HGTV Design Star: Garage Makeover Challenge Recap

Tonight's Design Star episode, "Think Inside the Box", was another team challenge. The method of picking teams was extremely awkward, as Clive simply instructed them to break into two groups. This basically became an "Avoid Tashica" game, with Lonni eventually sacrificing herself to join Tashica's team with Dan and Nathan. This left Antonio, Jany, Torie, and Jason on the second team.

The Design Star challenge was to remake a family's garage into an additional room of their house. Each team had 20 hours to complete the task with a $10,000 budget. The challenge results would lead to a double elimination from Design Star. The teams first met with the families to see what vision they had for their new rooms.

HGTV Design Star Garage Makeover Challenge: The Lang Family

Design Star team Lonni, Dan, Nathan, and Tashica met with the Lang family. They hoped their new room would match the 1930s Spanish style of their home. The Lang Family was looking for a new recreation room for family to relax in, or to entertain guests. They noted that the garage door was old and didn't function well or lock; plus there was no light coming in to the garage.

HGTV Design Star Garage Makeover Challenge: The Caswell Family

The Caswell family knew what they wanted, and it was a lot. Design Star team Antonio, Jany, Torie, and Jason met with the Caswells and took copious notes. The Caswell family wanted a more personal space, part office, part relaxation, part exercise room. They wanted beach style, but more Hamptons beach than tropical island beach. The were also looking for more light in the room than the standard garage door afforded.

HGTV Design Star Garage Makeover Challenge: Day 1

Design Star Team Lang got off to a rocky start as Dan and Lonni went shopping without any money, wasting valuable time as they made a U-turn back to the house. Nathan and Tashica cleaned up the walls and rafters and put up a coat of primer. The team decided to nix their new garage door idea due to financial constraints. Dan got some work done on the platform he was building, but at the end of day 1 Team Lang seemed very far behind.

Antonio went shopping first thing on Day 1 and left Jany, Torie, and Jason to work out the whole layout of the room and choose colors. Antonio returned, happy to find that a plan was in place. The entire team set to work on the plywood floors, which were being used to level out the floors. Things seemed to be going smoothly, though Jason confessed to the Design Star cameras that he went to bed feeling unsettled. There was still a lot to do.

HGTV Design Star Garage Makeover Challenge: Team Lang Day 2

Team Lang sends Nathan with Lonni on today's shopping trip. The two take longer than expected, and end up stuck in rush hour traffic on the way home. Dan is frustrated by their absence. There is a lot of woodworking to be done, and he feels that Tashica is holding him back more than he'd expected. Design Star runs footage of Tashica being unable to screw two boards together, even with a power tool.

Nathan and Lonni finally return from shopping, and have only a half hour left in the Design Star challenge day to help Dan out. They do some bad painting, random rolling of the walls without cutting in first, and some rushed staining to two furniture pieces.

HGTV Design Star Garage Makeover Challenge: Team Caswell Day 2

Design Star Team Caswell seemed to being running in a much more organized fashion. A new garage door with windows was installed to let in more light. Antonio and Jason worked on the wainscoting and painting. Jany and Torie went shopping for furniture and accessories, where their personal styles and opinions seemed to clash again and again until they were forced to compromise and move on.

The wainscoting is painted a sage blue-green, with a lighter shade on the walls above. A lot gets accomplished on this second Design Star day, and Team Caswell is feeling pretty smug when they see the chaos and unfinished air of the Team Lang garage room.

HGTV Design Star Garage Makeover Challenge: Team Lang Day 3

It's crunch time on Design Star. Team Lang has a list for each person of tasks that need completing. Dan seems to still be building up until the last minute, while Lonni tells him to try and cut a few corners just to get done. Dan hurriedly stains the wood entertainment center wall as Nathan paints a large flower mural on one wall to mimic the design on Spanish tile.

The amount of work to be done seems impossible, but Team Lang manages to get everything together in the room and call it a completed Design Star challenge. Dan tells the Design Star cameras that he's pleased with how much the team got done in two hours, despite the fact that some things are not as perfect as they'd like them to be.

HGTV Design Star Garage Makeover Challenge: Team Caswell Day 3

Team Caswell begins the day with a specific plan, and are once again feeling confident. They paint and nail in some floor trim and after that it's pretty much just a matter of loading the room with furniture and accessories. Antonio decides that it will be impossible to put together the elliptical machine they got for Mr. Caswell in the time left, so Design Star Team Caswell puts the box in the room and wraps a bow around it.

Jason tells the Design Star cameras that the Caswell family had a "list as long as I am tall," and yet their team gave them everything they wanted. Team Caswell is feeling good about finishing and accomplishing what they set out to do.

