Top Design

Even with its late starting hour of 11:00 PM, Top Design was Bravo’s highest rated series premiere in its history. Like many reality shows, the first episode is a little hard to judge. There are so many new people running around to get to know, much of the show is taken up just with introductions. Nevertheless, we got a little flavor of some of the personalities, potential conflicts, design styles and show format, and it all has set fingers tapping in the blogosphere. We made the rounds to see what people are saying in response to the show and what the show’s own designers and judges are saying behind the scenes…
Project Top Design calls 'em like they sees 'em with regard to the host and judges... They are not fans of, as they put it, host Todd Oldham's "creepy children's-show-host delivery" and want to send him to whatever "hostess boot camp" Heidi Klum has attended. (If there is, in fact, a hostess boot camp, let's get a reality crew on THAT tout suite!) As to judge Jonathan Adler, they have some advice: "Honey, we think you're adorable, but once YOU start thinking you're adorable, it's all over. You were about one second away from sticking your finger in your dimple and singing ‘Good Ship Lollipop.’" And, this blog sums up the seeming near-universal opinion in the blog-o-sphere about judge Kelly Wearstler's fashion sense: "Kelly...send us the name of your stylist. He needs to be put down." Amen! Interior Designer Linda Merrill has a professional critique of each room on her blog "Surroundings" and it seems to reflect the overall reaction of the judges: most of the designs "didn't reflect the inspiration items." Alexis Arquette, the mystery guest/judge I think summed up what many thought about the overall design on Bravo’s own guest judge blog "Overall, I was a little surprised with the lack of ingenuity I saw. To me, once something becomes repetitive, I understand that it becomes "classic" but it also becomes safe. And I was hoping that some of these people, even if they were students or up-and-comers ... I thought I’d see more innovation and a lot more original thinking. I really did think that all of them really needed to get on their game and dig a little deeper. If I’d been a professor at a design school, I would have been unimpressed." Fishbowl LA got a little behind-the-scenes skinny attending a viewing party thrown by one of the "Top Design" contestants (Andrea Keller). They learned that "Michael [Adams], Erik [Kolacz], and Goil [Amornvivat] are super-nice, amazing people, the most wonderful people in the universe" (MICHAEL? really?) and like this writer, FBLA "loved the Robert Kuo pepper" and helpfully provided a link to where you can buy it in case you have AROUND $1700 TO SPEND ON A ONE GIANT DECORATIVE PEPPER.  I guess I should have expected that. Although the pricey pepper was popular (say that five times fast) in the blogosphere, "Top Design" judge, Margaret Russell didn’t agree. In her own Bravo blog, sniffs that she wasn't a huge fan of the winning room, not caring for the "ditsy accessories scattered across the floor (and that yellow pepper, what was that?)." As it appeared during the show, host Jonathan Adler wasn't thrilled with Michael's confession that he had never painted a room. Adler's own blog goes on to say that "Michael's haughtiness was a buzzkill. The reality of interior design is that people always seem to imagine that it’s this poncy profession where you can be effete and hands off. And that ain't the way it works. It’s 10% design, 20% psychologist, 20% MacGyver, and the final 50% is...maid." Also, Jonathan's blog alerted me to the fact that "See you later, Decorator," which, as I wrote in the recap, seemed in the premiere to be a throw-away line, IS in fact the show's kiss-off line. Um, duh, I guess, since in retrospect I realize you wouldn't call a designer a decorator. But I blame the editors, who made it unclear. Or else I was tired. Or whatever. Not my fault. Love it or hate it, there seems to be a lot to say about "Top Design," and so yes, Bravo, we will, in fact, "watch what happens." - Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist