T Tara On Demand: 1st Time DesignMarch 08, 2010
T Tara
Vern Yip
HGTV On Demand
In my head, I’m an international interior designer. I’m the Michael Kors of homes. In reality? My apartment looks like I’m still in college. My clothes are comfortable on the floor, my books shun a bookcase, my clutter piles are expecting a maid anytime now. Whenever I think I like a color scheme, it comes out looking off. My goal this year is to get that together. Especially since we might be moving soon!
In my head, I’m an international interior designer. I’m the Michael Kors of homes. In reality? My apartment looks like I’m still in college. My clothes are comfortable on the floor, my books shun a bookcase, my clutter piles are expecting a maid anytime now. Whenever I think I like a color scheme, it comes out looking off. My goal this year is to get that together. Especially since we might be moving soon!
Vern Yip is one of my favorite HGTV stars. He’s so nice. I wonder if he’ll end up on an MTV Celebrity Death Match. That would be fun. Except when I see his show First Time Design, which takes a layman (like me) and gets them to design a room for other people, with Vern’s help. This episode, the newby is Monica, an almost legally blind stay at home mom with a retina disease. Hmmm. She might be the only one I have head’s up on. She’s got to put a living room together for a couple who want a Balinese design. Hey, I like that too! I think.
Monica gets a crew to help but design is hard and she’s got to be in charge of it all. No pressure! They take us on her shopping and selecting adventures and I’m confused as to why the never address how she can select things being legally blind but I gotta say, she’s picking out some great stuff. What’s my excuse? Great. Except she hits a wall when her paint color goes wrong and she gets overwhelmed. Now maybe we’re related! She can’t paint the entryway because of time management. Time management is evil, Monica. Unless it’s an app on your iPhone/iTouch. Then it’s an obsession. But her colors are great! I love the light blue walls. They seem soothing. Stealing it.
The upside for me would be I have no set time limit like Monica. And Vern won’t be coming to visit me…he won’t, right?
Monica’s reveal is wonderful! I’m inspired. She’s got the knickknacks that go where they’re supposed to. The colors are soothing. This may sound a little cheesy (get tissue), but when Monica talks about being steered away from design school because of her eye sight, I choke up a bit. And it make me want to get my living room together. (Put tissue away). Do I know how to do it by myself? Not really. Lots of the focus of the show was on the technique but not the design details. This show felt good. I need more though to get myself together.
Vern Yip – First Time Design
Available on HGTV On Demand until 3/15/10
T.Tara Turk is a contributing writer to On Demand Weekly. She is a writer living in LA, navigating the world of "writing for a living" minimally. She maintains a blog at www.ttaraturk.com while working on screenplays, fiction and plays.
