Top Design at the A-List Awards

Last night Bravo hosted their shameless self-promotional A-List Awards show in NYC and we were thrilled to see a few of our favorite Top Designers in attendance!

Season 1 finalists Matt Lorenz and Carisa Perez-Fuentes on the red carpet.

Nice to see our friend Erik Kolacz again...

Margaret Russell is simply stunning.

Designer/Artist/Rebel Ryan Hunphrey even made an appearance.

Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan looked like they were having fun.

Not spotted: S2 host India Hicks and mentor Todd Oldham. But who we really missed was fashion disaster Kelly Wearstler. You can catch the A-List Awards show on June 12 at 10:00 p.m.

All images courtesy of Wire Image.

Reality Worlds Collide

As we gear up for Season 2 of Top Design (scheduled to debut sometime in the third quarter 2008), there will be an inevitable rush of publicity and news about the show and its personalities. We haven't heard much from designer Matt Lorenz since he walked away as the Season 1 winner, so it was interesting to see this story from the Seattle Times pop up in our mailbox:

Creations by 19 teams will be unveiled Friday for Product Runway, a sold-out fundraiser for the Interior Design Coalition of Washington.

Celebrity judges including Jack Mackenroth from Bravo's "Project Runway" and Matt Lorenz from "Top Design" will appraise the work, judging it on creativity, construction and presentation, among other criteria.

Jack and Matt? What an interesting pairing! Expect more on the Top Design news front as Season 2 wraps up production and the Bravo publicity crew gets to work.

From The Mailbox

Jaimee Rose from the Arizona Republic (my hometown newspaper) thinks Kelly Wearstler is fabulous.

Here is a Chicago Sun-Times story about Matt Lorenz's victory.

Don't miss Linda Merrill's suggestions for next season.

Will there be a next season?

Congratulations, Matt!

You rose to the very top of an impressive group of competitors and you did so by always creating spaces that looked expensive, inviting and chic. Your taste level was always very high and yet you managed to make your rooms look relaxing as well as editorial. This week you created the loft of your dreams perfect for your beautiful wife, charming daughter with every detail suggesting the serenity a busy designer craves. You also managed to infuse the personal details that showed you understood the kinds of things that can make a house or apartment look like home. What a stellar achievement, Matt. Good show!

This post is only for positive words for Matt. Any other reactions can be posted posted in our here.

Your Turn to be the Judge - Episode 10

We saw the lofts that the designers created and now you get to tell us who you felt deserved the win. This week you get to be Jonathan Adler, Kelly Wearstler, Margaret Russell and Trudie Styler.

Who Should Have Won Top Design?
	Matt Lorenz
	Carisa Perez-Fuentes

From the Mailbox

Sometimes we hear from people that are close to the designers and sometimes we hear from the designers themselves.

Click here to see a backyard transformation created by Andrea Keller that was featured on HGTV's Outer Spaces program. Andrea drew her inspiration from Hawaii without having ever visited that exotic location. Wait, that sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Click here for a terrific Buddy TV interview with Goil. He's got a lot of ambition to go along with all of that energy!

Finally we noticed today that Matt Lorenz has a new website! After advancing to the Top Design finals we know that Matt's skills in creating chic spaces are going to be in even greater demand. And don't forget that we have links to all of the designers in our sidebar.

Preview Videos - Episode 10, Lofty Designs

Two designers remain and this week we have only two previews. You can click here to watch a shopping frenzy on the Yahoo Top Design preview. And click here to see finalists Carisa Perez-Fuentes and Matt Lorenz prepare for the final challenge.

Let's get your thoughts on the outcome:

Who SHOULD Win Top Design?
	Matt Lorenz
	Carisa Perez-Fuentes

Who WILL Win Top Design?
	Matt Lorenz
	Carisa Perez-Fuentes

Sorry, the poll has closed. Click here for the results.

Top Design Photo Diaries

Bravo now has posted images submitted by the Top Design contestants. Click here for their photo diary page and then click on each of the designers' faces to see pictures of their world outside of the White Room.

Congratulations, Matt

Three wins in four weeks is a staggering achievement and your spaces have been stunning testimony of your taste and vision. This week your keyword was "dreamy" and you stepped up to a challenge creating a room unlike and yet inspired by that Elle Decor cover. Your floors are always masterpieces and you masterfully upholstered that daybed adding just the right pop of color. The art on the wall was further evidence that you understand scale, proportion and color when creating a mood and setting a relaxing stage for lingering and conversation. This was a tough week but you, Matt, rose to the top!

Let's use this post to congratulate Matt; only positive words belong in the comments please.

From The Mailbox

Click here for an article about Top Design Carpenter Blair Toland. Wow, he's tall! (And so is Andrea!) Thanks, Aletta.

Here is a review of Bravo's Top Design from the Boston Globe.

Finally, we've been getting questions about the paint color that Matt Lorenz used in the 'Metropolitan Home Suites' challenge last Wednesday. 'The Dish' on the Bravo site reveals that the color is "White Smoke" and is available from Pratt and Lambert.

Congratulations, Matt

Your rooms, as the judges say, are always chic and yet you never resort to a formula in creating form and function. This week you successfully blended luxury with relaxation in a suite that was a cool drink of imported water to sate a thirsty traveler's spirit. Your choices, from the paint color to the low wainscoting to the variety of surfaces, were perfection evoking your element. The colors could have looked cold but in your skillful hands the palate read both sophisticated and cozy - a difficult feat. Your win was well deserved; bravo, Matt!

Let's use this post to congratulate Matt; only positive words belong in the comments please.

Poll Results for Episode 6

Our poll results are in for Episode 6 and you told us your opinions. In our 'Who Should Have Won' poll, you agreed with the judges and said that Matt should have won. In the 'Who Should Have Been Latered' poll, you felt that Carisa needed to go.

Congratulations, Matt

You are the antidote to the drama, quietly bringing sophistication and order to everything you touch. This week you were the calm in Team Perfect Storm and you nailed all five senses relating to Bacardi Limon. The interesting thing is that your work never is about you or your ego; you always have the client's desires at the heart of everything you purchase, fabricate or arrange. And we would have just loved to have been invited to your party. Congratulations, Matt!

Let's use this post to congratulate Matt; only positive words belong in the comments please.

Poll Results for Episode 4

Our poll results are in for Episode 4 and you told us your opinions. In our 'Who Should Have Won' poll, you disagreed with the judges and said that Matt had the best room. In the 'Who Should Have Been Latered' poll, you felt that Ryan needed to go. You can click on each of the pictures to see how you voted.