Hello there. So I’m going to get right to it. Have you all been watching Nate Berkus’ new show American Dream Builders? I have and boy has that show got me up in arms.

THE GOOD

The show itself has a good format and I love seeing designers in all different areas of design working together.

I’ve gained a new appreciation for landscape design from watching the show. It’s amazing how creative you can get with concrete and grass.

I think the judging panel of Nate, Monica and Eddie makes a great team and provides great design tips and realistic feedback on the designs.

I am getting lots of design inspiration from the beautiful spaces created on the show.

I love the idea of using tile just on one wall in a kitchen.  This is a great way to create a focal point in the space and the larger tiles make for a dramatic statement. And a table as an island substitute is one of my favorite design looks.

This outdoor area is a great example of how different textures can make a space come alive.  All of the best principles of design were used in this space…scale, variation, balance, depth and dimension.

This is one of my favorite bedrooms designs thus far on the show.  The fabric treatment is such a simple and dramatic touch and a very easy diy project that anyone can handle.

Here’s a great example of how to mix brights into a neutral space.  The accent colors are repeated in several areas which makes the color feel natural versus forced.

There are so many great things about this space.  I love the tile on the fireplace, the mix of textures and finishes and the unexpected chandelier.  Paying attention to the design details really pays off.

THE BAD

Despite the talent of the designers that make up this show, it’s been interesting to see how even they can make rookie mistakes.

First, this room to me lacks a point of view.   And then there are too many contrasting design elements and too many linear details (lines of light fixture, lines on the chairs, lines on the artwork).  Plus I think the overall scale of this space is off.

While this isn’t bad design I do think the space missed the mark when it comes to functionality for the couple that live there.  This couple likes to entertain and the limited seating and small-scale furniture does not support that in my  book.

For someone who loves pillows, even I thought this was overkill.  One of the best things you can do when designing a space is to edit after it’s done.  Bad design cannot be covered up by a bunch of pillows.

This bathroom has to win the prize for the worst space so far.  The idea of repurposing a piece found in the garage was good but this goes to show you that one badly executed design element can turn even the best space into an eyesore.

THE UGLY

Ok, how many of you guessed I was going to be talking about Elaine when it got to the UGLY part of this post?  After watching last nights episode, it was pretty obvious to me that the ratings game came into play with keeping her on the show.  For some strange reason bad TV makes money.

Her tactics of belittling people, bad mouthing and disrespecting people is so awful.  Her stunt last night of killing Christina’s plan for the kitchen should have gotten her kicked off the show.  The kitchen was the least ‘designed’ space in the house and it was because of her.

She obviously lacks some self-love if she feels the need to always make herself look better than everyone else.

Last night on twitter and on the ADB blog, Elaine was getting bashed pretty bad.  People, me included, are not connecting with her disruptive attitude and verbal abuse of others.  But maybe there’s hope because Elaine posted this on twitter, in response to a comment from Nate Berkus…

@NateBerkus Honey, THAT BUILD truly left me a changed person!!!! I had 2 go home & ask myself A LOT of questions about EVERYTHING #growth

We can only hope.

I’m looking forward to next Sundays’ show, not only for the design inspiration but to see if Elaine really has changed!

To see photos of all the ADB designed space and to read the ADB blog head here.

If you’ve been watching the show, what are your thoughts?