Earlier this year I had the privilege of working on Sweet Genius 2, a competition show on the Food Network where host Ron Ben-Israel challenges master pastry chefs to create inspired desserts out of unconventional ingredients. I watch the show, and a lot of the creations are incredible. I’ll never forget the episode where one lady had to make a dessert inspired by sand that contained coffee beans and bone marrow!  She painted a piece of bone with dark chocolate so it looked like driftwood and made 3 different flavored sands that were spilled over the wood. My description does not do it justice…it was brilliant.  I’m amazed by people that can dream up culinary creations in seconds. I can’t even decide what to eat for breakfast in seconds.

The set from Season 1 was pulled out of storage and our goal for Season 2 was to transform it into a bright, lush, and whimsical wonderland while maintaining a sophisticated look that’s a signature of host Chef Ron Ben-Israel. You should google him to see some of his cakes. They are 100 times more detailed and impressive in person.

Huge thanks to Keith, Erin, Grover, and Markel, Sarah, Leah, and Lauren for all of your help!

pin it!First things first, new paint. From gunmetal/brown to periwinkle/silver.

pin it!Go Grover, go!

pin it!Stripes remind me of French bakeries.

pin it!Keith “surgeon hands” Garvey.

I love meeting Project Runway fans because they are always super enthusiastic and loyal. Most people who watch it LOVE it and say something to the extent of “I’m a Project Runway junkie,” or “I’m obsessed, I’ve never missed an episode.”  The show pioneered artistic/creative reality competitions, and after 9 seasons, it’s no surprise that they decided to do an all stars season. The All Stars finale aired last week, and if you missed it, you can check out some full episodes on the website.  This season’s set featured a new shiny runway, new interview set, and pearly rainbow work room.

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pin it!New shiny white runway! I took those pictures in the back. They’re abstract pics of NYC architecture.

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pin it!New interview set with squares! I love geometry.

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pin it!pin it!Wonder how we pulled off this look? LOTS of paint colors, and LOTS of tape, applied by the steady hands of our friends Vin & Janell of Blue Swan Painters.

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The glorious return of tape baby!

pin it!Big shout out to Katherine D., Luis, Keith, Andrea, Katherine, and Erin. And big thanks to the awesome production team for supporting us and making a great show!

Most of you know by now that I’m kind of schitzo when it comes to my work. I do TV shows, I design websites, I take pictures, I make beanies etc. People often ask me what I like to do the most, and interiors for reality TV are definitely my favorite projects to work on. I’ve noticed a pattern; the more outrageous the show the show, the funner the set. (When I was a kid “funner” was not a word. But now it is.)

Last summer I got to work on Love Games 3 with many of my favorite designer friends. It’s a rowdy dating show about 3 Bad Girls in a mansion and the 13 guys trying to win their affections. The season has already aired, but you can watch many of the episodes here.

For this show, the idea was to transform the house into an exotic beach retreat. It was a grand group effort and we managed to design and build tons of ambitious projects in a short amount of time. Big high five to Rick G., Katherine D., Katherine L.,  Laura, Jake + awesome builder guys, Chris, Niles, Aaron, and Heather. GO ART DEPARTMENT! May our unicorn flag fly high with pride!

pin it!pin it!Everything is more awesome when covered in sequins. Thanks Tony for building this beast, and Katherine and Heather for melting all the skin off your little fingers to make it sparkle. :)

pin it!All beach houses should be near water. No water in sight? Build a moat. BAM.

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I’m blogging from Taiwan!  I’m so grateful and amazed that technology allows me to do this. I just found out I can imessage people back at home if I’m on a wifi network. So awesome. It’s a ghost town around here because of Chinese New Year, so I’m huddled in the house wearing 6 layers catching up on emails and computer work. It’s only 58 degrees but for some reason I’m freezing. Last night I bought new fuzzy socks and wound up wearing a pair on my hands. My grandmother laughed at me. I’ll probably venture out with my cameras later today. I took tons of pics last time I was here in 2010.

Here are some pics from the Project Runway 9 finale, which aired a couple months ago. I’m finally getting around to posting pictures from shows that have already ended. Sorry! This was definitely my favorite finale set to date. Watermarked pics are from the Lifetime website. More to come!!

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Project Runway 9 marks my 5th season working on the show.  Every year it feels kind of like going to TV summer camp…I get to reunite with old pals and meet some new folks. It’s a lot of work, a little play, and each season creates an opportunity to give the same ol’ spaces a new and unique look.  The season has already aired and I hope some of y’all had a chance to tune in. Big high five to Katherine D., Scott, Luis, Andrea, Keith, and Katherine L. for yet another successful year for the Art Department.

pin it!Our beloved painters Vincent & Janel have been working on this show even longer than I have. They’re so awesome. If you live in the NYC area and need fast and friendly painters with mad skills, give Blue Swan Painters a jingle.

pin it!Andrea reenacting a classic Project Runway meltdown.

pin it!pin it!Katherine, reenacting what cockroaches look like when they get their hands on your oatmeal. Actually, I don’t think cockroaches have hands.

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