Taste Patrol
Three Hula Man Bobble Award
My top award goes to all our carpenters: To Ed for butchering his thumb in the quest for someone else’s glory.
To Carl for not betraying one single emotion as Carisa nagged him for three straight days in a row. 
To Blair for quietly doing his damnedest to follow Andrea’s vague instructions.
And to Sarah, whose mobile expressions as she viewed Goil’s designs were priceless. She used my favorite diplomatic expression when Goil asked her what she thought of his wall: "It's definitely unique!"
Two Hula Man Bobble Award
Two hula men go to Todd for providing such humane and thoughtful advice to exiting designers. You can see them hang onto his every word as he tells them something positive about their talents, and then wish them luck as they pack up. Todd’s gentle, sane demeanor is growing on me, and I wish he’d been given a more substantive role in this series.
The Bobble Won’t Wobble Award
And, yes, many creative folks are a pain in the butt and I shouldn't be influenced by such a factor in deciding on whether I like your work or not, but I abhor stripes and checks, so I doubt I would ever hire you as my designer.
I’ve also been wondering where I’ve seen your walls before. Then, eureka! Here is Joanne Mattera's painting in all its boxy, striped and dripping glory.
The Trash It Award
The Trash It Award goes to Andrea. I found it interesting that you hated the earth theme. Your winning room the previous week reminded me of earth, from the subdued colors, to the textures of wood and stone, to the elemental gifts that earth provides us (sustenance and the raw materials that clothe and house us). You used those design elements quite effectively, but you were coveting Matt’s and Carisa’s themes so much that you blinded yourself to any creative possibilities. Frankly, your room was lackluster and quite trite in places (plugs of grass!!?)
and I truly thought it should have been your time to go.
Disclaimer: This show has had such a numbing effect on my poor nerves (Carisa’s nonsensical blathering had my brain shut down completely) that I’ve ms. placed my sense of humor. If you find my funny bone, please wrap it tenderly and return it via express mail. I do so love a handsome man in uniform knocking at my door.
by Ms. Place
Labels: Taste Patrol
posted by The Team of TDB at
5:58 AM
7 Comments:
Very Nice. Don't worry Ms. Place,you have not lost it, you just need a show to bring it out.
You're right: Andrea's room last week had a lot of nice earth elements. I also thought it was her time to go.
great catch on Joanne Mattera! Don't worry about your sense of humor. It's keeping my "constructive criticism" self company somewhere in the ether. They will return, I have faith!
Carisa has a lot to learn. But I'm not convinced that Carl hasn't brought some of it on himself. And I agree, Andrea should have gone home. Goil has his issues, but he had a bit of exuberance. I feel like this thing is Matt's to lose. Although I don't see any real exuberance in his designs. He may be inspired by Kelly Wearstler's work, but I haven't seen that in his work so far.
I disagree - it was definitely Goil's time to go. He had been consistently in the bottom now, and never throughout the competition really made anything functional. This week he was congratulated just for having made a "room"--and it didn't even look like a hotel room: it looked like a fancy dorm room. His white walls were getting old, and his weird metal hanging curtain was completely impractical, and even ugly, IMO. The colors and the padded walls also definitely reminded me of a McDonald's. Plus, he just doesn't have the confidence to be a winner.
Don't get me wrong - Andrea's was a little yucky, and she was way off her game (and I 100% agree about last week's room being earthier than this week's!), but at least she is making rooms that are not merely the same room over and over again--which, admittedly, does sometimes work to her disadvantage. Even so, not everything in her room this week was bad: I really liked the colors, actually, and the accent prints that she selected. The room was a little too sterile for what I imagine "earth" to be, but at least it looked like a hotel room.
Oddly enough, at this point, I'm rooting for Carisa - her rooms always make a bold statement, and I think Jonathan Adler was right to point out that more often than not, they have a kind of "optimism" that is refreshing. As long as she doesn't go back to orange and green, I would think she had a good chance of winning this thing, if not for the judges' apparent obsession with Matt's ability to make everything look "chic."
I'm with you on the carpenters: they are total superheroes. Not to mention the (mostly) invisible upholsterers/tailors. (I think there is a sweatshop somewhere in the PDC.) Sarah should get a prize for this line alone: "It's definitely unique!" God love her.
As for Todd: you know how I feel about him. He's beyond Hula Man: he's Tiki God. I agree that they have really erred in not giving him more of a role in this series.
Carisa: There are moments when I just wanted to say "shutupshutupshutup! But her room was terrific. Her take on the element was imaginative; it was very much an assertion of her own style. I thought it was great that she was so proud of her work. She clearly loves what she does and there a lot to be said for that. She just needs to work on making it something other people love to do with her.
Note: it is clear that Jonathan responds to that happy quality in Carisa -- as well as her style. He doesn't see what leads up to that big smile of course!
Nice Joanne Mattera reference. But that makes me like Carisa's room even more.
Regarding Goil's room: did anyone else think of the padding that goes around the room in the booths in fast food restaurants?
Gosh this is like a river of interesting blogs with tributaries, rivulets and streams. I just keep floating along a little behind everyone, discovering great things.
I am hiding. I mortified myself by being so dang snippy over at Project Top Design. My humor was lost. I am in a self imposed dog-house now. Thank-you all for your enjoyable blogs.
Hey, All--
Joanne Mattera here. Thanks for noticing my work. You can see more on my website, www.joannemattera.com .
If you're in New York, my show of small paintings, "Silk Road," opens at OK Harris Gallery, www.okharris.com , on April 28--running through May 26.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home