Episode 2: The Best + Worst of the White Room Challenge
Guest Judge Vanilla Ice With Design Panel and David Bromstad
I like to think of the White Room Challenge as the sand trap of Design Star: talented designers go in and they don’t come out. It’s always the ones you least expect, too. Here’s what went down on this year’s iconic challenge.
The Good
Bex: Along with many of you, I’m a Bex fan. So I had a mini panic attack when she couldn’t “manhandle” the super-long lengths of PVC pipe she bought to create a screen for the front of her white box. After a chat with David restored her confidence, she settled on smaller panels with cut lengths of pipe. Her finished room wasn’t among the best white rooms of all time, but it had some nice moments (i.e., the copper silhouette with penny trim.)
Britany: Her nautical-chic look was sophisticated, graphic and fun. I loved the table-turned-chandelier with hanging lengths of gold chain!
Stanley: I was a bit skeptical of Stanley after last week’s collage-gate. He redeemed himself this week design-wise with an unexpected art installation – he left the box white and created vignettes with colored light. In the evaluation room, the judges dinged him for an unenthusiastic camera challenge.
Danielle: Guest judge Vanilla Ice said this box reminded him of a recording studio — it definitely had a lounge-y, relaxed vibe. The off-center graphic X in bold gold made a huge statement — Danielle may have even won the challenge if it wasn’t for that last-minute dollar store lamp addition.
Rachel: I love how she mixed patterns in this space – the large-scale scroll pattern on the walls and the chevron-painted dresser mesh perfectly. Vern loved her fashion-inspired silhouette. Genevieve loved her folksy camera presence. Guest Vanilla Ice said her room had “moves like Jagger.” She took the win for the second week in a row! The moose head approves.
Miera: I was worried for Miera when those white blocks fell of one, by one, by one, but the room came together surprisingly well. I’m a sucker for gray walls paired with bright colors, so I liked her room from a real-life decorating perspective. It wasn’t the most creative as white rooms go, but I want my own geometric rug mural, and Vern seemed to feel the same way. Vanilla Ice wasn’t into the 3-D sculpture, though: “It just looks like you cut some 2x4s, to me,” he said.
The (Sorta) Bad
Kris: His concept – the before and after view of a home devastated by a forest fire – was interesting, but the execution wasn’t 100 percent there. Genevieve said that the “American dream” side of the box needed to be more perfect – the half-finished look didn’t cut it. Personality-wise, Kris was a little nicer to his fellow man this week, though he’s driving me up the wall when he calls David “Mr. DB.” What is up with that, Mr. KS?
Mikel: I was impressed when Mikel said he practiced the for White Box Challenge. As a former Girl Scout, I’m all for being prepared. Unfortunately, all that practice didn’t translate into an especially creative space. His rope walls were cool, but without them, as Genevieve said, it was just a living room.
The Ugly
Luca: He seemed to miss the spirit of this challenge, still stuck on the judges’ criticism from last week that he “didn’t design enough.” His room was just too conventional and had some really odd details, like the weird accessories and faux wood floors. On a good note, I did love his custom light fixture.
Hilari: Am I alone in thinking Hilari’s room was the worst of the night? (Sorry, Hilari!) The judges didn’t love it, but they did like her chain-link trim on the sofa. To me, it was a mish-mash: The too-bright turquoise walls, the weird plants and, ugh, the turtles just didn’t work. At all.
Jordan: I knew Jordan was in trouble the minute he said “Japanese garden” and he knew it soon after that, too, when David challenged him to do more than “turn a table into a table.” Alas, he pretty much did turn a table into…a painted table. The bright red arch was nice, but it wasn’t enough to make the judges give the resident Aussie another chance and he was sent home. Jordan, I’ll miss your accent and funny quips! I’ll leave you with some of his words of wisdom:”Some people curl up into a ball. I paint.”
Update: Miera’s been added. Also, you can now get Meg and David’s reactions to this week’s action.
Now it’s your turn: Did the right person go home? Which white boxes were the best and worst? Tell me in the comments below.
Danielle's was the best. Luca is undeniably painful to watch, completely clueless! How did he get on the show!
Can't help it,… I don't like Stanley's work & I really don't like Stanley.
so he will probably win like Antonio did that year.
I like Stanley's work but it belongs in an exhibit of installation art. I don't like Stanley.
I thought Danielle’s design was the best this week. It seems like the judges got stuck on the floor lamp, which they mentioned ad nauseum. I’m unimpressed with Rachel’s double win, especially this week. I really didn’t think it was that special.
I agree I loved Danielle's design, true the lamp wasn't the best item for height, but it did add some light, and aside from the beautiful painted lady on Rachel's wall, I still think Danielle's room was better, and if the light were compared to the pair of owls in Rachel's room 2 to 1 Danielle should have won!
