I don’t watch Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance, so please don’t judge. However, Aaron Levy, who works out of our Flatiron Studio, is a proud watcher. Aaron got so excited last night that he emailed half of DWR about one couple’s unique dance partner: DWR’s Workscape Table. And just in case you care, Neil and Sabra “are totally contenders for the finale next week” according to Aaron. The table was an effective dance partner.
If you’re a television junkie like me then undoubtedly you’ve been watching Bravo’s Top Design. The program (in the same vein as Project Runway and Top Chef) is a reality show pitting would-be interior designers against each other in weekly challenges to design rooms. Much like Project Runway, this show has less to do with the contestants and more to do with the judges.
Hosts and DWR faves Jonathan Adler and Todd Oldham come across as geeky oddballs and it works. They’re no Tim Gunn, but they do recall many interior designers I know and their love of paint colors and fabric swatches is evident. Those two design giants may have more name recognition, but it is the two female judges that steal the show each week. Elle Décor’s Editor in Chief, Margaret Russell is (...how do I say this nicely) harsh, stern and basically mean. And she’s the perfect foil to helium-voiced Kelly Wearstler. Wearstler is the over-the-top designer of such noted spots as Santa Monica’s Viceroy and the Bergdorf Goodman restaurant in New York. She’s just plain lovable and her fashions match her interior design work. She rocks teal leg warmers and frizzed/crimped out Pomeranian hairdos with equal panache. A (reality television) star is born. And she blogs too.
The set of ABC’s runaway hit Ugly Betty is anything but ugly. It is a fabulous, colorful, plastic wonderland in bright white and neon orange. I simply adore it.
Most scenes on the Salma Hayek-produced show take place at the headquarters of Mode Magazine, a mythical fashion rag, where Betty just doesn’t seem to fit in. The furniture however certainly does. Glossy lacquers and orange Plexiglas abound and many pieces from DWR’s collection take center stage. A pair of ERO/S chairs sit before the editor’s desk, conference rooms are outfitted in orange Panton chairs and lounge areas feature Prince Aha stools.
The sets could read as color overkill. They might be too colorful, too plastic, too contrived. But it works for me. Plastic is fantastic after all. Just ask Kartell.
I just read in the New York Times that, starting October 5th, Christie’s will be auctioning off “40 Years of Star Trek.” So why did it catch my eye? Well, where else can you find Captain Picard’s commando uniform, romulan warbird emblan pins, vulcan mummies and…mid-century modern? Apparently the Star Trek crew were also into mid-century furniture, and now’s your chance to own a little slice of that futuristic TV show. The prices aren’t too bad, but if you’re really interested you better act fast before they’re transported to someone else’s living room.
