Have you been watching HGTV’s “Design Star” this season? After Monday night’s episode, they’re down to the final two contestants. I haven’t been recapping it, but I have been tuning in, and I have to say this season has been an improvement over last.
This week’s challenge was my favorite so far. The final three contestants–Karl, Meg, and Mark–were each given a tiny house with only 86 square feet to furnish and decorate.
I have a thing for tiny houses, so I couldn’t wait to see what they’d do with them. Here’s how they looked inside, before they started work on them:
They had to find a way to fit a bed, bath, and kitchen inside. Each designer was assigned an HGTV carpenter and they got to work. Here’s how they turned out.
Karl’s House:
The judges (seen in the top photo) liked his house for the most part, but Candice Olson criticized his use of red, which she felt made it feel smaller.
I’m not sure what Karl is showing us in that bowl. His breakfast?
Meg’s House:
Hers was my favorite. I thought the yellow and green were fun in a small house like this. Looking at this photos of it now, though, I really don’t like that mirror she chose for the wall (would have liked it better with a painted frame), and that bench seat doesn’t look very comfy. Not fond of that off-white rug, either, which looks like it belongs in front of a bathroom sink.
The upside-down flower pots over the bench seat were kind of odd. Would have been nice to have some lighting there instead. That end of the house would get pretty dark at night.
The judges were mostly pleased with Meg’s house, although Vern Yip felt it could have done with more storage.
They never showed how the bathrooms turned out. I’m guessing they weren’t really practical because they’re too small for a person to actually, you know, sit down in them and close the door:
I’m also noticing now how bare it looks without anything on those built-in shelves, and I’d love to see the ceiling painted white. (HelloHeather points out that’s probably a ladder, not shelves, which makes much more sense. Duh, me.) They were really racing against the clock to get finished at all, though.
Mark’s House:
Mark is a creative guy. In this case, maybe too creative. He came up with this idea for an argyle pattern on the walls, using paint and…belts? The judges weren’t really digging it.
Spoiler alert! Can you guess who was sent packing after this challenge?
Bye, bye, Mark. I was surprised when they gave him the boot because out of the three, he was the one I could most easily imagine having a show.
Apparently I wasn’t alone. The HGTV website lit up with comments from angry viewers who said they’re done with “Design Star” now that Mark is gone and won’t be watching any show hosted by Karl or Meg.
There’s a poll on HGTV.com that has Kellie–who is long gone–as the viewer favorite. Mark is currently in second, and now he’s gone, too. There may be hope for them, though. Casey Noble, who was one of last season’s finalists, was tapped to host the new version of “Design on a Dime.”
Who is your favorite to win Season 6–Meg or Karl? Or was your favorite already eliminated?
You can see the rest of the photos from Episode 9 and read more about the contestants onHGTV.com. If you love tiny houses, you can see more that I’ve featured here.
