Top Design
Encyclopedia
Top Design is an American
reality television
series. Interior designers compete to win cash and receive a spot in New York's Designer showcases.
The first season premiered on January 31, 2007, following the season finale of Top Chef
. Todd Oldham
was the host and famed potter and interior designer Jonathan Adler
was lead judge. Kelly Wearstler and Margaret Russell
also serve as judges. Matt Lorenz was declared the winner.
Although the first season received poor ratings, Bravo decided to air a second season starting September 3, 2008, with India Hicks
as host and Oldham serving in the role of mentor, similar to Tim Gunn
on Project Runway
. Adler, Wearstler, and Russell returned as judges.
The second challenge, the Elimination Challenge, has each contestant, either individually or as part of a team, create a design based on certain requirements or goals. After the challenge, the judges ask questions of the contestants about their design choices. The judges then confer among themselves and decide on the top and bottom designs. The top designers are credited and a single winning stylist is selected. The bottom designer is then identified and sent home with the phrase "See you later, decorator" in Season One and "We cannot live with your design" in Season Two.
Season one was produced by Stone & Company Entertainment.
The contestants worked in teams of two to design a room for a mystery judge based on five personal items the judge feels represents them. Heather and Lisa did not get along, as Lisa insisted on planning the entire room herself, to which Heather reluctantly acquiesced. John and Michael took an instant dislike to one another, as Michael felt John was too harsh on him, and John felt Michael was too prissy. The mystery judge was Alexis Arquette
.
Winners: Goil and Elizabeth
Out: Heather and Lisa
The contestants were assigned to design a room on an $8000 budget and were given a fact sheet about each client, who they later learned were pre-teens. For an excursion to Target
to shop for more accessories, they each received an additional $300, except for Elizabeth and Goil who, as winners of the last competition, received $400 each.
Despite initial misgivings about Carisa's design with a desk built in to the foot of the bed (one judge remarked that an active boy could easily hurt himself on the rough edges), her design was named one of the best that night. Goil's design, with a bed equipped to roll away inside the wall when not in use, and a crawl space for the child to hide if he so chose, was also liked by the judges. Erik's design, revolved around a wooden "pirate ship" (the client he had expressed an interest in pirates), won top prize.
Due to John not finishing his work on time he was eliminated.
Winner: Erik
Out: John
At the beginning of the episode, each contestant were given a bag of trinkets including postcards depicting Miami
, Tahiti
, and St. Tropez. Elizabeth, Erik and Matt got the Miami postcard, Andrea, Felicia and Michael got the Tahiti postcard, and Carisa, Goil and Ryan got the St. Tropez postcard. Their mission was to build a cabana inspired by the postcard in 16 hours, with resources from Pier One Imports only. Since Erik won the last competition, he could not be eliminated during this challenge. This worried Matt, as he could be eliminated a lot easier being on a team with only two viable targets as opposed to three.
During the judging process, the judges noted that all the teams had made both progress and bad decisions. The Miami team was citicized for use of colors deemed too ugly and "not Miami," the Tahiti team was chastised for not having a roof, and the St. Tropez team was told its furniture was at odds with the structure. The Tahiti team as selected as winners of the challenge. They earned a weekend at the Viceroy Resort in Santa Monica, California
, and private use of a cabana designed by judge Kelly Wearstler.
The Miami team was liked least. Elizabeth was eliminated for selecting the color the judges disliked.
Winners: Andrea, Felicia and Michael (Team Tahiti)
Out: Elizabeth
The designers had to design a room for a design student with furniture purchased at garage sales. The winner was given first choice of carpenters in the next challenge.
Winner: Carisa
Out: Felicia
The designers were assigned to an All-American family - two parents, three children, and a dog - to create a dream family space in their garage. Andrea, with the top design for the model she prepared for the family, was made team leader of the project, with a budget of $5100 and one day to complete.
Winner: Andrea
Out: Ryan
The designers had to design a party tent in teams, with Carisa, Michael, and Matt on one and Andrea, Erik, and Goil on the other. They were required to decorate using lemons (along with other supplies).
Carisa, Michael, and Matt were chosen for the better design. Matt was chosen as the winner and was allowed an extra hour in the next challenge. This upset Carisa, who claimed the design was entirely hers and she should have won the challenge.
Winner: Matt
Out: Erik
The challenge was to design a chef's room for Tom Colicchio
's new restaurant, which features dishes made from the highest-quality natural ingredients. The designers were to adhere to a design aesthetic associated with the Arts and Crafts movement
and featuring handcrafted, natural items.
