Jennifer: Shut Down
Jennifer discusses her elimination.
Bravotv.com: What was your reaction when you found out about the fallout shelter?
We speculated whether the fallout shelter assignment was some sort of political commentary on our post-9-11 times, but don't want to get too deep. I think it was mainly a way for us to work in a completely blank space and test how well we work with others given limited time, space, and money.
Bravotv.com: It seemed that you and Robert never quite worked well--were you worried from the beginning?
During the 30-minute planning period, Robert and I had a hard time agreeing on much of anything. Most of my suggestions were shut down without reason, nor did Robert offer much support for his design approaches. I felt strongly that we were working in one (very small) space, so we would need to have a unified idea and work together as a team. Robert did not agree with this assertion, so I was worried from the beginning.
Bravotv.com: If you could have designed the whole room yourself, what would you have done?
If I could have designed the whole room myself, I would have aimed to have a unified spatial idea that played with the diagonal ceiling and the proportions of the space. It would have been fun to do something really graphic -- we had no natural light, so using gold metallics and one bold print would have brightened things up. There is a beautiful bedroom by Makintosh that comes to mind -- two simple twin beds with bold blue, black, and white stripes and draping fabric. It sounds crazy but it was tres chic!
Bravotv.com: What did you think of the other designs?
I quite liked Eddie and Andrea's room -- it looked really luxe in real life, and Eddie is a great prop-stylist. Nathan and Wisit's room was a bit disappointing in person, but looked good on TV!
Bravotv.com: What is the best design advice you received on your time on the show? I think the best design advice I received was from Jonathan Adler -- he encouraged me to be more bold with my designs and to be myself. I learned that I should not be afraid to bring what I know to the table. Bravotv.com: Where can people find you and your work? People can find my work at www.newsomdesignlab.com. I'm currently enjoying married life in Brooklyn, itching to get some product designs off the ground, and working with great peers and clients at Deborah Berke & Partners Architects.
