Episode 4 Recap: Famous Last Words (Don’t Worry, I Know What I’m Doing)
I’m a sucker for a makeover with real homeowners..after all, who wouldn’t want someone else to completely transform their home in a weekend? I know I would. Two neighbors got their wish this week with makeovers of an indoor living space that connects to an outdoor one. Here’s my take on what happened and this week’s big winners and losers.
Danielle and Miera: As soon as Miera said “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing” re. the built-in shelving unit, I started to worry. Actually, everyone involved in the room looked perpetually worried…Danielle, the carpenter, probably the camera guy, and eventually Miera, who said she hoped “when the panel goes through our room, they don’t have a magnifying glass.” Unfortunately, inspector Vern didn’t need a magnifying glass to see what was wrong with the shelving unit, and Miera was sent home this week. Here’s the finished room:
And the built-in:
The best thing about the room, by far, was also chosen by Miera: an organic, contemporary chandelier over the dining table:
I felt bad for Danielle, who pretty much lost her design voice this week. I hope she won’t make that mistake again!
Kris and Rachel: Kris has that “game show host” quality about him, doesn’t he? I half-expected him to build a revolving stage stocked with a few appliances and a brand new car on the homeowners’ patio. Instead, he built some really cool tree stump tables embedded with succulents. Call me crazy, but I’m actually starting to take a shine to this dude.
Another great moment: the custom awning designed by Rachel.
A not-so-great moment: Rachel’s kids’ corner.
From the moment Rachel learned the homeowners/clients had a four-year-old daughter, you could tell her mind was on her own daughter and not the room’s design. The judges went on about how it shouldn’t be next to the trash and that it was “sort of bizarre,” but they mostly seemed genuinely worried that Rachel may have lost it a bit.
Stanley and Britany: Britany brought the bold patterns again this week with a killer herringbone-patterned wood privacy screen.
I was worried that Stanley’s crazy construction schedule would backfire in the end, but he got it all done and the judges loved his reclaimed wood decking. And presumably, his tan.
Hilari and Mikel: It looked like Hilari and Mikel were having fun this week, and I wanted to join in. (Hilari, can we go sofa shopping, pleeease?) They worked together seamlessly and you could tell by looking at their finished room – just like the homeowner requested, it was a vintage-inspired, collected space that you wanted to hanging out in. The judges praised Hilari’s sofa pick:
Vern also gushed about Mikel’s reclaimed wood mirror:
A great camera challenge + a great space made Hilari this week’s champ.
Check back tomorrow morning to see David + Meg’s reactions to this week’s episode.
Now it’s your turn: What did you think of this week’s episode? What was your favorite element of the designers’ spaces? Did the right person go home?
Miera was the right person to go home tonight. I expect more professionalism from an award-winning designer with her years of experience. It was clearly her mistake in measurement that created the problems with the wall unit. I was stunned when she took umbrage with Danielle for stating that "we" had given the carpenter the wrong measurements. Danielle could have accurately said "you" but had the professionalism, class and collaborative spirit to say "we" instead. When Miera went off the deep end accusing Danielle of having a bad attitude and speaking to her in a bad tone I thought "WHAT?". Shame on you Miera. Is this is the professional image you want to create for yourself? Are prospective clients going to want to work with you or will they see you as confrontational, defensive and opinionated? I hope this has been a learning experience for you.
I totally agree!!
I just want to know how her previous partners got anything done at all?!?! A pat on the back to both Jordan and Kris for living to tell the tale. I also felt awful for the carpenter who took all Meira's BS (you can work with me anytime) and still had something to show for it.
Miera couldn't get along with anyone! (Hint: Maybe it's not them; maybe it's you!) She came across as emotionally fragile and difficult. Combine that with a critical measurement mishap and she was definitely the right person to be sent home. Buh by.
Agree! Me thinks she doth protest too much.
Agree. She showed too much emotional fragility last week as well.
Can someone explain why that black mirror on the wall to the left of the door in Hilary and Mikel's room isn't centered in the space? Why is it almost touching the left-side wall? The spacing seems all wrong.
I also noticed that immediately!
I noticed that too – my two thoughts: 1) They wanted to allow enough clearance from the light switch on the lower right, or, 2) They wanted to reflect the light from the lamp below. I would have centered the mirror.
Um, because not everything has to be centered?
I thought this was DESIGN star, not shopping star. Britany has not had one single misstep – the beautiful white and blue wall design in round 1, the chain chandelier in round 2, the mirrored wall in the Kardashians office in round 3, the chevron fence in round 4 – these are all 100% original, unique ideas – all of which I would try myself at home! She's flawless, yet she hardly gets any air time.