Winner: Andrea
Out: Michael
The remaining four designers were each assigned one of the four basic elements. Matt was assigned water, Andrea received earth, Carissa was given air, and Goil was given fire. Utilizing the assigned themes, the designers were given three days to design a luxury hotel suite. The judges felt that Goil concentrated too much on the walls and let go of the big picture, although they admitted that Goil was assigned the most difficult theme and Matt, the easiest.
Winner: Matt
Out: Goil
The remaining contestants selected one of ten Elle Decor magazine covers as inspiration for their design. They were given access to the internet to search for shops selling at low rates. The judges felt that Andrea's design was too flat and level, and thus she was eliminated.
Winner: Matt
Out: Andrea
The final two contestants were allotted two months to design lofts in Los Angeles, based on their own taste and style, and five days to execute their plans.
Winner: Matt
Runner-up: Carisa
took Todd Oldham's spot as the host, with Oldham returning as the designers' mentor throughout the series. Head judge Jonathan Adler, as well as Kelly Wearstler and Margaret Russell, return as the judges. Nathan Thomas was named the Season 2 winner. He won $100,000 and a spread in Elle Décor.
Season two is produced by Magical Elves, the production company that created Project Runway
and Top Chef
, the shows on which Top Design's format is based. Also, Magical Elves' Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz will also serve as executive producers for season two.
Nathan was part of the trio with the worst design, but he was spared from possible elimination by winning the Pop Design earlier in the episode While Nathan won the challenge overall (including the 1st and 2nd leg of the design triathlon), Natalie won the 3rd leg and a spread in Elle Decor magazine. Ondine actually had the lowest scores in the challenge and would have been eliminated had Andrea decided not to withdraw.
winners and contestants. Ondine and Natalie won the challenge, and Kerry was eliminated for his work with Wisit.
(Project Runway Season 3), Andrae Gonzalo (Project Runway Season 2), Daniel Franco
(Project Runway Season 1), and Sweet P (Project Runway Season 4).Top Design: Natalie and Ondine
Eliminated: Kerry
chandelier and was asked to create a room around its unique and very particular style. Simon Doonan
, Creative Director of Barneys and Jonathan Adler's life partner, served as a guest judge.
Ondine was judged to have the poorest design, but Andrea decided to withdraw from the competition because she was homesick.
Both Preston and Ondine's designs drew mostly praise from the judges, while Nathan and Eddie were criticized sharply for their choices.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series. Interior designers compete to win cash and receive a spot in New York's Designer showcases.
The first season premiered on January 31, 2007, following the season finale of Top Chef
Top Chef (season 2)
Top Chef: Los Angeles is the second season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Los Angeles, California, and concluded in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii. The season premiered on Bravo on October 18, 2006 and ended on January 31, 2007. Padma Lakshmi took over as host,...
. Todd Oldham
Todd Oldham
Todd Oldham is an American-born designer and president of L-7 Designs Inc. His fun, lighthearted approach to fashion and style has become known to millions through his fashion lines, interior designs, books and by appearing in television shows...
was the host and famed potter and interior designer Jonathan Adler
Jonathan Adler
Jonathan Adler is a Jewish-American designer renowned for his "happy chic" approach to home furnishings and interior design...
was lead judge. Kelly Wearstler and Margaret Russell
Margaret Russell
Margaret Angèle Russell is the former vice president, editor-in-chief of brand content of the shelter magazine Elle Decor, a position she held since July 2000. On 5 August 2010 Thomas J. Wallace, editorial director of Condé Nast, announced Russell's selection to be editor-in-chief of Architectural...
also serve as judges. Matt Lorenz was declared the winner.
Although the first season received poor ratings, Bravo decided to air a second season starting September 3, 2008, with India Hicks
India Hicks
India Amanda Caroline Hicks is a former fashion model, 521st inline to the line of succession to the British Throne.-Early life:...
as host and Oldham serving in the role of mentor, similar to Tim Gunn
Tim Gunn
Timothy M. "Tim" Gunn is an American fashion consultant and television personality. He was on the faculty of Parsons The New School for Design from 1982 to 2007 and was chair of fashion design at the school from August 2000 to March 2007, after which he joined Liz Claiborne as its chief creative...
on Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
. Adler, Wearstler, and Russell returned as judges.
