Design Star: Next Gen Episode 3
ARI’S PROFOUND OBSERVATIONS AND SAGACIOUS THOUGHTS
Hello friends!
Welcome back to my new blog series where I masterfully breakdown and thoroughly discuss each episode of my season of HGTV’s Design Star with a primary focus on my own unparalleled performance!
Holy shit you guys. I feel like I have so so so much to say and I have no idea how I’m going to condense all my thoughts into one blog post, but I’m gonna try!
This was my favorite episode of the season. It was my favorite to film and participate in and it was my favorite to watch! With that being said, it was also one of the most stressful challenges and the one where I had the most panic attacks and really didn’t think we were going to get it done!
Okay, lets start at the beginning!
The Challenge
It’s early, really early. My sweet 5 pals and I get picked up at the resort in the morning, except this morning. . . we’re blindfolded. Already I’m not loving how the day is starting.
We get on set and have breakfast and get mic’d up and then. . . .blindfolds go back on. At this point we’re all freaking the F out and talking amongst ourselves and we have NO idea what’s going on!
We blindly start heading towards the Design Hub where there was a giant gate set up to block our view. Again, not loving this. As soon as it moves, we are allowed to walk into the hub and see the insanity they have for us this week. Insanity is an understatement. The hub looks the same as always. . . with the exception of an airplane, a train caboose, and a transit bus. . . no big deal. The looks on our faces definitely say it all!
Right away I’m thinking team challenge. There are only 3 unconventional spaces and 6 of us, so it totally made sense and now I’m looking around wondering who is going to be my partner and which one of these vehicles is going to be mine!
Eli won last weeks challenge, and his prize this week was that he got to pick his partner, partner up the rest of the designers, and also pick his unconventional space! A little excessive if you ask me, but whatever. lol
Eli picks Carmeon, and the Caboose! He then pairs up Justin and Tony in the Plane and Chris and I in the transit bus!
In that moment, I was honestly so excited! Chris is such a talented designer and has sooooo much experience and even off set he and I really just clicked and enjoyed each others company! We both love luxury and everything “over the top” and this was truly a match made in heaven!
The Before
Here’s some before shots of our bus and what we had to work with!
We got to work right away and sat down to come up with our concepts and designs for the space! The bus was 60 ft x 7 ft, so we really had our work cut out! I didn’t know what to expect working with Chris, but as we got started, it was really freaking apparent that this bus was gonna be good. Real good. We really just hit it off collaboratively, and we were throwing out ideas and just agreeing across the board and it was such and amazing creative process! Chris and I are both true creatives and we loveeeee a good narrative! That was definitely our starting point because the story fuels the design!
The Story and Design!
Naturally, this is the love bus of Marie Antoinette and Pablo Escobar. Marie is having an affair with Pablo and this is their secret love bus. They travel all over Europe and host secret sexy parties with close friends. The champagne flows like honey and petits fours are always on the menu and they love to entertain, but also if the bus is rockin’ don’t come knockin’, ya feel. This narrative drove the design and Chris and I just had so much fun with this space and I really think it showed! We really went all out and filled this bus to the brim with velvet, beautiful textiles and fabrics, and fun nods to Marie and Pablo.
Without further ado, here she is!!!!
The Scandalous Love & Party Bus
Right when we got into this baby, we knew we needed to split the bus up a bit because it was so long, so Chris came up with the columns! It really worked well to create the feel of 3 separate spaces in the bus!
We also wanted to get rid of some of the windows and had a couple sets of walls built to cover windows and also split up the space a bit, as well as allow us to mount scones! Note the tray of Petits Fours and Chris putting on some finishing touches!
For flooring we used a beautiful black and white check in the foyer and the bedroom but then split the space up by using my favorite white shag in the lounge! When you walk into the space, you are immediately greeted by the foyer but we also had some chairs scattered around so that it could convert into a dining area as well! The banquets were a play off of existing features in the bus and Chris creatively directed them into existence! With some foam, batting and beautiful fabric, we created a beautiful lounge area!
The sleeping area was also a natural play off of the bus! We had a platform bed built over the wheel wells and the back row of seating! Once our amazing carpentry team had that installed, I was able to have the electrician install our sconce and then start my sun mural! The sun mural was really the main focal point as you were looking down the 60 foot bus and I love how it turned out and it was a true collaboration between Chris and I!
We painted the entire bus a really pretty mauve and paired that with a charcoal as well as a ruby. One of my favorite details of the entire bus was the ceiling! We agreed right away that something needed to be done with the ceiling in the bus and found the most amazing art deco wallpaper and installed it ourselves! It really brought your eye down the entire space!
