Design Star

So, I am only a week late, but I finally watched my DVRed episode of Design Star on HGTV. Blame it on my affinity for southern culture, but Tera (from Texas) is my fav so far. Her take on the white box challenge was beautiful- the room was finished (always a plus!) and tranquil. I love mixing textures in a space and she did a great of incorporating a variety of them here: 

On the other hand, I was completely unimpressed with the arrogant Nina.  Her room possessed some good elements, but I felt the parasols she incorporated screamed "asian market"- the same characteristic for which the judges slammed her competitor, Tom.

I am glad to see the importance of hosting abilities taking a more prominent role earlier in this season compared to seasons past.  I do have to say poor Julie (who was eliminated) repeatedly used cliches and stumbled all over her words during her hosting debut which made it painful to watch.  Emily, while more like-able, spewed the entire time she was on camera and I felt embarrassed for the girl.

In addition to Tera, I also find myself rooting for the young Alex, who dubbed himself "not your typical designer" because of his age and race.  I'm looking forward to watching tomorrow night's episode to see who stands out!