I agree with blackhawk and anglstampr…Danielle so far is the winner in my book….I think she'll win the whole thing…I totally don't understand why Vern put so much negative impact on the lamp….it wasn't THAT bad at all! Sometimes I wonder where the judges are coming from…or if they already have a winner picked beforehand. I just didn't think Rachel's design was better than Danielle's. Not by a longshot. But then, I'm not a designer either. I would definitely have Danielle's design in my home…not Rachel's. Strange…. not the best wb challenge. Hopefully the designs will get better soon!
Danielle is definitely second, but Rachel's design was why she was unanimously voted the winner!
Amazing how some designers get praise for there work when others clearly are put down for great ideas.
Jordan should not have gone home, his room was creative like Luca's room was, they both had better spaces than a hanging penny's or a white couch on stilts. I think Luca had great ideas like the wood floor, how did he do that? Making custom shelfs from cabinets did I miss how he did that and that light, I thought that was great, and Jordan repurposed and had a good cocept ideas, I think they don't show how these guys really worked hard on what they had been delt in the challenge, so hgtv thumbs down on how you favor designers that are bad and not giving credit to those who deserve it!
I agree with the floor in Luca's room that was really creative I thought as well, am totally not a fan of Stanley's "artsy rooms" he's more of an artist than a designer in my book, and Jordan was totally not the one to go home this week, so not fair, true he should have and could have thought outside the box, but it's a challenge and I think he was just blocked (like writer's block) it happens, he should have gotten another chance, and Stanley should have gone home, creative? yes, stupid and color less? yes, favorite? not in my book, can't wait for him to go home… my favorite designer from this show will always be David Bromsted… he's the man for great ideas, but wow his choice on this challenge is suprising… Vern Yip was always my fave on trading spaces, his choice with Stanley to stay was a shock as well, I'm just over all suprised that Jordan went home instead of Stanley, he failed in my book 2 weeks in a row… good bye would have been my choice for Stanley
Please learn how to spell !!!
I don't think that Jordan used the sofa or the bookshelves(boxes) in his room so he was probably doomed from the start. He created a very lovely room, but did not repurpose any of the existing furniture.David did try and warn him. I could see him going home for that – had he never seen any past years of the WBC?
I completely disagree with Jordan’s dismissal. He played it safe but at least we could SEE his work. Should have been Luca. But I liked the 3 panels above the couch. When I got a decent view.
Bex and Rachel’s rooms were my favorites. Danielle also did well. But I would’ve preferred a different contrast to the black. Such as lavender or orange. Just my opinion.
Stanley's sofa/couch creation was awful…how the judges "groved" on that room, surprises me, a lot!
Not sure how the ex-lead singer from Creed (aka Stanley) got top 3 when it really took all of 3 minutes to do what he did. Box here, another box on top, couch hanging weird here, lights on these couch pads…DONE!! No idea how that one worked…especially when he just carelessly decided to leave all the cords showing – great effort!!
I do believe the girls,on a whole, out did the guys. Danniells room was very impressive! The use of colors was great. Rachel, Danniell, and Britanys rooms, were rooms I would copy in my home. Great designs by all, but one, this week!
I think Luca’s and Hilari’s rooms were more boring than Jordan’s. At least Jordan’s colors made the room more pleasant, interesting and beautiful than Luca’s and Hilari’s. Luca’s lamp was interesting but not enough to want to sit in that room. Hilari’s room was too cold and boring for me to want to sit in it. And Jordan’s room might have lacked an innovative design creation, but, nevertheless, I’d rather be there and not the other two. Not that his room was great, it’s just that it was not the worst one.
I personally thought Jordan should have gotten more props at least for having a design that was pleasing to the eye. His color scheme made sense, and his layout was fine, albeit predictable. He even had a theme. I thought Hilari's space was the worst. Personally, the wall color made me think of mint ice cream, which makes me feel like the space is cold for one, and sick for two, because I really am not a fan of mint ice cream. Any way you slice it, the color was just *off* *off* *off*, and there were really not any warm tones to balance out that cold, sickly color. There were the gold embellishments, but – at least on a TV screen – they were barely visible. Her accessories made no sense whatsoever, and the layout was awkwardly clustered in the middle of the box. Not enough balance in color or in layout. Her concept was, even at the end, very unclear, and her execution was only half there. She's adorable, but I would have sent her home for this one. Luca's room was the next worst, I feel. The tag was a cute idea, and it helped the empty wall not be so empty. But his box really reminded me of a poorly furnished college apartment – very little style, very little good design, and almost thrown together. It was not well thought out. However, I **adored** the light fixture he created. It was very contemporary-looking, like it could have come from a high-end light shop or a blown glass workshop. Very cool, just wish the rest of his room reflected that ingenuity.
Jordan's room was just what you called it — predictable. Could have been done by the furniture salesperson at Sears.
this show is about DESIGN — not the typical HGTV "how to make your house look nicer" stuff. When every judge — the real pro's — say Stanley nailed it, maybe that should tell you something. The challenge — we all seem to forget about what they were told to do — was to TRANSFORM a room into something dramatic. Stanley did it. So did Danielle, to a point. The others gave you a living room of a house in the suburbs. (except that weird one with the fire and the flag).
This isnt' the Interior Decorator Challenge – it's DESIGN Star!