All I knew when I arrived on set was that the show was called Top Design and that it was very Top Secret. I knew I was only going to learn as much as they needed to tell me.

In the end, it was fun to be involved in this show. I love Top Chef and Project Runway, and all of those. And I love design. I love furniture and interiors. When people come to my house, they can tell. I was surprised when I arrived on set to see that this was still the beginning of the series. There were so many designers, and I thought it would be overwhelming until I saw the rooms and that they were paired up for the challenge.

During the judging, now I look back and think I could have been a little more candid, but I didn't want to hurt anybody's feelings.

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.