Design Star - Challenge 3 - 99 Reasons to be Creative

Task: Individual challenge, create a room from items from a 99 cent store plus 2 gallons paint
Budget: $399.00
Time Frame: 12 hours of work time to implement
Judging Criteria: Looks, not function
Winner receives: assist on In Style Photo Shoot
Two contestants are sent home

Josh - Celebuteen

First, I'll say that I liked this room more than the judges did. I like the color palette - pink and gray is elegant and adult, but also trendy enough for a teenager. I like the placement of the art on the back wall - made from gift bags - and the pink accent wall. I think the white border should have been continued around the room and the vertical lines break up the space too much. I also would have used more of the pink. I thought the plastic tray/sconces were very well done, but didn't balance well against the compact/art piece on the opposite wall. I would have rather seen another pair of the sconces, for balance. Generally the room felt restrained (as compared to some of the others) but probably a bit too traditional. The floor wasn't too successful, but he did a good job of creating height and a sense of scale.

Will - Zestful Zen

Will's room is quite zippy and the black wall with white chip'n dips is fabulous! The lime green, black and white combo is wonderful. But, otherwise, the room is pretty underwhelming and the balance is all off - with the tall plants on the right and short ones on the left. He should have reversed the plants for a better balanced space.

Kim - Sumptuous Simlicity

Pink and black - great, little touches of green - great, especially the rug. The cocktail table was inspired. The only parts I thought didn't work was the floor (unfinished) and whatever that is on the right side of the rear wall. The small table on the right side of the sofa was lost in the space and should have either been covered like either of the other tables. But, that said, great room!

Robb - Cheap Thrill

Nice guy Robb, hiding things from others, just to gain advantage. Cheap, but no thrill there. Clive was right - Swiss Hospital. The color palette - while not to everyone's taste - is vibrant and electric, but the perfectly placed cross, centered on the back wall is too symmetrical and would have been more interesting - and less cross like - if it were off center. The floor is awful. He did re-purpose the book shelf well - making the small wall shelves, plus the smaller shelving unit to the side.

Adriana - Calm and Serene

This room was neither calm nor serene and, while she is totally a likeable person, Adriana deserved to be sent home for it. The color combination is nice and she actually finished the floor. I loved how the painted the walls a little off kilter and the right wall looks like the negative version of the left wall, which is cool. But, as in the first challenge, she uses way too many accessories that don't really work. The pillows just seem out of the place - certainly color-wise. The table seems pretty messy and the lemons don't make sense in a sitting room. We'll miss Adriana though. She has a lovely personality and I felt so sorry when she said she felt like she let her family down. I can't imagine that her family wouldn't be anything but proud.

Christina - Simplicity Meets Bold

Props to Christina for finishing the floor, the laundry basket side tables and re-purposed book shelves. Otherwise, this room was pretty bland and way, way too symmetrical. She did say she intended to make it symmetrical, but it's really uninspired because of it.

Scott - Santa Barbara in Vegas

Hot mess. His show was canceled. Nice paint job though.

Todd - High Tide Barrel

I just have to ask - is this an art installation or a decorated room? But the challenge was "looks, not functionality", so this met the challenge and Todd was the winner. Martha McCulley called the side table an "area of banality". That felt to me like she was grasping for meaning where none existed, but Todd had a clear vision and executed it brilliantly, so congratulations, Todd!

One thing I am surprised about is that not one designer put their sofa on a side wall. I guess since it's for television, they were focused on the front view, but I would have liked to see someone try something harder to execute. A window with interesting window treatment made from coffee filters would have been cool, or anything more interesting than the plain white sofa or sofa with painted stripes. They could have made a "stainless steel" walls from baking tins, or a whole glass wall from the clear plastic trays Josh used for his sconces. How about a woven wall or carpet made from ribbon. So many possibilities in a 99 cent store! Any others?

So, Todd wins and Scott and Adriana were sent home. Six contestants and four more episodes to go.