Showing posts with label Top Design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top Design. Show all posts

Apr 5, 2007

Chinoiserie Silk Wallpaper

I've been keenly aware, dear readers, that you've been putting up with my whining about the designers' tastes on Top Design. What am I impressed with? I recall a scene in Gosford Park that took my breath away. The hand painted silk wallpaper in the guest room Maggie Smith's haughty character occupied was to die for. Here are similar samples...


CHINOISERIE WALLPAPER EARLHAM ON AN EMERALD GREEN DYED SILK BACKGROUND

I'm not so much into the ornate mirror, dahlings, as that fabulous one of a kind wallpaper. Below is another sample from the same company, de Gournay. They continue the tradition of using Chinoiserie for wallpaper, fabrics, and porcelain, that "reached its height around 1760 when Thomas Chippendale purchased Chinese wallpapers for the interior of Nostell Priory in the North of England."

An Example of Hand-Painted Chinoiserie Wallpaper, Shaun Castle.

This picture shows hand-painted chinoiserie hung at Marble House as part of the refurbishment by English Heritage. "The brilliantly coloured exotic birds, tiny insects, plants and rich pink and blue flowers against white trees and a cream background took Chinese artists 1,000 hours to create. The paper was designed and painted by the English company de Gournay. It’s made of small pieces of mulberry paper, which are pressed together, then backed with silk, hand-painted, and then glued and stretched on to canvas-covered batons.

The paper is as close as possible to that which Henrietta Howard would have had in her salon at Marble House, the 18th century home of the countess, and mistress to the young George II."

To order this unique wallpaper or to look at more exquisite samples from de Gournay, click here.




Bitch Slap Fest

Imagine your handy man sassing back at you in a reality t.v. competition watched by millions. Imagine the entire viewing audience applauding.

Carl helped Carisa to create the best room for Top Design's Episode Nine, and what was the thanks he got? A lot of guff and incessant nagging.

Thank you, Carl, for standing up for yourself. You made my evening! And Carisa? You're talented, but, hon, you've got to grow up.

Mar 21, 2007

Kelly Wearstler, Top Design PreRaphealite


Oh, dahlings, Top Design, through the person of Kelly Wearstler, is channelling Pre-Raphaelite beauties and leg-0-mutton sleeved suffragettes. Who knew that she represented a true Renaissance woman!

Mar 7, 2007

Win a Top Design T-Shirt


Want to win a Top Design t-shirt by practically doing nothing? Your chances of winning are stupendous, as Nielsen ratings have documented only 10.3 fans for Bravo's Top Design. This figure includes a dog and a rabbit, and all the TD bloggers combined.

Click here to find out that all you need to do is email the TDBlogger team. Yup. You need to know absolutely nothing to win.

Don't you just love America?

Mar 1, 2007

Top Design Carpenter Interview


Ed Schoen, one of Ryan's carpenters, sat down for a chat with the TDB gals. Click here to read what he said

Feb 20, 2007

Top Design Posts

Click here for Ms. Place's weekly Kitsch and Tchotchkes Taste Patrol review
Episode Three: Fashion Victim or Trend Setter?
Episode Three: Sink, Sank, Sunk
Eric 3000 Recap of Episode Three

Feb 17, 2007

Kelly Wearstler: Top Design Fashion Victim or Trend Setter?

Episode One:

Love the look, but what’s up with the spats, dahling? (Kelly's the one in the center.)


Episode Two:

Bicycle gloves, exercise pants, casual tee shirt, evening top, 6" stillettos. Dahling, your sister Leiah just called. She just got in from outer space and said they stopped wearing this hair do light years ago.



Episode Three:

Cute dress, love the sash. What’s up with the stockings? Would you want your mommy to go out dressed in public like that?

Stay tuned for Epi Four. I understand she'll be having a bad hair day, joining this select group.




Feb 11, 2007

And they call it puppy love ... Top Design kid clients

How sweet is this scene from Top Design? Here are Matt and his puppy love admirer, Samantha, aka "Hollywood" aka "Fabulous." He could have told her that "we’re going to paint skulls and crossbones a la Erroll Flynn on your black headboard," and you get the sense she would have agreed to anything he came up with.

And this darling little photo below is to die for. Ryan ordered up pink, pink, pink for his cute client, Madison. From her excited expression, I’d say he was spot on when he chose the feather boa.
Too bad we didn’t see more of our young clients, and that the interminable length of time Bravo took with the judging prevented us from seeing them more. Was anyone besides me interested in the kids' comments?

