burnin' burnin' burnin'

A few observations about Goil and why in the end he just burned out.

1. Crafting

It has occurred to me that Goil basically isn't interested in decorating rooms or designing spaces. What he likes to do is projects. He does crafts.

Goil is a crafter.

I don't mean that pejoratively. Craft is a very diverse and rich area. It can include some silly stuff like painted rocks with googly eyes. But Craft can also be cool. And it includes the kinds of projects that Goil does. And Goil's projects are not necessarily interior design. Not on their own, separate from a good sense of the room as a whole.

2. Limited

The problem with Goil is that he is someone who has only a particular set of skills and they are limited. I say they are limited not because they are not strong skills or difficult or highly technical skills but because he is clearly unable to go beyond them. He painted every single room white. He was told to try certain things but he simply could not break out of his habits of seeing, thinking, acting:

• white wall
• light wood floor
• painted stripes
• basic primary color
• project that obsesses him and uses up his time

The good news is that this probably makes him a good architect because he has the exacting qualities of an engineer. Sometimes a person tries something and learns what they don't want to do: I see him as being very frustrated as a designer because he would be trying to do something that is going against his nature. He is someone who works better in the construction and not the decorative areas of design. I can't imagine him working very well with a client because he doesn't seem to listen very well and, for the reasons listed above, he is not very adaptable.

3. Literalism

Part of his limitation is an imaginative limit -- seen in his tendency towards literalism. He doesn't think like an artist. Artists don't think in such concrete terms.

As Margaret pointed out, "fire" and "hotel room" are not the best pairing.



However, he just needed to think about what fire might represent other than fire. Like, say, passion and desire.

In that sense, he had an easy challenge: one of the main reasons people go to hotels is for romantic getaways.

And I'm not talking about heart-shaped beds with a lot of frou-frou rosy decor and bowls of pot-pourri.

three possibilities

Sure, this is armchair designing. but for all the whining we heard I think it is fair for us to say "come on -- how hard is it?"

So here are 3 different style options for a romantic luxury hotel suite. The first two came from a quick google search. The third one is stuff everyone knows : the modern classics.

1. Google search term: Romantic Luxury Hotel
(I looked under Images to find a picture I liked)

Even on a more traditional level there is the simplicity of something like a Spanish style:

Hotel Castillo de Buen Amor, Salamanca, España

And it even has white walls! However the white is has a strong texture (stucco). In this room the dark colors pop: rich stained wood, black marble tile and luscious (buen amor) red.

2. Google search term: Luxury Hotel Thailand

One of the great new hotels of the world, The Rachamankha, owned and designed by Thailand's best architects, provides an excellent example of a hotel that brings together with traditional temple and modern design.

• The Rachamankha
• Concierge Best Of 2005

This is not from Rachamankha. It is a detail from a shrine in Thailand. It is so beautiful -- and a symbol of love -- that I decided to post it.

3. modern design classics

Steel frame "Parsons" Bed.
If you are going to have something forged have it be the bed -- that is where the heat is generated. For a more romantic feel you might drape sheers around it.



Modern Sofa
A comfortable couch that two people can sink into and just fall asleep or watch a movie in or just sit and relax and have a glass of champagne. Make sure there is only one cushion across the bottom.


Iconic chair
A bright red sexy sculptural piece of furniture:







Lighting.
Romance is all about the lighting. There is nothing like Fortuny but it may not fit the modern look.

Tube lighting of varying sizes can cast different levels of light and shadow.



Art.
None of this make-your-own crap (I'm talking to you, Kenneth Brown). Get some real art. Don't be asshole decorators : support the local galleries.

Mari Eastman Dinner Date 2007

Karen Lovegrove Gallery Los Angeles

Michael Schultheis, Folia of Descartes 06, 2006
Froelick Gallery, Portland, Oregon

Finally, for inspiration, there is one thing that I think of first when I think of fire.

