HGTV 'Design Star' winner styles a victory

On HGTV's "Design Star," a dozen designers have the dream, but only one (per season) can realize it.

That artistic cheese who stands alone is Emily Henderson, who takes home the title on the "Design Star" finale Sunday night (Aug. 22).

In the episode, both Emily and Michael Moeller get their final challenge: Using their perspective to create a new space for their client and tape a show segment to follow the process from beginning to end.

Aiding them are the previously eliminated contestants. Emily chooses Dan, Casey, Stacey, Tom and Alex. Michael has Courtland, Nina, Trent, Tera and Julia to help him out.

The fun part is that each designer gets to pick one teammate to be their "client."

Emily initially selects Dan, but after reevaluating, realizes he's too similar to her taste. She throws him over for buttoned-up, Halston-y Tom, whom she describes as "dangerous" -- not Tom, but her aesthetic risk-taking probably.

Michael really takes a big risk when he selects Nina, whom he describes as "that lioness who eats her cubs." She initially tries to impose her own point of view on him, but he's steadfast and makes his own decisions.

In the end, both make pretty darn good segments. Emily's "Style to Lifestyle" concept is  clear, and she's her usual adorable self. There are moments when she gets a little bogged down with explanation without enough illustration. Michael's "Design Revolution" still needs a better title, but his concept is strong, and his whole segment has great energy and humor.

In the end, Emily is the winner, which isn't too much of a surprise. We see a promo for her first show, which airs in a week on Aug. 29. It'll be called "Secrets of a Stylist" or some such. Hmm, that's okay, but we wonder what was wrong with "Style to Lifestyle" or a tweak of that title?

Do you agree with who won?

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Photo credit: HGTV