HGTV is sending students to the drawing board — and to the homes of optimistic homeowners — in its new series, “Designer Finals.”
Design-school students (mostly seniors) work with their first real-world clients on one room over two days with a budget of $2,000.
One of the designers is Magda Makas, a senior at Harrington College of Design in Chicago, whose professor gave her an application, and told her that she “had to do it,” Makas said.
When HGTV interviewed her, “I was so excited I didn’t know what to say,” Makas said. “And it was a little intimidating having a camera in my face.”
Makas met her clients, Mary and Dan Aregoni, on July 19 to discuss the makeover for their living room, hallway and Dan’s office. The Aregonis — who applied to be on the show through HGTV’s Web site — made a scrapbook of magazine pictures and photographs to give Makas an idea of what they liked. Three days later, Makas got together with her mentor to map out her plan. And on July 26, she presented it to the Aregonis, who had to give their OK before Makas could go shopping for supplies.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, HGTV cameras taped Makas and a team of friends and crew members in carrying out her vision. While the work was under way, the Aregonis weren’t allowed back in their home in the Edgewater neighborhood.
“The suspense is killing me,” Mary Aregoni said Wednesday. “I can’t wait to see what they’ve done.”
“This was such a wonderful experience,” Makas said. “This is something I will always remember.”
And much to Makas’ surprise, part of her $2,000 budget had to be set aside for garbage pickup.
“It’s a little disruption to our life,” Aregoni said of the 48-hour makeover. “But I appreciate it all.”
The Chicago episode is not expected to air until later this year or early next year. In the meantime, “Designer Finals” premieres with a sneak peek on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. and then moves to its regular time on Saturdays at 8 p.m. on HGTV.
Unfortunately, the rest of the series isn’t as compelling as the Chicago episode looks to be. Maybe “Designer Finals” could have showed us how it auditioned students (and ultimately chose them from the Art Institute of Dallas, Harrington, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, San Francisco’s Academy of Art College and the California College of the Arts, and the University of North Texas in Denton). For instance, what criteria were used to choose students? And how were mentors chosen?
It’s also difficult to know whom to root for — the harried student trying to beat the clock, or the homeowner who has to live with the mystery room assembled by the inexperienced artist?
Host Penn Holderness also doesn’t hold our attention for very long, and he’s rarely on screen. Without any “regulars” on this show, there’s little incentive to become involved, and the series does nothing to distinguish itself from dozens of others already on the air.
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Carmel Carrillo is assistant editor of the Sunday Real Estate section. You can e-mail her at [email protected].