See Ya Later ...
Jonathan Adler on what we can look forward to in the finale.
See ya Later Decorator, I mean Stylist, I mean Designer, I mean ... Lifestyle Brand Titan? Is that right? Did you guys notice when Eddie said in his exit interview "I'm very talented and I have great taste?" When did it become OK for people to heap praise upon themselves? I would be MORTIFIED if I ever said such a thing to anybody--husband, shrink, dog, mother, self, ANYBODY--let alone said it on TV. But we seem to live in a time when self-love is perfectly normal.
Like Sheree from The Real Housewives of Atlanta (best show on TV), Eddie Ross flaunts his overly high self-esteem, but he doesn't realize how unappealing it is and, ultimately, how self-defeating it is. Eddie Ross wants to have a LIFESTYLE BRAND and he keeps third personing himself and saying "Eddie Ross" this and "Eddie Ross" that and I just want to leap into the TV set and tell him to CALM DOWN TO A PANIC. Oh Eddie, you're doing it all wrong and, ultimately, you're doing yourself a disservice. Words of advice for the dearly departed Eddie Ross: Be humble, focus on your creativity and talent, find your own voice (it should be a YOUNGER VOICE, btw, you don't have to parrot your employer), don't worry about labels (stylist, decorator, designer, elf, whatever!), be nicer to salespeople in stores, and, for God's sake, please don't ever refer to yourself in the third person. Thank you. Preston (Eddie's polar opposite) impresses me more and more each week. His quiet confidence and focus seem to be very threatening to the other designers, particularly Eddie, and rightly so. His design was INCREDIBLE.
Preston has developed a signature look: swanky, expensive, bold, couture, slick, MODERN. I think that our Preston Lee could very easily have a Lifestyle Brand of his own. Watch out America. Nathan, as usual, hit some really high highs and some really low lows. I would loooooooooooove to see what Nathan's work would be like if he had a lot of time and a lot of money to play with. I suspect I'd be blown away. Nathan is always CREATIVE and PROVOCATIVE (nails in vase, etc.). But, I think he needs to learn to strike a balance between provocative and pretty and choose his moments more carefully. He just might achieve the perfect balance in the finale. Watch what happens.
Ondine PHOENIX-ED herself right into the finale! Her room last week (that gruesome bedroom with the Swarovski chandi) depressed the hell out of me and felt like it was designed by someone other than Ondine. This week her voice was BACK and back with a vengeance. That office was classic Ondine: modern, happy, quirky, sweet but not cloying, vintage-y, COOL.
Welcome back Ondine and, y'all, just wait and see what she concocts in the finale. Speaking of the finale, I can't wait to see it. We filmed during an extreme heat wave and the air conditioning was broken and it was brutal. Watch for a slew of very sultry judges (meow!) and the occasional heat-induced hissy fit. Oh yeah, also watch for a big SURPRISE. Until next week ...
- Jonathan Adler www.jonathanadler.com
