with the designers at the beginning of this episode, and then quickly launches into the challenge: Imagine the year is 2108, and the designers must design the room of the future.

To realize their visions, the designers are given $7,000 to spend, the use of carpenters, paint, and fabrics, and two and a half days to plan and execute their rooms. Unfortunately, the designers, who've been asked to let their imaginations run wild, have shown themselves to be less than creative in past challenges, instead playing it safe.

It was revealing to see where the designers' minds went when asked to brainstorm the future. Eddie latched onto cloning, Andrea sketched out family-oriented portable pod housing, and Ondine developed design solutions to accommodate global warming.

Did anyone else find it interesting that the designers shopped for the future at a mid-century modern store?

To find out who won, and who we had to bid adieu, read more.

As the designers frantically attempted to get their rooms together, India Hicks popped in to challenge the designers to a Pop Design quiz, with Jonathan Adler quizzing the designers on "the real deals" in design classics. The challenge reminded me a lit of my less or more posts . . . Nathan won, though he definitely wasn't one of the six who needed immunity, given his past performances.

I loved Ondine's concept, though her room didn't quite live up to the ideas. Nathan's room read as both elegant and inventive, and Preston's traveling hotel room was very slick.

In the end, Natalie was sent home for her poorly planned room, and Preston won for his futuristic hotel suite. (The real winner, in my opinion though, was the Top Design audience, for getting to see Kelly Wearstler's amazing ensemble.) Who did you think deserved to go home? Did you react strongly to any of the rooms?

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Photos courtesy of Bravo

Top Design, Episode Six: "Eco-Offices"

CasaSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:15:08 -0700

In the latest episode of Top Design, the remaining designers tackled a project near and dear to my heart: renovating a space in a green fashion. Guest judge Danny Seo, whose green designs and ideas I love, offered the contestants advice on remembering the R words (reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, and be resourceful, among others) in their spaces.

The designers were challenged to use all materials in the office (including ugly desks and bad carpet). They were also given fabric remnants to work with instead of new fabric as well as low VOC paint. Contestants were paired with clients and challenged to renovate their office spaces in an environmental manner.

Some designers were gung-ho about this challenge, while others were immediately put off by the idea. In particular, Eddie came off as a snob, calling his client a dork, berating him for his use of the word "funky," and then repeatedly uttering "Ew" as he had to do the demeaning work of going through boxes of fabric remnants. Oh, the horror!

To see who won and who had to leave the show, read more.

Just as the contestants were beginning to ease into their design ideas, India Hicks presented the designers with a twist: the contestants had to hand the keys to the office space over to another designer. This meant that the designers then inherited the prior design decisions of their fellow contestants.

Overall, the designers did a much better job this week with their designs. I loved Ondine's water bottle chandelier, and I liked Preston's bookshelf and defined, elegant use of color on the walls. Oh, and I also was coveting India Hicks' dress. Was that eco, too?

Wisit had to leave for his dull, ultraminimalist, and uninspired office space, and Eddie won the challenge. Luckily though, we were treated to a final operatic swan song from Wisit.

What struck you as particularly good or bad about this decision? Who did you want to go? Did you think Eddie deserved to win?

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Photos courtesy of Bravo

Top Design, Episode Five: "Triathlon of Decorating"

CasaSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:30:25 -0700

Finally! After four episodes of group projects, in this latest episode of Top Design, the designers get to decorate individually. In this challenge, the designers must show off their creative vision, styling ability, and versatility as a decorator. Their first challenge was to transform chairs, in two hours, into something unique and design forward, using paint, stain, and textiles. I loved the over-the-top, Betsey-Johnson-inspired chair that Ondine styled. And Wisit's subdued, batik-look fabric on his chair (which he painted by hand!) was impressive as well. Nathan won the first leg of the triathlon (guess his smokelete training paid off) for his iconic, gessoed, glamorous chair.

To find out who was the overall winner, and who went home, read more.

In the second leg of the triathlete, the designers were challenged to create a table setting that was tasteful, unique, and expressed their design sense. My favorite table settings were Eddie's (his flower arrangement was incredible) and Nathan's unconventional, deconstructed seaside table. Oh, and the judges made Wisit sing opera!

Finally, in the third leg of the challenge, the designers were asked to create a nature-inspired room. And while the winner will get the opportunity to be published in Elle Decor, the designers were limited to shopping in only a garden center. My favorites in this leg of the challenge were Ondine's way-bright '60s pop room and Eddie's Hudson River-inspired garden (loved the use of sod), though in all honesty, none of the designs were very impressive. Natalie won for her trellised garden room.

In the end, Nathan was declared the overall winner, and Teresa went home. Do you think Teresa deserved to go home? What stood out for you in this week's episode?

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Photos courtesy of Bravo

Top Design, Episode Three: "Window Display"

CasaSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:00:38 -0700

In the third episode of Top Design, the designers switched from outfitting bunkers to backdropping high fashion. Working in teams of two, the designers were challenged to create window displays for gorgeous fashions designed by Jeffrey, Sweet P, Daniel, Andrae, and Santino, contestants from prior seasons of Project Runway.

It was definitely fun to see each of the fashion designers' looks, from Santino's macabre, black-swathed mannequin to Sweet P's bright, color-drunk mannequin. But beyond the fashion, there was also the complication of egos. There are bossy, opinionated egos (Jeffrey, though I love him), diva-esque egos (Andrae), and then there's Daniel. While his dress was beyond fabulous (it's shown here), Daniel is beyond hilarious. To express his vision for the window display, Daniel read the designers a poem he'd written. I always felt as if he was a blowhard on the two seasons of Project Runway, and this high-school-journal-worthy poem only confirmed this feeling. He's the kind of guy who, on a first date, would try to feed you strawberries in front of a roaring fire while playing Mariah Carey records and find nothing off about it. Or maybe I'm just the anti-romantic.

To find out who won and who got kicked off, read more.

I thought Ondine and Natalie's design for Sweet P's dress was lovely and would definitely sell to the ladies, and Preston and Andrea's design for Daniel's dress (OK, maybe that poem was a good idea) hit it out of the park, too. In the end, Ondine and Natalie were awarded for their efforts with the win. Sadly, Kerry was sent home, which made me very sad. I will miss his presence on the show!

Highlights for me? Jeffrey's nickname for Kerry ("Big Daddy"); Wisit's inability to stop saying "Rococo,"; Kerry's awesome turns of phrase ("I was about to drop kick you into Jesus right there on the spot, but I smiled, like a true Southerner"). And, of course, Kelly Wearstler's fabulous ensemble (where can I get a purple sequined hat?).

What did you love (or hate) about this episode?

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Photos courtesy of Bravo