The Bullshit
As fun as it is to talk about the design, it’s a lot harder to actually make it a reality. The bus was just so absolutely massive and it took us so long to paint. It was such a narrow space and being inside of it with 4 carpenters, camera men, and tons of people just constantly in and out was just so stressful! Chris and I laughed and joked our way through it, but by the end of the second day, we were STILL painting and I was getting a little concerned. When Allison walked in to check on us and said “wow, you guys still have a lot to do” I almost started crying. haha. We had a list a mile long of things to do, and only had a few hours left to work! I think you can tell that I’m over it! We only had a few hours to work the next day and THIS is what the bus looked like!!
We show up the third and final day and of course it’s pouring rain! Everything was muddy and wet and it was such a mess and added fuel to the fire, and looking back I have no idea how we got it all done! Towards the end, we were just running around like chickens with our heads cut off and I was definitely holding back the tears, ha, but man we did it and she was sure pretty!
The Judging
For this challenge, because the spaces were so small, the judges actually went in and toured the space without us! We met them outside, explained the space and our vision, and then they went on in! We then went back to the furniture warehouse and watched on a live feed!
They had an overall great reaction and definitely appreciated the space! There were a lot of comments on how cozy the space was and how it really felt good and made you want to lay around! Our guest judge for the week, Karim Rashid wasn’t a huge fan of the décor (which was to be expected based off of what I know of his design style, lol) but he also had a lot of nice things to say about our space as well as my mural! Of course we got some criticism, it wouldn’t be a judging if we didn’t! They loved the concept of the columns and the feeling of compression and expansion in the bus, but said they didn’t feel finished. I mean, could they have been nicer? yes. Why don’t you try and make a worthy love bus for Marie and Pablo in 20 hours! We also got in trouble for the white lamps I put on the bedshelf next to my mural. Karim said that they took away from the mural and almost ruined it. Obviously I disagree, because I’m the one who put them there, lol, but they were actually placed in a kind of dead spot on the edges of the mural and I still stand by them and love the 70’s vibe they give the bed area!
In the end, Carmeon and Eli won best unconventional space with Eli ultimately taking the win. Also lots of love to my friend Carmeon who was vulnerable and shared her truth for the world to see. Our reasons “why” are what make Design special and her reasons are pretty damn special. <3
Chris and I were safe and Justin and Tony were bottom 2. Unfortunately our sweet angel Tony went home. It’s always so damn hard to say goodbye to people out here because everyone is just so freaking talented and no one should ever leave, but alas.
My Pals
Here’s a quick look at the stunning spaces of my fellow designers! I would be remiss if I didn’t share because I’m blown away by everything these people do, and participating in this madness with them is a true honor!! Everyone killed it!!
Here’s the magic that Tony and Justin did in the airplane!!!
And the beautiful WORK that Carmeon and Eli did in their caboose!!
Overall synopsis.
The bus was badass. It was absolutely monstrous and put a million obstacles in our way but we overcame each and everyone of them flawlessly and with grace. Of course we think we should have won, but we are heavily biased. haha. Anytime you pour your heart and soul into something and it comes out better than you could have imagined is always a win in my book though. Chris is one of my very favorite people on this earth and in our big sexy bus we decided that no matter the outcome of the show, He and I needed to make our show “Boujie on a Budget” a reality, so stay tuned for that because we are manifesting it real hard!
The Q&A
Last but not least, a little Q & A with Chris on the most commonly asked questions from the bus episode!!!
Q: Was there anything you guys disagreed on?
Ari: Nope, literally nothing. We ran into problems along the way and always just instantly agreed on what to do and all the major design decisions.
Chris: No. She and I clicked immediately and were on the same page from the start, which doesn’t happen much in design.
Q: What was your favorite element of the bus transformation?
Ari: I love it all so much, but I think the color palette! It was so rich and lux and really made the bus pop and just screamed Chris & Ari!
Chris: The wall paper on the ceiling. it was the perfect blend of both of our styles.
Q: Who would you have picked to be your partner if you had the chance, and what unconventional space?!
Ari: I swear to God, I would have picked Chris. lol. I feel like his style definitely was one that would mix well with my own! And I would have picked the bus 100%! Buses are most commonly transformed into living spaces, so it just made sense!
Chris: I would have picked you because your mural and space blew me away on the previous challenge. And most definitely the party bus.
Q: What was the biggest challenge on the bus?
Ari: I think just the insane amount of space. 60 feet of bus is a lot when you have such a short amount of time. I would have been happy if the bus was like half that size. lol
Chris: The biggest Challenge was creating a soft and inviting space out of a huge metal tube!
And now for by far the most commonly asked question, that only Chris Goddard himself can answer!!!!
Q: WHERE DOES CHRIS GET HIS CAFTANS?!?!
Chris: I collect antique caftans and robes because they are handmade textiles and preserve the artistry of the past. I find most in antique shops and on my travels. I’m always on the lookout for them.
You heard it folks, start keeping your eyes peeled for caftans and robes while thrifting and antiquing if you want to look like Goddard!
Another week in the books and Episode 4 airs on Discovery+ this Wednesday 3/17, so tune in for the madness!!!!
