'Top Design': Let there be light!

Tonight on Top Design, we had two fairly run-of-the-mill challenges, one enormous tool, and a shocking twist ending that will leave you at the edge of your seat! Well, that may be overselling it a little.

We begin with a Pop Design challenge: Each designer must use various Jonathan Adler accessories (lamps, pillows, rugs, etc.) and the other judges' books (because their egos need feeding, too!) to design a living room around plain furniture. I like Ondine's use of color, with a black & white plus blue scheme. Eddie tries to correct Jonathan Adler when he calls Eddie a "stylist," which eventually leads to Eddie asking if Adler would like to be called an "elf" after Adler says he's okay with being called anything, even short. Over the line, Eddie. Over the line.

The judges ding Andrea for being sloppy and Preston for being boring. They name Eddie the winner, despite his insubordination. Sigh, fair enough--it was a nice room. He interviews, "I don't want to sit here and sound like an a**hole, but I don't need immunity." Wow, Eddie. Also, are the editors just pulling out all the stops now and airing every awful Eddie soundbite, or has he gotten worse with time?

The designers arrive at L.A. Mart Design Center, where they are challenged to design a room around an insanely expensive Swarovski crystal chandelier. Eddie, as the Pop Design winner, gets to pick the order in which they choose chandeliers: Eddie, Andrea, Nathan, Ondine, Preston.

Eddie is aiming for a young, hip dining room. His chandelier is a sparkling rectangle with long crystals. He picks a bunch of Martha Stewart furniture for his room, which forces his design into a more traditional style. Also, it is literally exhausting me trying to keep up with all his masturbatory, egotistical quotes, so from now on just assume that everything out of his mouth is douchy. His room is way more traditional than my tastes and looks like one of those dining rooms that no one actually uses, but I like the gold leaves on the walls and the editing (I hate clutter!). However, Eddie is still awful. And actually, the judges hate it. They think the room doesn't fit the chandelier at all, and it makes the chandelier look cheap. Guess he needed that immunity after all!

Nathan is working with the shadows his abstract "ice branch" chandelier casts, painting an abstract green and purple pattern on the wall reflective of it. He's going for a rich girl bedroom, and succeeds, I would say, in that it looks exactly like a rich girl bedroom. However, it looks like the girl picked it all out for herself, with no regard as to whether the wooden horse goes with the electric blue bedspread goes with the cow skin rug goes with the marble bust. I don't love it. Jonathan Adler calls Nathan "bananas," but fun. The judges love it. Clearly, I know nothing about design.

Ondine is creating an "eclectic bedroom" to match her chandelier, which looks like a bunch of crystals poured into the bottom of a fishnet stocking. I like the room, with the random world decor objects and the light purple walls. However, the chandelier seems like an afterthought. The judges think the room was really well pulled together, though the furniture choice was questionable and the room didn't match the light. 

Andrea aims for a Hollywood glam feel to go with her long, bright green rectangular chandelier. She struggles with accessorizing, and the room is definitely a lot of green: bright green patterned wallpaper, green ceramics, and an eclectic feel to the room. A bit cluttered for my tastes, but Margaret Russell is feeling the glamour. The judges feel that the details weren't strong, though the concept was. Andrea breaks down a little, saying she feels like she can't pleased the judges and has maxed out her abilities. So...she's pretty self-aware, at least. And in a totally crazy move, she asks to go home, saying she's "being realistic." Oy.

Preston is working on a masculine cocktail lounge, which suits his bell-shaped disco ball chandelier. He's feeling really underappreciated by the other designers, especially when Nathan turns down his painting help and accepts Eddie's. His room has black walls with some black and white patterned wallpaper, and a couple of fabulous orange chairs. His concept has his chandelier and chairs framed by the wallpaper, which the judges seem iffy on. The judges appreciate that his room was quirky, and love the balance of glamour and chic.   

No Wearstler! It's Simon Doonan instead, who isn't wearing anything nearly as incredible as Wearstler's get-up last week. Aaaand, the judges call the Eddie Ross look "Martha Stuart Mortuary." HA! The judges pick Preston as the winner for the second week running (who saw that coming, seriously?), and pick Ondine and Andrea as the bottom two. They say that Andrea's room was more successful in her use of the chandelier, and thus Ondine would be going home, but they leave it up to Andrea. She says she really misses her family, and has a tough time making the decision to leave. But, that's the decision she ultimately makes. Fair enough, I suppose.   

What do you think about Andrea's decision to leave? How did you like Nathan and Eddie's rooms?

E-mail

• Digg
• Facebook
• Fark
• Yahoo Buzz
• Stumbleupon