I don't normally watch TV at all.... but lately I find myself hovering in front of it any chance I can get, with all these home renovating shows on at the moment.
I found myself gesticulating my frustration at the judges on one program last night, when one of the judges asked a contestant something along the lines of "do you think your mural takes over the room a little bit?".... ahh, der, she spent 4 out of the 6 hours painting it and it is the focal point of the room. It is meant to 'take over the room'.
Design is subjective, isn't it. Beauty is subjective. There is no 'right way'. Is there? I mean the room that won the overall 'top design' had a big wooden tree with bicycle wheels hanging from it, yet the other contestants who were crucified for their overall design were asked if their 'cafe' could really function as a cafe'. Well, could the tree room really function as a, errr, a 'tree room'? Where does the principle of 'form follows function' fit in the 'tree room'? Don't get me wrong, it looked awesome.... but what are the rules, judges?
And don't get me started on the judging of 'The Block'. I cannot understand how a vase of flowers on a stool can be a negative mark against the 'execution' of a room. It is all in the eye of the beholder as they say.
There doesn't seem to be any consistency in the judging approach in these shows. It appears that even their subjective opinions and personal preferences often appear to override what they have just stipulated as a 'design principle'. I just knew, as soon as the architect contestant mentioned the sun and positioning of his temporary structure in the first challenge, the architect judge would pick him as the winner. A smart way to appeal to a judge's natural bias I reckon!
I am doing the Coco Republic Design School thingy next month..... after watching these shows and seeing the conflict between design opinion and principles....it could get very interesting!
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