Vern’s Thoughts

The men came into this week’s challenge with all six of them still in the running to become the next Design Star. Each of the men independently selected an outfit that inspired them the most, leading to an extremely disparate collection of outfits that ranged from colorful pajamas selected by Dan to a wedding dress selected by Alex. For the most part, the men really impressed us with their ingenuity, creativity and ability to avoid literal translation of their fashions. The hardest part of their challenge became pulling together extremely different outfits to create a cohesive design for the overall apartment while still ensuring that they were individually represented.

On the Living Room

The main living space of the apartment was clearly the highlight of their efforts. Courtland, Tom and Michael managed to pull together a couture suit, a leopard-print ensemble and a yoga outfit to create spaces that were sophisticated, fresh and innovative. Tom’s clear understanding of the importance of profile, silhouette and lines created a dining space with four different chairs that still managed to relate to each other — and to the table — emulating the clean and sleek lines of his yoga outfit. The colors borrowed inspiration from his outfit without placing importance on directly matching them. Michael translated his leopard-print ensemble into a smartly selected leopard-print rug that borrowed inspiration from the print without directly matching it. The tone-on-tone leopard print of his rug allowed the print to subtly be infused into the space without dominating it and becoming a difficult to work with focal point.

The sofa, meanwhile, shared the elegant lines and essence of his outfit, as well as Courtland’s. Courtland’s couture suit is all about detail and luxury and we were impressed by how that not only translated into the men’s space but also how it dominated it. The luxurious fabrics of the upholstery, throw pillows and throws support the rich color palette of the walls. The room had a lush quality that captured the essence of what his outfit is all about. Most impressively, however, Courtland pulled together the entire space, and the essence of his outfit, with a vertically striped wall that stunned us with its originality, scale and surprisingly fresh use of color. The perfect execution of this wall demonstrates that Courtland’s talent is not to be underestimated.

Trent’s casual, tropical-inspired outfit was hardly noticeable in the room and his failure to inject the “feel” of his clothes is disappointing. A sisal rug in the foyer, the addition of some tropical plants and some substantial, rustic wood accents would have not only injected his outfit in the main living space, it would have been a clear indication to us that he is capable of translating the inspiration of an outfit. These elements would have worked perfectly with what the rest of his team was already creating. If he wants to stay in this competition, he will need to work harder to make his presence evident.

On the Bedroom

The bedroom was really Dan and Alex’s opportunity to shine and their garments are most successfully evident in the confluence of a deep fuchsia wall and tailored black and white hues. A couture wedding gown and bright print pajamas do not make for an obvious pairing, but Dan and Alex are largely successful in their bedroom creation. The headboard is commanding as is the wedding dress, although Alex misses a real opportunity to install a light fixture that becomes the main focal point of the space in the same way that a wedding dress does. Instead, the space is mostly dominated by the deep-pink wall.

The whimsical throw pillows clash uncomfortably with the overall elegance of the room. Dan could have selected another printed pillow that managed to be bright and still sophisticated, but the light-hearted pillow he chose looks out of place in an otherwise polished effort. Overall, the men’s team is largely successful with their apartment with some notable exceptions. Much of the room shows true inspiration and a real understanding of the challenge with some real highlights that represent some of the smartest design we have seen in Design Star history. The men are definitely giving the women a run for the title of HGTV’s next Design Star!

Genevieve’s Thoughts

On the Living Room

As you enter, the living room space is what greets you in this abode — the first impression, the most important moment to pull off — and this room was the best room in the house. The best design decision they made was letting Courtland’s ensemble lead the design story. Rich velvets, plums, grays and navy create the foundation of sophistication, including warm but masculine, smoky walls and rich, textural accent pillows. Now, blending that outfit with Fila, a leopard coquette and Tommy Bahama? Difficult, yes, and they almost pulled it off but not quite. Tom’s dining room vignette to me is most successful as it provides a nice juxtaposition to Courtland with pops of bold color and mid-century forms but threads the foundation with deep grounding tones while retaining an air of masculinity. I wish the gold metallic had come more into play; it could’ve been very powerful throughout the space.

