Design on a… Quarter???

Immediately following last week’s episode of Design Star, viewers were treated to a sneak peak of the all new Design on a Dime, with Design Star Season 5 hopeful, Casey Nobel. I think I might find myself having a sort of love/hate relationship with this newest installment of Design on a Dime. I absolutely loved the way the design of the room turned out… how could I not? Casey used the exact color scheme and style that I chose for my own living room (modern design in colors of peacock blue, lime green, and bright orange), but I’m not sure I’m a fan of the changes made in the newest version of this show.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Design on a Dime premise, it’s basically this: one of several main designers/hosts, along with their two design counterparts, redesign a room on a budget of only $1000. Or, as described on the HGTV website, “Design on a Dime takes creative, accessible and affordable design to the next level by dispelling the notion that a beautiful room has to be expensive”. In order to stretch the budget, the designers use creativity and DIY projects to produce a designer look for less. I can’t say that I’m always impressed with the overall design that is produced, but the result is created on a limited budget, and I have put to the test more than one of the useful tips from this show, with positive results.

What is different about Casey’s new Design on a Dime? Pretty much everything. The budget has been raised from $1000 to $2500… which is not necessarily a bad thing. Casey is the sole designer on the show, rather than a team of three designers. There were several DIY projects done, but the majority of the room consisted of all store bought items. The room looked fantastic, but it also looked like Casey opened a CB2 catalogue and purchased everything she could with the remaining budget. Where is the creativity in that? Anyone can open a CB2 or Ikea catalogue and order everything they see. It’s collecting different pieces from different sources, pulling different ideas and styles together, and creating your own masterpieces that truly define a designer. And that was truly lacking in Casey’s first Design on a Dime episode.

So what did I love, and what did I hate? Let’s start with something simple. I HATED the burnt mirror piece. It looked like a wall of mirrors from a bad 80’s bathroom that people pay large amounts of money to destroy. But on the other hand, I LOVED Casey’s Mop Art. This was the one truly creative masterpiece in the room, and the one thing in the room that may encourage me to watch another episode. And Vern has applauded far less… so bravo to Casey on this piece. Moving on… I liked that Casey incorporated the client’s passion into the design, but I think she may have taken it a bit too literally. My husband is an avid biker (mountain bikes, BMX bikes, etc.), but even he stated that he wouldn’t want bike parts in the design of our living room. I liked the clock Casey made from bike parts, but I wouldn’t put it anywhere but a garage bike shop or home office. I loved that Casey pulled design inspiration from an expensive piece of furniture, and recreated it for a fraction of the price, but I also appreciated that the designers in previous seasons of the show demonstrated projects that could be created easily at home, walking the viewers through, step by step. Casey’s coffee table required the skills of a welder, and I don’t know about you, but that would definitely be a stretch of my skill set. Not to mention the fact that I don’t exactly keep welding gear lying around the house. I love that Casey repurposed old furniture, and I loved the pattern and color of the slip covers she used to cover the old chairs, but she did not create the slipcovers or reupholster the chairs herself like many previous Design on a Dime hosts would have. Purchasing the slipcovers is fine, since they were obviously cheap enough to fit into the budget, but as a viewer, I want to know where Casey found these fabulous, cost-saving slipcovers! And while I love Casey’s use of Thomas Paul prints on the pillows (but did she make these or purchase them… we will never know!), these are far from inexpensive! Thomas Paul pillows run upwards of $70 for one, while his fabric generally starts at about $40/yard (the cheapest I’ve ever found was $29/yard on eBay). And the CB2 pillows, throws, lamps, vases and other accessories used in the space are not the most thrifty. Yes, these items are much cheaper than what you might find in a designer showroom, but similar decorative pillows can be found at Target or Pier 1 Imports for far less. Casey did remain within her $2500 budget, but this is Design on a Dime! Viewers are expecting to see cost saving ideas! I think my next blog entry will be dedicated to all the really great things my husband and I have created or repurposed for our own house on a slim budget. I think we could blow Casey out of the water! Hmmm… new idea HGTV… husband and wife Design on a Dime team. We won’t even need the extra $1500. I think I’m on to something!

HGTV has not posted any pictures of the latest Design on a Dime, but pictured below are several of the items Casey used in the room. All items pictured are from CB2.

For a quick peak at the items I chose for my living room in similar colors, take a look below. This styleboard only includes purchased items, but all of the art in our home is hand-made, and we love our DIY projects. I will try to post some of the more personal decor of my home soon!