So here's your Fire for you: click and hit play.

purple haze

Regarding the purple curtain situation, as I've said earlier, in this episode the judge' biases and blind spots are starting to get more and more blatant.

It was ridiculous the way the judges got so breathless over Erik's little curtain: "It was so fresh!!!! Like they'd never seen a cream and black roman shade before.

Furthermore, the girls liked the curtains. Those customers were far more satisfied than Goil's customer (i.e., the dog). In this case the judges should have just left Michael alone: the curtains were beautiful, useful and functional; he did what the leader asked him to do; and he provided what the client wanted. Instead the judges (as discussed in a previous post) should have made Goil stand up there and defend his doggy wagon.

Then there is the matter of accusing Michael of spending too much time working on the curtains. Those curtains were a lot of work and they were the most aesthetically important part of the garage especially since Ryan didn't create any art. There was even a rumor spread -- by the judges! -- that Michael may have focused so much on this task because he was flirting with the tailor. So does that mean that Goil had a crush on the dog?

For the record: Michael's appearance on Watch What Happens and subsequent postings on Pink Navy (utterly delicious!) put this matter to rest.

I'm wondering if the judges have some sort of allergy to aubergine. Have they ever liked any one's use of that color? Or do they just associate that color with Michael and because they have it in for Michael they don't like the color?

Michael's color choice may be based on criteria other than the one that the judges accuse him of (i.e., that he just likes every shade of grape that he's ever seen). Honestly, could they BE any more condescending? Why don't they just make him wear a helmet and call him a REtard while they are at it? In fact, there may be a reason that demonstrates Michael's professional skills.

Maybe Michael picked that color because it was the color Mr. Bell was wearing earlier in the day? Consciously or not -- an astute designer would register those kinds of things.

I'm sure that if Matt had made the curtains would they have lavished praise on him as having a keen sensitivity towards clients and color (See: why matt can do no wrong).

NOTE: I have noted in an earlier post "accentuate the positive" that Jonathan Adler's blog was less snarky this week but when it comes to Michael: it is still sour grapes.

The final problem has to do Andrea's leadership, and in some ways, her integrity (although that is not a reality tv show value where the idea is to do what ever it takes to win). Here's the deal: Elizabeth had to take the hit for colors that weren't entirely her choice. And she got kicked off for this. (Although that was probably a trumped up charge just to get rid of the boring decrepit old lady in her forties. Yeah. Speaking of purple: someone who threw parties for Prince's Purple Rain tour couldn't possibly be very cool or hip or interesting.) But I digress.

In this situation Andrea had immunity. It was really quite small of her not to take responsibility for the color choice. She had to know that blaming Michael for that shade of purple -- which was not entirely his fault after all [added 03/12: see the quiet one for evidence] -- could have gotten him kicked off the show that night.

NOTE: Yes, I've been defending the boy a lot lately (although I was not an immediate fan). Lest anyone think I'm in danger of sounding like one of Michael's minions, let me be clear: I'm nobody's minion. (He can be mine, however: mainly shades, banshees, that sort of thing. It's better than cleaning out garages -- or picking up after the the hell-hounds of hades -- but unless you get an Elysian appointment it isn't very glamourous work. Of course I'd find a good place for him in the organization. Hell needs a lot of redecorating.)

in goil's perfect world ...

... everyone would live in white boxes with wheels on them

(snore)

I like Goil. How can you not?

But this one-note of his is really getting old. We are halfway through the show and I'm still seeing white boxes. I don't think he is a decorator/designer. He's an architect. He's talented and bright and has a strong visual sensibility. But I'm starting to think he just doesn't have the skills -- perhaps not even the interests -- it takes to do interior design. I want to see him stay on the show because he's a delight to watch. If he won -- that would be great -- but he should go into business with a good decorator.

The judges biases and blind spots are starting to get more and more blatant. This works to Goil's favor as they never seem to find much fault and when they do it doesn't really count much against him. For example, there is the matter of the rolling dog bed that Goil spent most of his time working on in this past challenge.