Format
There are two challenges each episode. The first challenge, the Pop Design, is a short challenge that awards immunity. Unlike other Bravo reality competition shows where these challenges take place at the beginning of the episode, the "Pop Design" can come at any time to frustrate the designers.The second challenge, the Elimination Challenge, has each contestant, either individually or as part of a team, create a design based on certain requirements or goals. After the challenge, the judges ask questions of the contestants about their design choices. The judges then confer among themselves and decide on the top and bottom designs. The top designers are credited and a single winning stylist is selected. The bottom designer is then identified and sent home with the phrase "See you later, decorator" in Season One and "We cannot live with your design" in Season Two.
Season one
The first season of Top Design premiered on January 31, 2007. Todd Oldham hosted, and Jonathan Adler, Kelly Wearstler, and Margaret Russell served as judges. Twelve contestants competed and Matt Lorenz was declared the winner of season 1 on April 11, 2007.Season one was produced by Stone & Company Entertainment.
Contestants
- Andrea Keller, 36 Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
- Carisa Perez-Fuentes, 26, New York City, New York
- Elizabeth Moore, 48, Los Angeles, California
- Erik Kolacz, 28, Chicago, Illinois
- Felicia Bushman, 38, Los Angeles, California
- Goil Amornvivat, 33, New York City, New York
- Heather Ashton, 36, Los Angeles, California
- John Gray, 40, Chicago, Illinois
- Lisa Turner, 58, Compton, CaliforniaCompton, CaliforniaCompton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los...
- Matt Lorenz, 32, Chicago, Illinois
- Michael Adams, 23, New York City, New York
- Ryan Humphrey, 35, New York City, New York
Contestant progress
| Designer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Comments |
| Matt | HIGH | IN | LOW | HIGH | IN | WIN | HIGH | WIN | WIN | WIN | Winner of Top Design |
| Carisa | IN | HIGH | IN | WIN | LOW | HIGH | LOW | HIGH | HIGH | OUT | Runner Up: Lofty Designs |
| Andrea | IN | IN | WIN | IN | WIN | LOW | WIN | LOW | OUT | ||
| Goil | WIN | HIGH | IN | IN | IN | LOW | LOW | OUT | |||
| Michael | LOW | LOW | WIN | IN | LOW | HIGH | OUT | Eliminated: Chef's Choice | |||
| Erik | IN | WIN | IN | IN | IN | OUT | Eliminated: Life of the Party | ||||
| Ryan | IN | LOW | LOW | LOW | OUT | Eliminated: Garage Band | |||||
| Felicia | HIGH | IN | WIN | OUT | Eliminated: One Man's Trash | ||||||
| Elizabeth | WIN | IN | OUT | Eliminated: Life's a Beach | |||||||
| John | LOW | OUT | Eliminated: Child's Play | ||||||||
| Heather | OUT | Eliminated: Mystery Judge | |||||||||
| Lisa | OUT | Eliminated: Mystery Judge | |||||||||
- Dark Blue Background and WIN means this designer won this week's challenge.
- Light Blue Background and HIGH means this designer was close to winning this week's challenge.
- Pink Background and LOW means this designer had one of the least liked designs.
- Orange Background and LOW means this designer was close to being eliminated.
- Red Background and OUT means this designer lost and is out of the competition.
Episode 1: Mystery Judge
Original Airdate: January 31, 2007The contestants worked in teams of two to design a room for a mystery judge based on five personal items the judge feels represents them. Heather and Lisa did not get along, as Lisa insisted on planning the entire room herself, to which Heather reluctantly acquiesced. John and Michael took an instant dislike to one another, as Michael felt John was too harsh on him, and John felt Michael was too prissy. The mystery judge was Alexis Arquette
Alexis Arquette
Alexis Arquette is an American trans woman, actress, musician, and cabaret performer.-Early life:...
.
Winners: Goil and Elizabeth
Out: Heather and Lisa
Episode 2: Child's Play
Original Airdate: February 7, 2007The contestants were assigned to design a room on an $8000 budget and were given a fact sheet about each client, who they later learned were pre-teens. For an excursion to Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
to shop for more accessories, they each received an additional $300, except for Elizabeth and Goil who, as winners of the last competition, received $400 each.
Despite initial misgivings about Carisa's design with a desk built in to the foot of the bed (one judge remarked that an active boy could easily hurt himself on the rough edges), her design was named one of the best that night. Goil's design, with a bed equipped to roll away inside the wall when not in use, and a crawl space for the child to hide if he so chose, was also liked by the judges. Erik's design, revolved around a wooden "pirate ship" (the client he had expressed an interest in pirates), won top prize.