HGTV Design Star Garage Makeover Challenge: The Family Verdict

The Caswell family loved their new Design Star makeover room. They loved the windowed garage door, sage and cream color scheme, and the multi-functional needs that were addressed. Mr. Caswell was happy to see a new elliptical machine present for him. They used words like "awesome", "amazing", and "wow". The Caswell family didn't seem to mind that while he room was pretty and soothing, the furniture looked a little small in scale and there was not enough décor on the walls. Mrs. Caswell said it looked like a page in a magazine.

The Lang family also loved their makeover room--on the inside. They were surprised by the room's design, and loved the built-up dining/bar area platform that created a sunken living room effect next to it. Unfortunately, they were not so happy with the same old garage door, that didn't let any light in and didn't now suit the beautiful room that was inside. Mr. Lang described the Design Star makeover as an A on the inside, and "at best", a C for the outside.

While the room was far more complex and attractive than I'd expected, I was personally surprised that Design Star cameras didn't show what was probably some very poor craftsmanship in the room. The show runners usually love to focus on those sorts of flaws. But not tonight.

HGTV Design Star Garage Makeover Challenge: The Judges' Verdict on Team Caswell

Even though the family loved their makeover, the Design Star judges tore apart Team Caswell's Hamptons themed room. Candace feels the room is way too predictable. Vern tells them that the Hamptons theme is rich and varied, which he didn't see in the room. Fewer, bolder accessories would have made a better statement, he advises.

The Design Star judges wish the wainscoting had gone up the wall farther to add more interest. Genevieve likes the new wood floors. All the judges feel that the elliptical machine should have been assembled for the homeowners, and Antonio takes the blame for the idea of leaving the box in the corner. Jany and Torie bicker over who screwed up the accessories and furniture choices. Jany says she was trying to keep Torie in check. "That's the problem," Vern tells her. The room is too bland and too controlled.

HGTV Design Star Garage Makeover Challenge: The Judges' Verdict on Team Lang

The Design Star judges aren't pleased with Dan's decision to add a platform to a room with already lower ceilings. Candace hates the mural Nathan painted, and Vern feels it cheapens the whole room. Nathan admits it was a last minute decision. Genevieve rightly focuses on the warmth of the room's rich colors and fabrics, and the layering of textiles and accessories to add depth and interest.

Tashica tries to tell the judges that she wanted a new garage door, but got out-voted. The rest of the team disagree. When asked point-blank what she contributed to the room, she can only come up with labor and a fabric idea for the back wall--which Dan says they came up with at the same time because it wasn't all that unique an idea.

In what I believe is a Design Star first, while Tashica was trying to tell the judges how awesome she could be if someone would just let her, Vern whispered something to both judges. Then they called Clive over. While I know this is all done to be dramatic, I think it's rude for them to interrupt while she's speaking. Granted, Tashica was always big on talk and might not have ever stopped.

Clive stepped back into place and announced that Tashica's show had been canceled. She just couldn't prove that she had really contributed design-wise, and after disastrous previous challenges, it was fairly certain she'd reached the end of the line in the Design Star competition.

HGTV Design Star Garage Makeover Challenge: The Judges' Final Word

In the Design Star green room, while the judges deliberate on the second elimination, Torie and Jany get into another fight. Jany tells Torie that really, she did everything herself. When Torie tries to contradict her about a particular piece, Jany tells her "Don't Lie." Torie wants to know why Jany is still fighting with her over something that is done and over now.

Back in front of the Design Star judges, Antonio and Dan await their fate. Turns out the judges feel both these guys are consistently anchors for their teams, and that they can both design and execute designs. They are both safe.

Lonni, Jason, and Torie are told that they hide too much and never take the lead. They're moving on, but the Design Star judges warn them that it's time to step up and take charge.

Finally it's Jany and Nathan, whom the judges label as the weakest links on their teams. They feel Jany is too "textbook" and needs to take more risks. They think that Nathan has good ideas, but doesn't have the self-confidence to assert himself and get these ideas done. In the end, they feel they can work with Nathan and let Jany know that her show has been canceled.

Jany honestly doesn't look all that upset. She feels that her more mainstream design is what she does, what she's happy with, and that she's not going to come on and do "crazy-wacko rooms". I have to agree with her somewhat--Design Star has always been hard on the middle of the road designers, who have a more conservative style. These "boring" designers apparently appeal to a large chunk of the population, who doesn't want a surfboard jutting out of their wall as "design".

Watch Design Star on HGTV on Sunday nights, 10/9c.