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I agree with the judges- there was not enough out of the box thinking.

Now... if I had been given that challenge, I would have gone for the bedroom.... and built a great big nest (yes, as in a bird's nest) in the space, enclosing the structure with free form jigsawed branches.

At the collectibles shop, I'd take the "found objects" idea to heart, and, like a bird, build the nest from all the colorful, interesting things I could find. I'd add a string of lights or two as well.

Watching the show, I noticed things like a mummy- and I can't help but think how interesting the nest would be with things like that woven into the structure of the nest.

I'd have saved just enough money in my budget to get pillows from the back-room shop, just to give the nest some softness and the suggestion of a bed.

Yes, that is what I would have done.

Can you tell I really liked this challenge?

I enjoyed this one more than the others (except the salvage one) too. And, surprisingly, as with all the episodes I've agreed with the judges on their decisions on the winners.
There were aspects of "the office" that I liked but the overbearing "I'm so wonderful" attitud of that guy made me want to stuff him in the nearest trash can. Even tho the Alice in Wonderland room could have been a bit better, I liked the whimsy of it.
David seems to be getting pretty full of himself and I'm wondering if he's been taking snark lessons from Vern.

Oh, and BTW, TQ, I love your idea - I think that would have blown them away.

Also disappointed with their shopping and the conventional way each interpreted the challenge. Didn't see anyone buy anything truly interesting.

David's definitely had the 'tude for awhile. Don't know if he's operating a design firm in Miami, inbetween hosting duties. I'm disappointed, seeing him apparently changing his career path. Must be far less stressful and easy **$ -

JMHO.

I have to say... I loved the concept of the office- just not the execution. "editing" was definitely something that would have improved the space.

I think, over all, the one thing that disappointed me most was that, even though the source (the collectables shop) was full of colorful things- the rooms seemed to lack color. In fact, the only color with impact in any of the spaces were the Alice in Wonderland hanging chairs. Even the red in the bedroom and the purple in the office seemed too muted to really make a statement. I wonder if the designers had gone into this thinking about painting walls for the impact of color, and when they found no walls to paint, they were caught off guard and had a hard time recovering.

And David's attitude? I thought it was just me. But if others have picked up on it, then there really must be a detectible attitude.

But in spite of the negatives, I still find this show more entertaining than most of what is on HGTV right now.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Tomatoqueen,

I was so happy to see Mark again. Happy to see a familiar face. But the dining room wasn't a dining room. It's like taking the kitchen and calling it a bathroom.

This challenge reminded me of the glass box challenge.

Loved Rebecca's star on the floor. Loved the faux flagstone floor.

David with the office got the most airtime. Guess they knew his New York personality would rub us the wrong way. I did however think his office was awesome.

I'll be happy to never hear the phrase "you guys" again.

posted a similar opinion on the WRC thread. Have to disagree, if the judges want "out of the box" sculptural installations they need to pick sculptors as their contestants. Removing function from interior design, is like asking a surgeon to use auto mechanics tools. Designers may have a working understanding of sculpture and the fine arts, but their training and education is quite emphatic that their work be functional, not abstract.

WRC is not a design show, it is a "found objects" sculpture contest.

Charles D: you do have a point. I liked the creative challenge, but it might have had better results if the contestants selected had been artists instead of designers. Or, for that matter, if the contestants had been people more like me- highly creative people with little training and a daring spirit.

There is no reason why the White Room Challenge would need to have designers as the contestants every time.

To give a parallel example: on Chopped, the contestants all have a cooking background, but may specialize in different areas of cooking- and often times are given ingredients they have never before used. What they do know is that they will be making an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert (if they make it that far)- and that they will be given a list of ingredients which they will need to use.

So- if WRC were to use the same criteria for choosing contestants, they would come from a wide range of art/design with the understanding that they will have to design a living space that may or may not have to be functional, and that they will have to work with unconventional materials.

So.... I guess I'm saying that the show could only be improved by bringing in contestants with a larger scope of backgrounds.

But taking the Chopped example try are all Chefs. They might specialize in a certain style of food just as a Designer might be stronger in a different style.

On Chopped they all make a dish that isn't something the viewer at home would want to try at home. It's not like the recipes the Chefs make are going to make it to the dinner table in the viewers home. So why do people expect the designs to be something people would want to create(although I liked the flower table, hubcap wall and the robot room

TQ, I totally agree with your comments re: the contestants. In the last challenge contestant Jennifer was a prime example. Having training and an education that emphasizes function caused her to "freeze up" when asked to throw function out of the window. If she had had training as a set designer, or window dresser she may have had a different skill set that would allow her to look at materials and composition more abstractedly.

I love your idea of picking non professional DIYers, to see what they can do. For this particular set of requirements, I think formalized training could be a detriment.