I see Michael’s contribution with the subtle animal-print rug and some faux animal-like textures in the couch but am left wanting a bit more, perhaps an accessory or two that could connect me back to this coy look. Tommy Bahama is this room’s major wink link. A few wooden palm fronds in the window? I give it a big boo. We could’ve effortlessly dived into the world of tropical fauna and found orchids, lilies and hibiscus that correlated in color and texture so beautifully with this room, which was a missed opportunity. In the end, the striped wall of color from every outfit saves the day and creates a powerful, graphic vignette.

On the Bedroom

Onto the bedroom. For me this was absolutely the broken piece of their puzzle. It was a small space and I agree with the idea of creating a wall of vertical to bring the eye up, but bring the eye up to what? If you’re going to build a wall of shelves in any space you need to dress it properly so that it makes sense. Fill these negative storage spaces with correctly scaled items, books, photographs — give me something to look at. A lighter finish on the shelves would also help the space feel a bit bigger. And the wedding dress —this is what the bed should have bloomed as. A flower of layered linens and textural debauchery, yet what we’ve been given looks as though it belongs in a college dorm.

Candice’s Thoughts

On the Living Room

I’ve always said that good design shouldn’t require an explanation and, without even knowing who was responsible for what is in this space, you can see each boy’s vision at work in the room. This room exhibits a beautiful harmony, difficult to achieve given the diversity of the boy’s outfits.

The textural contrast of Courtland’s accent pillows tempers the severity of the high-impact stripes. The glue that really holds this space together is the abundance of black, a common color in most of the outfits. It serves as a dramatic foil for the multi-hued wall graphic that reflects elements in the various outfits without being too direct and literal. Those same stripes bring energy and excitement to a decidedly neutral scheme.

The leopard carpet is a bit of a literal nod to Michael’s outfit but I love the sophisticated quality that it brings and the fact that the subtlety of the pattern doesn’t compete with the strength of the painted wall graphic.

Tom’s modern yoga outfit is also evident in this space in everything from the sleek, tailored seating selection to the metallic finish on the floor lamp.

Trent’s contribution, however, seems a bit too literal with only small-scale wood palm leaves and a nubby casual throw to show for his efforts. A rustic wood coffee or dining table, a large arrangement of vertical driftwood or raw and frayed cotton or linen sheers would have reflected the casualness that this outfit represents.

On the topic of windows, I think the clean, contemporary design would definitely benefit from ultra-sheer, floor-to-ceiling window treatments. This would soften the look, unify the window modules, make the most of the soaring ceiling height and function as a unifying backdrop to show off some of the beautiful elements in front.

On the Bedroom

This room definitely makes the most of the high ceilings with a soaring upholstered headboard and storage surround. I appreciate the dramatic “look-at-me” attitude that the headboard creates, a direct reflection of the showiness of Alex’s bridal gown. However, this gown is ornate and beautifully embellished with delicate roses and crystal, and the pared down, clean lines of the room don’t speak to those qualities. A few beaded pillows, inexpensive gauze sheers trimmed with faux crystal trim or a large glass/crystal chandelier over the bed would have made this room more Alex.

As far as Dan’s presence in the space? I see some too-literal color connections between PJs/slippers and a few pillows/throws and even a ceramic owl in the dining area. I fail to see, however, the underlying quirky, folksy, almost childlike quality that this outfit conjures up. Instead of focusing on a wall of “serious” metallic and glass accessories, handcrafted, even primitive, elements would have had more of the flavor of Dan’s print. An unexpected yet elegant chandelier, white feathers adorned with a crystal-glass drop would have been a great way to reflect the character of both Dan and Alex’s outfits.

ChadP is a contributor to HGTV Design Star.