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Cool Idea: An Inspired Wall of Sound

CasaSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:00:15 -0700

Inspired by a textured, diamond-pattern wallpaper on an episode of Top Design, Su Casa member anti curl and her husband decided to paint a small hallway wall, "the Wall of Sound," with a diamond pattern to showcase their guitar collection. The project is a little tedious, requiring planning, sketching, and lots of taping. So the pair chose a smaller wall, which would require less time, and could be easily painted over if the project failed miserably. As you can see, the paint project was a huge success, not only bringing in pattern and color to a simple hallway, but creating a modern focal point. Have you tried pattern painting in your home? Add your photos to our Su Casa group!

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Designer Spotlight: Ondine Karady

CasaSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:30:32 -0800

Today's Designer Spotlight goes by the name of Ondine Karady. Ring a bell? That's probably because you've watched her facing challenges and wowing us with her design skills on season two of Top Design. As you may know, Ondine was part of a small team of designers on the set of Sex and the City. Unfortunately for all of us (tear) Sex and the City's television pulse stopped beating, but Ondine moved forward, starting her own eponymous SoHo-based boutique design firm. She's since carried an impressive list of clients, including celebs, Hollywood directors, and Washington political elite. Her firm, OK, also has a collection of custom furniture, ceramics, and hand silk-screened wallpapers inspired by mid-century designs. If that weren't enough to impress, she also designed the sets of Requiem For a Dream and 25th Hour. To see some work from her portfolio, read more.

Be sure to check out her website for more information and photographs!

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How-To: Decorating Tips From Top Design Contestants

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:00:18 -0800

We've finished the second season of Top Design, but there's still plenty of material to reflect on before we bid it adieu! Recently, PointClickHome assembled 11 decorating tips from the final three contestants. I've gathered together six of these tips. For all of the contestants' tips, check out PointClickHome's article. To see my fave tips, check out the slideshow. Photos courtesy of Bravo

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Found It! Preston Lee's Bedroom Wallpaper

CasaSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:00:49 -0800

If you follow Top Design, I'm sure you have lots to say about the contestants' designs . . . and you might have even been inspired every now and then. In the finale, the "House Challenge," each room had its own appeal, but I couldn't help but love the wallpaper in Preston's polished, though slightly impersonal, bedroom. Personally, I love it!
Does it look familiar to you? If you follow Casa, it should. To find out where we've seen this wallpaper before, read more!

You've seen it . . . in my foyer! It's the Graham & Brown Paste the Wall wallpaper in Tempting Turquoise, which I reviewed for Casa Beta. It can be peeled off in full sheets when it's time to decorate, so it's quite the innovative product. But, I also just simply love the design, and I think Preston used it well in his space.Photo courtesy of Bravo TV

Top Design, Finale: "House Challenge"

CasaSugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:00:33 -0800

At long last, we're down to the final three contestants on Top Design: Ondine, Nathan, and Preston. I actually really like each of these contestants, and would be happy to see any of them win the grand prize of $100,000 to expand their design business, as well as a feature in Elle Decor. (Though of course I have my favorite, as I'm sure you do.) For the second half of the finale, the three contestants must finish decorating the rest of their townhouses, which they started decorating in Episode Nine.

The contestants start off the finale on a shopping spree sure to make any Casa reader green with envy, hopping from wallpaper shops to antique stores to warehouses stocked with gorgeous furniture. When the contestants meet up with India, they get a surprise: Natalie, Eddie, and Andrea are back to help the designers on their homes. Uh-oh: Eddie's matched up with Preston, and we all know from previous episodes that Eddie completely hates Preston. Poor Preston.

Ondine's concept for her home is retro glam, while Preston's back with his concept of traditional modern (which Eddie seems to hate, incidentally). Nathan's concept is a little more conceptual (at one point he describes his hall wallpaper as "Golden Girls disco"). Eddie's still up to his douchey antics; he shirks his duties and, at one point, leaves his phone on the stairs when Preston is trying to give him instructions. The designers all seem really stressed out by the time line, and the many projects which seem to be nowhere near completed.

To find out who won Top Design, read more.

After a grueling two days of work, stress, and worry, the contestants' rooms all look beautiful. I loved Nathan's self-painted dining room art, as well as his office's collection of eclectic, tightly grouped framed art and photos. Preston's monochromatic molding in the guest room was wonderful, though I wish he had shown a little more personality in his styling. And Ondine's little girl's bedroom, with its circus-bright yellow-striped walls, was bright, fun, and perfectly designed.

In the end though, there can only be one winner, and that winner is . . . Nathan! I have to say, I wasn't expecting them to go with the eclectic, wildly creative Nathan, but I'm so pleased that he won. He showed the most individuality of all of the designers, and I'm glad that he was rewarded for his imaginative designs. (Oh, and now that it's all over, I can tell you that he's been my favorite for the past several episodes.) Congrats, Nathan!

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Photos courtesy of Bravo

Who Do You Think Will Win Top Design?

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:00:53 -0800

Photos courtesy of Bravo

Test Your Top Design Know-How

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 09:15:02 -0800

Have you been watching Top Design faithfully this season? We're down to three designers, Ondine, Nathan, and Preston, and tonight's the finale! To see if you can identify the three designers' signature styles, take my quiz.

