margaret russell : observation 10

Observations

by
Margaret Russell
edited by kora in hell
2007

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
OBSERVATION | 1 |
OBSERVATION | 2 |
OBSERVATION | 3 |
OBSERVATION | 4 |
OBSERVATION | 5 |
OBSERVATION | 6 |
OBSERVATION | 7 |
OBSERVATION | 8 |
OBSERVATION | 9 |

OBSERVATIONS 10 - 1
[posted in descending order]

| 10 |

The Love Song of Margaret "Elle" Russell


Even in its nearly gutted condition,
the loft was seductive . . .


. . . with a gutsy, industrial feel
and walls of amazing windows.


I visited while
shopping at the nearby
wholesale flower market.


He paired
deep aubergine walls
with a glittery chandelier.


Stunning and stunningly expensive,
his bath is
...................just plain sexy.


I was surprised that I was so
crazy for that
...................round sunken bed.

finale | the best

in no particularly significant order

super todd
In my constant pursuit of more ways to have Todd Time I think that it would have been nice to see him do home visits like Tim does on Project Runway.

the santa fe building windows
I don't think that either designer lived up to the architecture -- although Carisa did better than Matt in that regard.

carisa's use of repeating squares
This touchstone of Carisa's style worked well for the space, picking up on the windows. I have a few quibbles: she might have varied it or broken it up to pick up on some of the other aspects of the architecture -- the transoms for example. I also thought it was a bit heavy as a divider (breaking up that lovely expanse of windows). I also hate to see the grid below go empty of books when it looks like such a great reading corner. I also like the introduction of browns and beiges.

matt's grandfather's prints
I thought that the red tint was an especially nice touch.

matt's work style
He's a pro. (You can see why Carisa is in such a panic: even with all of Matt's organization things can still get crazy.) It probably says more about me that watching another hyper-planner at work is what I consider good television. Ooooh! Look at his office supplies!!! I wish they'd zoom in on his tabs so I can see how he color-codes! And honestly -- I'm curious about the slides. What are the slides for? I thought art historians were the only ones who used slides anymore.

carisa's bed
(and jonathan, margaret in it)
Margaret getting into the bed and realizing that she liked it is up there with Alexis Arquette on the swing as one of the great moments on Top Design. Jonathan saying that he "could really get up to some mischief!" in Carisa's bed may be the best quote of the show.

lily's room
What a dream room for a little girl. I would have died for this room. Jeez. A part of me still wants this room! Note: you only see a corner of it but that rug is adorable.

matt and ed
This was so cute. If we learned anything from top design we learned that the designer is only as good as their carpenter.

carisa's attitude
Carisa seemed honest about saying that it was best for Matt to win because she still felt like a winner whereas if she had won Matt would have been devastated. That would be an egotistical thing to say if it weren't for the fact that it is true. Carisa was very generous-spirited about the competition which made me feel like she was well on her way towards developing the personal maturity she needs in order to become a successful professional designer. At any rate she was so gracious in defeat that she did win the hearts of viewers.

finale | the worst

in no particularly significant order

matt and carisa's underwhelming black and white palettes
Carisa's is okay -- the pops of red help . . . I guess. It just isn't very subtle or interesting.
Elegant, yes. But where is that delicate sense of color I admire so much? And while I'm at it, what happened to the floor snob?

boring kitchens with expensive appliances
The judges were critical of Matt's and excited about Carisa's, but I can't see much of a difference between the two.

the fuss over matt's bathroom
I can't see how purple walls and a chandelier makes it so thrillingly sexy. Frankly I liked Carisa's better, although I wouldn't want to use that mirror for putting on makeup.

environmentalists with eight mansions
Here's the thing: I'm sure she's a wonderful and creative person who does a lot of really great things and there are lots of mega-rich wives of rock stars and movie stars who are fatuous twats whose sole purpose is to consume and waste as much as possible and compared to them Trudie Styler should win the Nobel Peace Prize. Nonetheless, if the show is only able to get D-list celebrities do they have to over-hype them so that they sound like geniuses and/or saints? And could we perhaps reserve the term "humanitarian" for those rare individuals who have truly sacrificed themselves for the good of humanity rather than applying it to any celebrity who participates in a variety of charity causes while still maintaining a lifestyle of eight mansions? It sort of waters down the idea. Furthermore, I'm not sure how decorating her eight mansions (along with professional decorators) makes her the most qualified judge for the finale but whatever. Maybe Bravo is trying to woo Sting for some special show.
Note to producers: I think it would have been fun to have seen Laura Bennett as the finale guest judge. We already know that she has exquisite taste in all things AND she has a degree in architecture.

repetition of furniture items
That is, the limited amount of shops, thus limited choices of products they could select from at the PDC. I didn't like those dining room chairs the first time I saw them in Andrea's chef's room. (Although, Carisa could have at least reupholstered them.)

pushing the family man card a bit too much
Either Matt or Bravo or both seemed to be pushing this little too hard at the end. It starts to get saccharine and manipulative. He has a lovely wife and child, yes. Okay, we get it. He's reproduced.

carisa's work style
Oy vey. It was driving me nuts to watch her work. I was somewhat shocked at her lack of preparation. She just walked into the PDC without any plan for what furniture she would be buying?! I would never in a million years hire someone who works this way. And it really caught up to her. She had two months to prepare. She had five days to get the work done. And she never unpacked her books or did any finishing touches that would have personalized the space. That cost her dearly in the judging. Since she's still a student I hope that she takes some classes in project management. You still need a framework if you work intuitively: there is a difference between spontaneity and panic-inducing lack of preparation.

matt's sterile master bedroom
That room is just depressing. For that matter where was the personality or voice of his wife in this space? Other than as a pregnant belly, that is?

the predictability of the outcome
Congrats and everything ... whatever.
I wanted Matt to win, don't get me wrong. The show just lacked interest, but that has been a problem since the start.

matt, please...

...now that you've won :


FOR CHRISSAKES EAT SOMETHING!!


You're starting to look like Lurch:

Sic gorgiamus allos subiectatos nunc.
[We gladly feast on those who would subdue us.]

Not just pretty words.