Buffalo Check Bandwagon

Up until now, I thought I had resisted drinking the kool-aid on the "Buffalo Check is so Current!" bandwagon.  Nothing against buffalo check - every pattern has its place - I just hadn't been as blown away by it.  Until...  WTF?  The HGTV Dream House?  Really?  That's going to be what gets me on the buffalo check bandwagon?

First, let me clarify that I think the designs for the HGTV Dream Home giveaways are usually dreadful.  Like, would sell the furniture and start all over if I ever got lucky enough to win.  They all feel like what they are - brand new houses filled with brand new furniture, meant to be pleasing to 80% of the population.  I get it, I just don't like it.  I hate pretty much everything about the design of this room.  I mean, I'm super patriotic and all (I read American history books for fun) but even I wouldn't want to be getting my dirty on below Old Glory. 

But that carpet!

HGTV

Wall-to-wall buffalo check.  Who would have thought? 

Maybe something much smaller in size - like a bathroom mat?  I even like the idea of the striped curtains as a shower curtain.

Did anyone else see something they liked on the home tour?  I didn't watch the entire thing, so I can't really comment except to say the great room's rock walls look cool but would probably be really cold most of the year.

HGTV's Design Star

Any other Design Star fans out there?

I watch it religiously.  Every episode of every season.  Must watch TV.

Which is funny, because at the end of most episodes I'm left wishing the producers would finally get around to making a halfway decent show.

And it seems that I am not alone.  Despite the fact that this season has been completely dreadful, it seems like lots of people are watching it and talking (mostly negatively) about it online.  The ratings will probably only encourage the producers to crap the show up more, but I can't help myself.

Sunday is the first time the designers get to work individually since the first episode.  Really HGTV?  Isn't this the final episode?  You would think they would be interested in making sure someone who will land their own TV show could design a room on their own.  Obviously that's not as important as making sure they can be "inspired" by tacky souvenirs and flowers.

The show has turned into a complete commercial. The designers are only allowed to shop at two pre-determined stores for their challenges - and if that store doesn't sell something like fabric (which I think most designers would put up there with furniture for a room's necessities), they just have to deal.  And don't get me started about the lack of carpenters this season - total BS.  When is the last time Vern, Genevieve or Candace put a room together from scratch by themselves?  There's such a thing as setting people up to fail.

Anyway, despite my love/hate relationship with the show, this season has given me one of my favorite new "reality celebs" - Emily Henderson.  She's been a bit of a dark horse in the show - I liked her quirky sense of humor but she didn't seem to get much camera time when it came to her actual design abilities.  Somehow I stumbled across her blog and LOVE IT.  It's called The Brass Petal.  Go check it out.  Right now.  She's so funny and fresh.  Not only do I love the behind-the-scenes scoops, but she has a great design aesthetic. 

(It seems like most of the contestants have blogs - so if you have a favorite you should definitely look them up.  From the interviews I've read here, most of the contestants are not only a lot more talented than you would think based on what we saw on TV, but are also really interesting people.)

I'm hoping Emily will win - but I realize that it is probably Casey - the "bombshell" they expect to pull in more men viewers.  Really? I'm surprised HGTV hasn't noticed that most men watching their channel aren't exactly into girls, but whatever.  Just another bad decision made in a long line of bad decisions.

Go Emily!