Due to John not finishing his work on time he was eliminated.
Winner: Erik
Out: John
Episode 3: Life's a Beach
Original Airdate: February 14, 2007At the beginning of the episode, each contestant were given a bag of trinkets including postcards depicting Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
, and St. Tropez. Elizabeth, Erik and Matt got the Miami postcard, Andrea, Felicia and Michael got the Tahiti postcard, and Carisa, Goil and Ryan got the St. Tropez postcard. Their mission was to build a cabana inspired by the postcard in 16 hours, with resources from Pier One Imports only. Since Erik won the last competition, he could not be eliminated during this challenge. This worried Matt, as he could be eliminated a lot easier being on a team with only two viable targets as opposed to three.
During the judging process, the judges noted that all the teams had made both progress and bad decisions. The Miami team was citicized for use of colors deemed too ugly and "not Miami," the Tahiti team was chastised for not having a roof, and the St. Tropez team was told its furniture was at odds with the structure. The Tahiti team as selected as winners of the challenge. They earned a weekend at the Viceroy Resort in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, and private use of a cabana designed by judge Kelly Wearstler.
The Miami team was liked least. Elizabeth was eliminated for selecting the color the judges disliked.
Winners: Andrea, Felicia and Michael (Team Tahiti)
Out: Elizabeth
Episode 4: One Man's Trash
Original Airdate: February 21, 2007The designers had to design a room for a design student with furniture purchased at garage sales. The winner was given first choice of carpenters in the next challenge.
Winner: Carisa
Out: Felicia
Episode 5: Garage Band
Original Airdate: February 28, 2007The designers were assigned to an All-American family - two parents, three children, and a dog - to create a dream family space in their garage. Andrea, with the top design for the model she prepared for the family, was made team leader of the project, with a budget of $5100 and one day to complete.
Winner: Andrea
Out: Ryan
Episode 6: Life of the Party
Original Airdate: March 7, 2007The designers had to design a party tent in teams, with Carisa, Michael, and Matt on one and Andrea, Erik, and Goil on the other. They were required to decorate using lemons (along with other supplies).
Carisa, Michael, and Matt were chosen for the better design. Matt was chosen as the winner and was allowed an extra hour in the next challenge. This upset Carisa, who claimed the design was entirely hers and she should have won the challenge.
Winner: Matt
Out: Erik
Episode 7: Chef's Choice
Original Airdate: March 14, 2007The challenge was to design a chef's room for Tom Colicchio
Tom Colicchio
Thomas Patrick "Tom" Colicchio is an American celebrity chef. He co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as a co-owner and as the executive chef. He is also the founder of Craft and Colicchio & Sons restaurants...
's new restaurant, which features dishes made from the highest-quality natural ingredients. The designers were to adhere to a design aesthetic associated with the Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
and featuring handcrafted, natural items.
Winner: Andrea
Out: Michael
Episode 8: Metropolitan Home Suites
Original Airdate: March 28, 2007The remaining four designers were each assigned one of the four basic elements. Matt was assigned water, Andrea received earth, Carissa was given air, and Goil was given fire. Utilizing the assigned themes, the designers were given three days to design a luxury hotel suite. The judges felt that Goil concentrated too much on the walls and let go of the big picture, although they admitted that Goil was assigned the most difficult theme and Matt, the easiest.
Winner: Matt
Out: Goil
Episode 9 : ELLE DECOR Cover Inspiration
Original Airdate: April 4, 2007The remaining contestants selected one of ten Elle Decor magazine covers as inspiration for their design. They were given access to the internet to search for shops selling at low rates. The judges felt that Andrea's design was too flat and level, and thus she was eliminated.
Winner: Matt
Out: Andrea
Episode 10 : Lofty Designs (Finale)
Original Airdate: April 11, 2007The final two contestants were allotted two months to design lofts in Los Angeles, based on their own taste and style, and five days to execute their plans.
Winner: Matt
Runner-up: Carisa
- Matt is the First person to win 3 challenges in a row.
Season two
The second season of Top Design premiered on September 3, 2008. India HicksIndia Hicks
India Amanda Caroline Hicks is a former fashion model, 521st inline to the line of succession to the British Throne.-Early life:...
took Todd Oldham's spot as the host, with Oldham returning as the designers' mentor throughout the series. Head judge Jonathan Adler, as well as Kelly Wearstler and Margaret Russell, return as the judges. Nathan Thomas was named the Season 2 winner. He won $100,000 and a spread in Elle Décor.
