Is Top Design, the new interior design show on Bravo, a yawn? We think it's an absolute yes. Unlike Project Runway, Top Design doesn't have any DRAMA! We want drama, we want talents, we want blood! We want cat fights!
The first episode shows the candidates working in team with a budget of $50,000 to design a room. Now, $50,000 seems like a lot but it is not because it is based on RETAIL prices. Like cars, you should never pay MRSP (manufacturer suggested retail prices for furniture), especially at places like Pacific Design Center. Just so you know, the vendors don't expect to sell them at that prices either. The standard is 30-40% off the retail prices. You usually have to go through a decorator to buy at the design centers, but don't pay a mark up on top of the design fee. That is just plain silly.
Ok, back to Bravo. We don't see any talents on the show yet. The second episode features the candidates doing a kid's room. This time the budget was limited and required more creativity (did you notice the Target logo was not displayed? They must have not paid for product placement). A couple of the rooms were such a joke. We think the right guy got eliminated though.
Hopefully future episodes will hold more exciting designs and better talents.
