Newport Beach Interior Designer Battle

A battle of the decorators has been unfolding last week in Newport Beach, a showdown that has two Orange County interior designers facing off mano-a-mano, cheek-to-jowl, window treatment-to-window treatment.

After eight weeks of planning, the designers began decorating five rooms in two nearly identical model homes being built at the Newport Palisades, a new 33-home development in Newport Beach.

Their efforts are being documented by a 50-person TV crew, and on Sunday, the public is invited to tour the properties and pick the best design. The event will become the first episode of “Showhouse Showdown,” a brand-new reality TV show that will debut late this summer on HGTV.

“People love to go to show homes,” said Dawn Stroupe, the new show’s executive producer. “We have some of the best decorators and designers in the country, and people can come through and see the homes for free and possibly be on TV.”

The unveiling of the results will start at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Newport Palisades, located near the Santa Ana Country Club at 1572 Orchard Dr. The first 100 people to tour the homes will be given scorecards, and some will be interviewed on camera about which designs they prefer, which rooms they like best and why.

“Showhouse Showdown” – patterned after a similar program from Ireland – is the latest in a long line of real estate reality shows such as “Extreme Makeover Home Edition,” “Flip This House,” “Million Dollar Listing,” and “Dress My Nest.”

The program will have 12 episodes in cities across the nation, from Dallas to D.C., from Tampa to Wilmington, Del. A second episode will be taped in O.C., with shooting planned in August in Costa Mesa.

Both episodes are being taped at homes being built by local developer Waterpointe Homes. Stroupe said that show producers cold call builders across the nation to see if they’re willing to put up model homes for use in the show. Builders participating range from small operations like Waterpointe to large national builders like Meritage Homes.

Taping will continue daily through Sunday’s unveiling. The winner will get his or her own page on the HGTV website. But the name of the winner of the competition won’t be revealed until the weekly show airs.

Stroupe would say only that one designer is male, known for his Hollywood Regency style with a modern flair. The other is a woman who likes to call her style “transitional,” – traditional and modern, blended in a style she calls “tailored comfortability,” Stroupe said.

Both are working fervently with their subcontractors to complete their installations by Sunday.
The designers make decisions on everything from kitchen cabinets to flooring, designing the kitchen, family room, the master bedroom, two bathrooms and one room they can use for whatever purpose they choose. One of the designers has hired a muralist.

“They’ve done some interesting things,” Stroupe said. “Things that push the envelope as well. Some very high-end things. Great ideas.”

Attention Interior Designers and Architects

We came across this great opportunity and wanted to share with my our fellow designers and architects.

Luxury Home Quarterly is working on putting together a section in their magazine called “At Home With,” where they feature a photograph of a designer in their own home, with pullouts about specific products and items in the image.

The subject would need to provide their own professional, high resolution portrait of themselves in their own home, with enough of a view of the space that we can see the design elements in the room. They would also need to answer a fewquestions via email.

They are interested in only high-end designers, architects, etc.

Contact Courtney Weber (Luxury Home Quarterly)

Via Email: query-17ot@helpareporter.com

Media Outlet: Luxury Home QuarterlyDeadline: 05:00 PM EST May19th

http://luxuryhomequarterly.com/

LEE Industries Showroom Spring 2011 – High Point Market Photos

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Designer Runway

Designer Runway
Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
5:30 PM, Center Court

ASID ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER & LAGUNA DESIGN CENTER presents DESIGNER RUNWAY
Come enjoy this unique event with Witford…..
Hosted by comedian LYNN CHICHI and celebrity judges: ALEXIS BELLINO from the Real Housewives of Orange County, Interior Designer MICHAEL BERMAN, Luxe Regional Publisher KELLY PERSELLIN, Fashion Designer ODAY SHAKAR, and JOE RUGGERIO from HGTV

Tickets and information available online at www.asidocc.org