I'd like to point out that dogs don't want to be on wheels (unless it is in a car with their nose out the window): they want to chase after wheels. Now don't write me and tell me that you have a toy dog that your kid dresses up and pushes around in a doll stroller all day. I'm not talking about those pocket pet dogs that you can put in your purses and carry around: they were bred as "toys" so they don't count.

Dogs are den animals. They like places that are like dens: covered, private, safe spaces of their own where they can retreat without the threat of being rolled out and attacked by predators such as little girls who will dress them up in outfits and make them play the unicorn in their fairy princess plays, or little pirate boys who will careen around with them in the raft on the rolling high seas until one or both of them barf.

My point is that, in a sense, Goil was more of a failure than Carisa in terms of wasting time not helping out while working on something that completely failed to meet the client's needs. I think that Goil deserved to be up there with Carisa this week, getting more criticism for the problem of his single-minded focus on what he was doing over the needs of the project as a whole.

how do you solve a problem like carisa?

It started with neither Ryan nor Goil respecting her experience and skills. Then Ryan was a condescending jerk. Goil claimed to be the mediator but he did not stand up to Ryan's rudeness, did not say anything about their bickering, said yes to both of them on the same request and thus made the situation worse. If you wanted to pick the worst team leader in this challenge I don't think it was Elizabeth.

In his interview Goil said "Larisa is not a team player." First of all, how much of team player is Goil when he doesn't know the name of the person on his team? Secondly, Carisa was a great team player with Erik, who treated her as an equal.

In his interview Ryan insulted her with his "she takes up space" comment, which was obviously a dig about her weight. I'm sorry but that crosses the line. I'm bringing out the heavy ammo: He likes to imagine he is a Henry Rollins style artiste. This episode demonstrated that he is not just a poser but a total wanker.

Good for you Carisa for standing your ground even if it means you get called "not a team player." Women are only "team players" when they don't stand up for themselves.

2: elizabeth & goil

Practically speaking at least both Elizabeth and Goil provided desks but the rooms were rather low on storage. I thought that they both designed rooms that felt a bit institutional.

Goil

I was not as fond of this room as the judges were. To be frank, it feels a bit precious: too "baby Einstein." It looked like a spiffy new test lab in some child cognitive psychology laboratory.

Where are the toys? And what is with that damned pepper again? It's kind of like "eat your spinach" decorating: as if you can shut a child off in a pure educationally stimulating environment where he would develop only tasteful interests and never want to hang posters of his favorite athletes (or movie stars etc) on those Spartan white walls or put up basketball hoops or get a rug and pillows for the floor so he and his friends can sit around and play video games.

Elizabeth

At least Elizabeth's room has the sensibility of her client's actual interests. Practically speaking, you could put a group of boys in that room and they could practice soccer and rough house in there and not do a whole lot of damage. The trade off is that despite the bright colors it felt a little bleak because the furnishings were few and spare.

It seemed like the buckets are designed from a "pick your stuff up" point of view. They were supposed to be for his sports collections? It was so sad to see the boy looking at those buckets like, "what the hell??" Kids like to treasure the things they collect not throw them in buckets. It was a tough balancing act and she erred on the side of restraint and practicality. She's the mother of a small boy and she designed as a mom more than as a kid. This may have been a case of being too informed about the subject!!

ultra fab

Click here to read the note on the purpose of these annotations of Top Design biographies.

Goil

Design style: Architectural Ultra Modern
FOR "Ultra" READ "Flaming"

. . . he was handpicked by Robert A.M. Stern
I’ll bet he was.

Goil loves to win.
Unlike other people who enjoy being left in the dirt.

Self-described as “small, spicy and fabulous"
Isn't that nice.

Goil is known to stand his ground and confront his challenger face-to-face when conflicts arise.
Is he a designer or a chow chow?