Task: Split into teams (Kim/Robb and Will/Todd) they are to design a kitchen and living room (respectively) for Wayne Newton and his wife Catherine
Budget: did they ever say?
Time Frame: 24 hours over three days
Judging Criteria: design and execution, plus first challenge at hosting skills
Winner receives: no specified winner
The designers are randomly split into teams and assigned to design either the kitchen and living room of Wayne Newton's guest house. After views of the "over-the-top" yard and living room in the main house, the designers are brought to the guest house - which is basically an empty 1950's era outbuilding. The living room is completely empty, but the kitchen has counters and ancient appliances. Clearly, the kitchen is the harder space to renovate in the same timer period with the same amount of labor. All the money in the world doesn't help if your labor is limited.
Wayne Newton's style is filled with antiques including pieces from European castles while Mrs. Newton says she loves modern. When asked by Will and Todd about style preferences for the guest house living room, the Newton's preferred to let the designers make the decisions. However, they were more forthcoming with Robb and Kim in the kitchen - stating that they were looking for warm colors and that the lavarock wall needed to stay.
The designers were smart in that they came together to select a color palette that pulled the kitchen and living room together. They selected warm colors such as golds, greens and spice colors that worked well with the stone work.
The Living Room - Todd and Will, designers
The biggest challenge in the living room is the usual challenge we find - multiple focal points. The tv wall, fireplace and views were all fighting for attention. Plus, once they decided to put the plasma tv on the wall opposite the sliders, they had no more walls to anchor a seating area. Todd came up with a rotating platform idea that would allow the seating area to be rotated to whatever position was wanted at any given time. It was a very interesting way to work around the focal point issue. But, it also means that the overall layout is completely static and never changeable. Additionally, the platform looked kind of cheesy, as compared to the beautiful new floor. It would have been preferable if they could have used left over flooring for the top of the platform. Finally, Todd and Clive were able to work the platform, but what about an older person, a child or even the average woman? Hard to say.They also built a half wall on the raised dining platform that separate the entry a bit from the space. With the plants, it was a very nice addition to the space. Overall, they did a nice job with the colors and accessories. The chair and sofa on the platform don't work terribly well together. The armless sofa looks dwarfed by the brighter arm chair. One thing missing is any thought about functional lighting. The overheads are garish and most people would probably prefer they were left off. The platform doesn't allow for any side tables with lamps or floor lamps - so I wonder if one wanted to read a book or knit a sweater - would they have enough light to do it?
The Kitchen - Kim and Robb, designers
As said above, the kitchen was the bigger challenge, labor wise. Which also meant that they were given a bit of a pass for not finishing. I'm not going to get into all the drama, aside from saying that Robb was a bully and his skills do not measure up to his mouth. Speaking of measuring, this is the second challenge where Robb's measurements were off. He mis-measured the counter and the appliances didn't fit. Luckily, their carpenter was there to save the day. I really don't like the appliance surrounds on the stone wall - they look mismatched and cheap. But something was necessary there, so for the time, this was probably the best they could do. The backsplash (Robb) was awful in the video. They made a smart decision by extending the peninsula out, as the dining side of the room was fairly spacious. I think there was an oven that looked way too low to be functional, but it went by pretty fast.Like the living room, the colors are very beautiful, warm and work well with the rock wall. I like the black furnishings, but they were entirely too small. There was plenty of room for a larger table and chairs and the sideboard was completely out of scale. In her video, Kim said that the pieces were large and balanced well with the heaviness of the rocks, but on television, I don't agree. They ran out of time to accessorize, which was too bad. Why is there a ginormous empty fishbowl on the table?
Like the living room, there seemed to be little attention given to lighting - aside from an argument about under cabinet lighting. (where are the cabinets?)
The Newton's were thrilled with both spaces, and acknowledged that the kitchen was a much harder space to do.
The designers were also given their first chance to showcase their hosting skills. Here are my thoughts:
Will -throughout the season, will has been low key and subdued, yet knowledgeable about design. He was the same in his video - but way too subdued for a television personality. Also, he absolutely must work on his diction and soften his regional accent.
Todd - as expected, Todd was very high energy in his presentation. He's good looking and the camera loves him. But he's also hyperactive and sometimes seems to spin so fast he loses focus.
Kim - was high energy and pleasing in her video - as she's been throughout the season. She's telegenic and cute, speaks well and clearly, without accent. I just read in her Q&A that she moved to New York to pursue acting, so that explains her comfort on camera. It also explains why she has no accent.
Scott - well, he was aggressive, unattractive and sounded like a used car salesman. 'nuff said.
So, we're down to the final three - Todd, Will and Kim.
Todd has on camera personality (some would say too much of a personality) and building skills. He also thinks outside the box. Even though his ideas aren't always practical, he's the only contestant that has given thought to how to really build out a space.
Will is lacking in personality (well, it's too low key) and has poor diction for television. His decorating work has been consistently lovely and he's been the voice of reason on many occasions. He works well with others, but sometimes has seemed a bit of a pushover in the face of some of the stronger personalities.
Kim has great personality, but, to be honest, I don't think we've really seen her excel in any design or building skills. She seems to have flown under the radar with the judges and, though I hate to say it, she seems to have ridden on the coattails of the other contestants. Her shopping in this challenge showed that she has the right concepts, but not the follow through, and the scale of all the furnishings seemed off.
The next challenge will really be telling, I think. It looked liked they will be doing what they did last season - get sent to the home of some lucky family with a budget and a crew. So, they will be on their own and fully in charge of their destinies. I think we'll finally see if Todd can decorate and create beauty, if Kim can pull off a whole design plan and if Will can manage a crew.
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