A Nightmare To Decide

Bloody hell I can't believe it's over. How incredibly well they did. What a nightmare it was deciding. How easy the producers made it look ... evil little elves. It was in fact agony, painful, and heartbreaking because every one of those worn-out designers was a winner. This final challenge really was a way to showcase expressions of individual taste in a multiplicity of styles. And there were more than just moments that I loved about each designer's house, but in particular...

Perfect Preston -- believe me that is a high compliment -- I am a Virgo and love nothing more than perfectionism (I am endlessly tidying the paper clips on my desk or lining up baby diapers into flawless little rows.) His polished designs resonated strongly with me. His guest room was outstanding and remarkably detailed given the time constraints. The molding through out was a masterful gesture against the quiet palette, with his clever soft touches of color to take the chill off the monochromatic interior. (What were those absurd exclamations from me throughout this tour? "Oh" "groovy" "fantastic") So well-orchestrated was Preston's time in this finale that he hardly needed any help from his assistant, maybe only a cup of coffee....

Ondine's diminutive slick office space was the height of chic in my view. My father said "Decorating is the art of accentuating the best and covering up the worst" and here was a perfect example, a small, nondescript box of nothing became a little bold, a little eccentric, and quite luxurious. We have seen over these weeks how well-versed in the history of design Ondine is and in her house she deftly propelled her inspirations from the past into the future, working comfortably with what already existed.

Ondine excelled in creating a house with a distinctly charming feminine feel. The boy's bedroom in Nathan's house, although swept over quickly, caught my eye (And I know a thing or three about boys' bedrooms), a room rich with kid's character. There were artfully arranged groups of objects, and a color scheme neither too sophisticated nor too childish, and a funky custom bed where a seven year old could feel special every night.

Preston, Ondine and Nathan were all design heroes. They had fought, and survived. But to earn the right to say you have the Top Design needed a truly fresh approach. We were looking for grand and humble, daring and iconic, unique in vision, and enduring in legacy. Nathan's house held unexpected juxtapositions, bold moves, and a fearless imagination. His house was imbued with a sense of excitement. Nathan is very much a decorator, which is not exactly the same thing as an interior designer. The designer devises efficient solutions to questions of space; decorators impose their own personal often idiosyncratic vision to that space using trade mark techniques. I did believe he had just what we were looking for. Nathan had The Top Design.