It’s week 2 of HGTV’s Design Star and so far I am a little disappointed in the creativity that the design hopefuls have shown.  Compared to earlier seasons, where Antonio Ballatore, Kim Myles and David Bromstad came out of the box with their “unique” guns blazing, the room designs that have been created so far are just plain dull.  If you’ve missed the show, here’s a peak at a few of the episode 1 and 2 designs:

In episode 1, the white box challenge gave the designers the opportunity to create a room based on the design style of one of the other designers.  With a blank canvas, $500 dollars and the full run of an Asian Market, the opportunity to design a fabulous room was at their finger tips.

 Here are the rooms Micheal (left) and Emily (right) designed.  Michael’s room does have some visual interest and he did incorporate some accessories, but the overall design, in my opinion, is messy and lacks any substance.  And what can I say about Emily’s room….the paint is the only interesting element in this space.

The rooms Tom (left) and Julie (right) designed were a bit more interesting.  Tom went a bit overboard with the Asian market theme, but his room did have layers that made it interesting.  Julie on the other hand appears to have been releasing a lot of anger with that wall treatment and all the feathers on the floor.  I would surely have nightmares in this room.

Courtland designed this purple room and although it is a bit simplistic, it does have a point of view and the color statement works.

 This is my absolute favorite room, designed by Tera.  The design is classic, the room feels totally pulled together, and I really like her color statement.

So, having seen a few of the designs from this seasons white room challenge, I can really say they don’t compare to seasons past.

Take a look…

Over the top but really creative…

Stylized, modern and visually interesting…

A bit edgy, but that wall treatment is so cool.

In episode 2, the designers, men vs. women, had to design rooms based on runway fashions they selected.  There were some beautiful outfits that should have given the designers lots of inspiration, but again, I think for the most part, the designs fell short of creating something great. 

Look at this fabulous wedding dress, which was interpreted via the white squares headboard.  Huh?  The inspiration of this dress should have resulted in a fabulous design.

To me the only thing inspiring in this space are the stripes on the wall and the design of the coffee table.  How about some decorative pillows inspired by that Tommy Bahama shirt?

 The ladies team created this fabulous chair, based on a high-end designer outfit.  I think this chair has lots of style and looks expensive. This was my favorite element from the entire challenge.

With the plaid shirt and navy “urban” outfit as inspiration, this is the bedroom designed by the women.  I love the chocolate wall and starburst mirror, but what’s up with those window treatments.  It looks like they were duck taped to the windowsill.

As I continue to watch Design Star this season, I can only hope that the designers get a bit more creative and design spaces with real STAR power!

Who’s your favorite designer and what’s your favorite space so far?

all images via HGTV