We’re watching the COMPETITION Bravo, not the judges, get that into your thick-skulled heads. Here are the designer/kiddie match-ups in the order that the rooms were shown:

Goil/Matt
Carisa/Kevin
Andrea/Shea
John/Tessa
Felicia/Joey
Elizabeth/Victor
Ryan/Madison
Matt/Samantha
Erik/Trent
Michael/Breanna

For more about Top Design and to read Eric 3000's recap,

Feb 8, 2007

John's Gone from Top Design


We'll miss ya', you knuckleheaded Neanderthal. You were no diplomat, that's for sure, but such fun to watch. I WISH you'd hung around longer so I could have heard more phrases like, "Felicia got the one I wanted - Bitch!"

Had you dripped or spattered a paint pattern on that bare floor, you might have saved your own ass. Here's one more trip down memory lane with John.

Ciao, dahling. You'll be gone but not forgotten.

Ain't she sweet?
Told you. Shoulda dipped the roller in paint first.
Heee, heee, heee. Got to you, didn't I!
I did all of the work. That little turd just bragged how great he was and contributed nothing.
Whaaa!?
Whaddaya mean we didn't win?
Huh? Only $8,000 and a 12X12 room?
We havta design and create the bed? You kidding?

Feb 2, 2007

Top Design Judges Order Chinese!



Let's see, three egg rolls, a triple delight with sizzling rice soup, a sauteed triple humble pie with garlic sauce, one straw hat with luggage to go, and one Szechuan Style goodbye ceremony.

Feb 1, 2007

Couple to Watch

This new Bravo couple is rivaling Marcel and Ilan from Top Chef in the hissy fit department. John and Mikey from Top Design promise to be as interesting a pairing, if they last, that is. Design abilities? We'll see. Mobile facial features? Priceless.

They are all imbeciles. Only I know what I'm doing!

Whaa?


Yip, Yip, Yip! Stop yer yappin, you little whiny, no talent, know nothing.


We'll just see about that, you neanderthal hack designer! I've never had to sully my hands before, only my brain. So there!


I'm pissed, majorly pissed.

Who cares? Really, who the hell cares!

Jan 30, 2007

Andy's New Set Revealed

Dahlings, the designers over at Top Design have been busy already! Go check out their work for Andy Cohen's new set here.

This photo should give you enough of a hint! It's the before!

Go to Top Design Blogger to view the "After."

As always, dahlings, Ms. Place is all about Tongue in Chic!

Jan 29, 2007

It's a Pink Navy!

Look what's newly steamed into view in the Top Designer blog harbor, chiclets: Pink Navy!

Ah, the title conjuresup visions of Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. Those two handsome doofuses were steamrollered by those clever WWII nurses in Operation Petticoat. In their quest to show how resourceful they were, these brave pointy bra'd women even ungirdled their girlie loins to fix all those rusted but manly pipes.


Our fearless nurses sacrificed their flat stomachs in order to give that evil man Hitler (that dastardly Teutonic Non Plus Ultra Uber bastard) a, er, well, uh, to ...

Yes, Charlus and Miss XaXa have toiled and sweated and slaved for weeks to spawn Pink Navy from their fertile minds! Get ready, dahlings, for what promises to be the most fabulous bitchy fun this season. (Well, next to Top Design Blogger, that is.) And don't blame me if you think Charlus' and Miss XaXa's observations are a wee bit acerbic and over the top!

Upon hearing that Charlus was arriving mis-en-scene to cleverly stage the unveiling of Pink Navy, Miss XaXa, fresh from her visit with Chef Carlos, grabbed her pink submarine bag and dashed off to Miami's harbor. She arrived just in time to see Charlus head a phalanx (or phallus?) of pink vehicles, ready to do verbal battle with those who would arbite our tastes!






Ah, dahlings. Can you wait just a few days? I can't. Click here, sweetlings, for a sneak peek!

Jan 7, 2007

Top Design Blogger: Desecrating the decorating

Construction is completed, dahlings, and we're ready to roll! Click here to enter our new Top Design Blogger site.

Jan 2, 2007

Top Design Countdown

Mark Your Calendars and reserve January 31st! Top Design is coming after the Top Chef 2 season finale.

Ms. Place, Eric 3000, and TheHoInMo are joining the Blogging Top Chef 2 Team to present our skewed perspectives about another Bravo t.v. show! We're in awe to be in the same august company as Tom & Lorenzo of Project Rungay and Project Gay, and theBlogging Project Runway team in covering Top Design. Our site is still under construction. As soon as it is completed, we'll let you take a peek.

Just bookmark us all, dahlings, and let the fun begin!