Question 1 of 9

This room, which was featured in Episode Seven, "Room of the Future," was designed by whom?

Halloween How-To: Kelly Wearstler

CasaSugar — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 06:00:33 -0700

Just in case you're not interested in going as Jonathan Adler or Simon Doonan this Halloween, I'm also providing you with a more feminine option: Kelly Wearstler.

If you're a Top Design fan, as I am, you probably watch the show in part to check out Kelly Wearstler's kooky sartorial style. I adore her mix of high fashion with vintage finds and her daringly odd clothing combinations. Here, I've recreated Kelly's look from the Window Display episode. If you decide to go as Kelly this Halloween, make sure to do something awesome to your hair (crimping, beehives, and ratting are all acceptable). Rambling to fellow Halloween revelers about your design style is a given, of course. I'd also recommend, for verisimilitude, lugging around a design portfolio with photos of "your" interior designs.

Development V-Neck Studded Boho Dress in Green - $475.00	Kimchi Blue Alpine Jacket - $148.00
Aqua Women's Sequined Knit Beret: Exclusively at Bloomingdale's - $34.80	Over The Knee Color Block Sock - $10.00
Le Silla Suede Mary Janes - $720.00

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Top Design, Episode Nine, "House Challenge"

CasaSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:15:18 -0700

For last night's Top Design, which is the first of a two-part finale, the remaining contestants face a daunting challenge. Instead of a single room, Eddie (who celebrated his birthday on this episode), Ondine, Nathan, and Preston are responsible for styling an entire house in two days. For the first half of this finale episode, each designer is given one room for improvement in each house. The designers also have $20,000 per room to work with; the twist is that only three of the four designers will be coming back for the second half of the finale to finish their homes.

Nathan and Eddie both chose to work in the master bedrooms, while Preston chose a dining room, and Ondine one of the tiny bedrooms as an office space. I loved the backstory we got about each contestant, as well as the photos of their homes, in this episode. (Though, did anyone else notice that we didn't get to see any photos of Eddie's home?)

To see who won this challenge and who's out, read more.

I was disappointed with Eddie's use of latticework on the wall of his bedroom, which made his traditional bedroom look positively elderly. Ondine's abandonment of her curtains seemed like a cop out, and I wished that Nathan had pushed the envelope in his design; it just felt dull. On the other hand, I loved Preston's use of color and pattern, and his room was both soothing and easy on the eye (just like Preston).

Flipping Out personality Jeff Lewis guest judged the episode in Kelly Wearstler's place, and all of the judges were notably more difficult in quizzing the contestants for their design decisions. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with most of the designs; the designers didn't seem to do much more in this episode but arrange nice furniture on a generous budget. I missed the creativity of the previous episodes.

At judging, Preston, Ondine, and Nathan were sent on to finish their houses, and Eddie was sent home.

Did you think Eddie deserved to go home? Whose room was your favorite? Did you love the contestants' use of wallpaper this week? Tell me in the comments!

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Photos courtesy of Bravo

Top Design, Episode Eight: "Light It Up"

CasaSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:45:24 -0700

Three men (Preston, Eddie, and Nathan) and two women (Ondine and Andrea) remain on Top Design. Right off the bat, we are treated to more homesickness from Andrea (in case you forgot, which it is literally impossible to do if you watch the show regularly, she's Ricky Schroder's wife). As the episode begins, Andrea receives flowers and a love poem from her hubz, which she says makes her even more homesick. Many of you have been anti-Andrea, but I was actually starting to warm up to her. However, this display of adorableness has made me change my mind yet again. (And was it just me, or did Ondine seem a little sarcastic when she said she was thrilled to have met her?)

But on to the design challenge! Things started with a switcheroo, as the designers were asked to complete a pop design challenge before moving on to the main challenge. Using Jonathan Adler accessories, the designers styled the same sets of beige sofas. Eddie won immunity for the challenge (I did love his fern and floral table arrangement). Still, he continues to be a cheeky and, dare I say, rude, dude.

To see who won, and who had to leave, read more.

This week, the designers were challenged to create a room around one focal point: Swarovski crystal lighting. The fixtures were absolutely stunning, and the designers had $22,000 to spend on their rooms. I was in love with Nathan's super-funky rich girl's bedroom - I admired his bold use of the wooden horse and the Keith Haring-esque pop art colors and designs on the wall.

And yay! Jonathan Adler's hubby Simon Doonan was the guest judge for this episode. Though, sadly, this meant that we were denied the opportunity to observe more of Kelly Wearstler's wacky style. Luckily, Nathan helped us out with his bling-bling silver leather jacket, which he wore at judging.

The judges hated Eddie's use of his Swarovski chandelier, which they said looked cheap, but they loved Nathan's room, as well as Preston's, and Preston's sleek living room was declared the winner of the challenge. Before they could declare a loser, though, Andrea offered to leave, since she was homesick for her kids and husband. Did they let her go? Absolutely.

What struck you about this episode? Were you more annoyed by Eddie's attitude, or his obsession with Martha Stewart? Do you get the impression that Preston is a sweet shy nerd who's being ostracized by the cool kids? Tell me in the comments.

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Photos courtesy of Bravo