Season two is produced by Magical Elves, the production company that created Project Runway
Project Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
and Top Chef
Top Chef
Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants...
, the shows on which Top Design's format is based. Also, Magical Elves' Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz will also serve as executive producers for season two.
Contestants
- Andrea Schroder, 36, Calgary, Canada
- Eddie Ross, 30, Greenwich, ConnecticutGreenwich, ConnecticutGreenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
- Natalie Williams, 24, Montgomery, AlabamaMontgomery, AlabamaMontgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
- Nathan Thomas, 30, Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
- Ondine Karady, 38, Mountainside, New JerseyMountainside, New JerseyIf you are looking for the community in Ontario, see Mountainside, Ontario.Mountainside is a borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States...
- Preston Lee, 27, Amarillo, TexasAmarillo, TexasAmarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
- Serge Van Lian, 27, Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
- Jennifer Newsom, 28, Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
- Robert Reid, 40, Fredericton, New BrunswickFredericton, New BrunswickFredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...
- Kerry Howard, 40, Easley, South CarolinaEasley, South CarolinaEasley is a city in Pickens County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is a principal city of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. Most of the city lies in Pickens County, with only a very small portion of the city in Anderson County...
- Shazia Kirmani, 30, Plano, TexasPlano, TexasPlano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
- Teresa Keegan, 35, Tulsa, OklahomaTulsa, OklahomaTulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
- Wisit Prapong, 30, Gibson City, IllinoisGibson City, IllinoisGibson City is a city in Ford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,407 at the 2010 census.-History:The site of Gibson City was purchased and platted by Jonathan B. Lott in 1869. In 1870, Lott built a home and a post office there, and several stores and an a grain elevator were...
Contestant progress
| Designer | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Comments |
| Nathan | WIN | HIGH | LOW | IN | WIN | HIGH | HIGH | HIGH | LOW | WIN | Winner of Top Design 2 |
| Ondine | WIN | LOW | WIN | IN | IN | IN | LOW | LOW | HIGH | OUT | Eliminated: Finale Part 2 |
| Preston | LOW | LOW | HIGH | LOW | IN | HIGH | WIN | WIN | HIGH | OUT | Eliminated: Finale Part 2 |
| Eddie | HIGH | WIN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | HIGH | IN | OUT | Eliminated: Finale Part 1 | |
| Andrea | HIGH | WIN | HIGH | WIN | LOW | IN | LOW | WD | Withdrew: Light It Up | ||
| Natalie | IN | IN | WIN | IN | HIGH | LOW | OUT | Eliminated: Room Of The Future | |||
| Wisit | WIN | HIGH | LOW | WIN | IN | OUT | Eliminated: Eco-Offices | ||||
| Teresa | WIN | IN | IN | WIN | OUT | Eliminated: Triathlon of Decorating | |||||
| Shazia | LOW | IN | LOW | OUT | Eliminated: Bachelor Pads | ||||||
| Kerry | IN | IN | OUT | Eliminated: Window Display | |||||||
| Robert | LOW | OUT | Eliminated: Artsy Bunker | ||||||||
| Jennifer | HIGH | OUT | Eliminated: Artsy Bunker | ||||||||
| Serge | OUT | Eliminated: Impress The Best | |||||||||
- Green background and WIN means the designer won Top Design.
- Blue background and WIN means the designer won that challenge.
- Light blue background and HIGH means the designer had one of the highest scores for that challenge, but did not win.
- Orange background and LOW means the designer had a lower score, but was not eliminated.
- Red background and OUT means the designer lost and was out of the competition.
- Yellow background and WD means the designer withdrew from the competition.
Episode 1: Impress the Best
The thirteen designers were divided into four groups. Each of the groups was assigned to design an apartment for one of the judges. The team with four members was given less time than the teams with three. A Pop Design was given, in which the designers created a shadow box that represented their design sensibility. Wisit, Ondine, Eddie, and Kerry were given immunity for winning the Pop Design. Serge was eliminated.- Top Design: Nathan, Ondine, Teresa and Wisit
- Eliminated: Serge
Episode 2: Artsy Bunker
Twelve designers were divided into groups of two assigned to design a small bomb shelter in a way that combined both their styles.- Top Design: Eddie and Andrea
- Eliminated: Robert and Jennifer
Episode 3: Window Display
The final ten paired up and were asked to create a window display showcasing dresses designed by former Project RunwayProject Runway
Project Runway is an American reality television series on Lifetime Television, previously on the Bravo network, which focuses on fashion design and is hosted by model Heidi Klum. The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted in time, materials and theme...
winners and contestants. Ondine and Natalie won the challenge, and Kerry was eliminated for his work with Wisit.