I also adore Rachel. Her white room challenge blew me away. Kris Jenner's office was a home run! Why oh why are we only seeing Danielle and drama and not more of these two talented, adorable designers. Team Rachel and Britany!
I've noticed that too about Britany. She is definitely my favorite but has yet to be truly recognized! Next week's sneak peek shows her messing up during a public speaking session so I am worried.
I love Brittani, but I think she needs to mix it up a bit. Huge, bold geometric patterns with a blue or black base are all she's shown so far. I know that show's extremely well through the TV, but I would love a little more diversity. Again, don't get me wrong, she seems like a sweet woman with great design sense, but unless she can deliver some different ideas she's doomed. I also think she has been very lucky to work with Mikel, whom is also very talented but has received even less credit and coverage than Brittani. Why is HGTV not keeping things equal? It seems very manipulated to me.
My hope is their lack of airtime now is a result of their massive airtime in the end. We will see plenty of these ladies when they are all that are left!
i absolutely love brittany as well and was so nervous when i saw next weeks preview! i am just hoping that hgtv is exagerrating as usual to get us to watch! and i agree with loz!
I think Britany shows the most talent.
Help with episode 4 video! It only plays up to minute 29 and then goes to a psychedelic still of Stanley outside with his camera challenge while only the sound plays after that. Help!
Help! I'm having the same problem. Please fix the video. Thank you.
In case you need the info: Browser: Chrome and Firefox – same problem on both. PC
Hey guys,
Thanks for letting us know about this issue. It's fixed now and you can watch the full episode here.
Still not working…
This problem is not fixed! I have had the same problem multiple times throughout today attempting to watch the entire program. Guess it's not going to happen so I'll check out the photo log & move on to other things. But you really should get this fixed.
Sorry you're still having trouble — it's working for me now. Have you tried clearing your browser cache? Also, what browser are you using?
I am having this problem, and I tried watching after you posted this. Since I hadn't watched it before there shouldn't be a cache issue, but I cleared and tried again anyways. Same problem. Audio is fine but video is stuck on a moment with Stanley outside. I tried in both Firefox and Chrome with the same results.
I had the same problem.
How can I watch the videos on an iPad that doesn't support Flash?
miera once again has given the maturing population a black eye. i'm alittle younger than her but if i thought about life and people the way she does i'ld would serious consider setting myself on an ice flow and be done with it. i don't care how old you are, show respect to others and enjoy people of all ages.be young at heart no matter how old you are…from 0 to 100!!!!!!!!
I guess it HAS been a long time since miera went to kindergarten. She forgot how to play with others!
What color did Mikel put on the walls of the last challenge. I LOVE it. Great job on color selection walls, floor and accessories!!!!
what color did mikel put on the walls of the last challenge?
what color did mikel put on the walls of the last challenge. I LOVE it. Great job on color selection walls, floor and accessories!!!!
Can you imagine what it would be like to be one of Miera's private clients? She would run over all one's requests like a Mack truck, and then not finish on time, while the client is stuck with a mess and/or staying in a motel. It's good she went home.
Kris amazed me this week with his tree trunk planters. I've seen gardens where old sneakers become planters for succulents, but the trunks look so much better than moldy sneakers.
Hilari is a sweetheart. At first I thought, "So, she went shopping, big deal." then I realized I probably could not pick out something appropriate for a stranger's space.
As a visual artist, I object to the fabrics and decorative paper put in frames and hung on the walls as art. Faux art, that's what that is. Luckily for the designers most people don't have much artistic sense and are not bothered by it.
Remember Miera doesn't work with clients. She does model homes. She doesn't play well with others.
I thought about that too: what would it be like to be Miera's client? First: she would have ignored my choices. Then she would have complained to the carpenter about my taste. Then she would have done whatever SHE wanted. Then she would have done a crappy job. Finally, she would have not finished on schedule, and charged me twice as much as her estimate.
Agreed about the art. But buying fine art for others is a tricky buisness, taste in art is VERY personal. Many times designers use the owner's taste in art as a leaping off point, rather than the other way around–which makes sense if you think about it. In a case such as this where there is no art for the designers to be inspired by, the fabric decorations, while not truly "art" if merely cut & framed, work well to as an additional element of the design and are generally going to be a safe choice for the homeownwers who may or may not love, say, a painting, chosen for them but not by themselves.
soooooooooo glad Miera went home!!! good job judges, I wouldn't let her in my house I know for sure, she would not listen to me, but be her egotisical self..I would want a designer to listen to me. I give Rachel credit for trying to help her in her fiasco to please the client!!!
G enevieve still dress like a tramp and I thought this was supposed to be a family show, we are very selective of what our family watches. Very disappointing, thot she was a "lady".
I am more offended by people who butcher the English language.