- Special Guests: Santino RiceSantino RiceSantino Quinto Rice is an American fashion designer and television personality. He is best known for his appearances on the reality television programs Project Runway, RuPaul's Drag Race, and On the Road with Austin and Santino.-Early life:Rice was born and raised in St. Charles, Missouri...
(
Jeffrey Sebelia
Jeffrey Sebelia is an American fashion designer and founder of the clothing label Cosa Nostra, which he headed from a loft on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles...
(Project Runway Season 3), Andrae Gonzalo (Project Runway Season 2), Daniel Franco
Daniel Franco
Daniel Franco, a native of Los Angeles, California, was born November 11, 1971. He achieved notability for appearing in two seasons of Project Runway.-Biography:...
(Project Runway Season 1), and Sweet P (Project Runway Season 4).
Episode 4: Bachelor Pads
The nine remaining contestants were divided into teams of three and assigned to design the ultimate bachelor's apartment. Team Green (Nathan, Preston, and Shazia) had trouble deciding on their plans for their room creating a difficult shopping experience for their furniture pieces. The next day during shopping Eddie (Red Team) engaged in a heated argument with a salesman about a broken vase and tried to argue his way out of paying for it. A Pop Design on making flower arrangements was given, with Nathan winning. He received immunity for the challenge. Andrea, Teresa and Wisit won the challenge, and Team Green received the lowest scores, with Shazia getting voted off.- Special Guest Judge: Jeff Lewis from Flipping OutFlipping OutFlipping Out is a reality television series that debuted on July 31, 2007 on Bravo in the United States and HGTV in Canada. Subsequently, it debuted on cable network Arena in Australia on September 4, 2009. For the first season it also re-aired on sister network CNBC...
- Top Design: Andrea, Teresa and Wisit
- Eliminated: Shazia
Episode 5: Triathlon of Decorating
The remaining contestants, working solo, were required to design a chair, a table setting, and a pictorial setting for Elle Décor. Nathan won the first two challenges, and Natalie won the third. Teresa was eliminated.- Top Design: Natalie and Nathan
- Eliminated: Teresa
Episode 6: Eco-Offices
The remaining contestants re-designed the new offices of the Cadmus Group, an environmental consulting firm that helps government, non-profit, and corporate clients address critical challenges in the environment. Eddie won the challenge, and Wisit was eliminated.- Special Guest Judge: Danny SeoDanny SeoDanny Seo, born April 22, 1977 is an Eco Stylist.- Biography :Born on Earth Day in 1977, Danny has championed the natural biodiversity of our planet from a very young age. On his 12th birthday, he founded the organization Earth 2000 with just $23...
- Top Design: Eddie
- Eliminated: Wisit
Episode 7: Room of the Future
The contestants were asked to design a room of the future, putting their creativity and imagination to the test.- Top Design: Preston
- Eliminated: Natalie
Episode 8: Light It Up
Each designer selected an oversized SwarovskiSwarovski
Swarovski is the brand name for a range of precisely-cut crystal and related luxury products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria...
chandelier and was asked to create a room around its unique and very particular style. Simon Doonan
Simon Doonan
Simon Doonan is the Creative Ambassador-at-Large of the New York City-based clothing store, Barneys.-Biography:Doonan hails from the English town of Reading. He got his first retail job as a summer job working at Heelas, a department store in Reading that belonged to the John Lewis Partnership...
, Creative Director of Barneys and Jonathan Adler's life partner, served as a guest judge.
Ondine was judged to have the poorest design, but Andrea decided to withdraw from the competition because she was homesick.
- Top Design: Preston
- Withdrawn: Andrea
- Preston is the First person to win 2 challenges in a row.
Episode 9: Finale Part 1
Flipping Outs Jeff Lewis returned to judge part one of the Season Two finale. Each designer decorated a room in one of four houses. Both Nathan and Eddie chose the master bedroom, Preston selected the family room adjacent to the kitchen, and Ondine picked the smallest bedroom, in which she created a combination office/guest bedroom.Both Preston and Ondine's designs drew mostly praise from the judges, while Nathan and Eddie were criticized sharply for their choices.
- Finalists: Nathan, Ondine, and Preston
- Eliminated: Eddie