The Antonio Project Breathes New Life into HGTV

If the one hour special this past Sunday was any indication of what to expect from HGTV"s latest design star Antonio Ballatore, then the network has opened the door for a totally new side of design.

The objective of the show was to shadow Antonio as he created a kitchen, master bedroom and bath in his previously gutted and reconstructed home. Here are some of the show moments that I found to be funny, surprising and successful.

As the show kicks off we tour an empty set of rooms with deeply toned wood flooring. One of Antonio's first actions is to begin considering paint selection. The fascinating difference is that being unsatisfied with any of his paint samples, Antonio calls in a friend who is an artist to help tint and adjust the color to his liking. It is evident from the beginning that he has an overall look in mind and we get to see the vision unfold.

As he shops for other components of the rooms it is evident that he has connections or leads to other talented artist and craftsmen. One happens to be an airbrush artist whose studio reveals many cars and other large functional objects in progress. We get to watch as Antonio communicates his idea for creating a custom art headboard for the master bedroom. He even takes a pencil in hand to show the artist exactly what he is visualizing for the scale of the piece. Although they might not be your average person's cup of tea, the finished pieces are striking indeed. Against a primary red wall large metallic silver roses outlined in shades of black span the distance where an ordinary headboard would reside. The bust of a giant lady in a sombrero rises up to fill the remaining space between the roses and ceiling. Antonio also requests that the artist spray some white furniture that he picked up to use as a nightstand and dresser. Smoky black shadows rim each silvery drawer, and as the camera pins in we can see some elaborate red pin striping that adds the finishing touch.

Other art in the bedroom includes a grouping of photos from a book recently published by one of his friends of skateboarders in action. Antonio uses ready-made frames, but sprays them red to relate back to the room's red accent wall.

The kitchen is not exempt from his unique touch. He calls on another artist to provide custom cut strips of aluminum to use for his backsplash. They create a more organic and soft texture in the ocean of black cabinets, counters and stainless steel appliances. One detail that I wish I had seen in progress is something he has done with one of the cabinets. There appears to be a stainless steel stripe running down one left door edge, but the moment and description was over quickly making me hunger for more information.

With the dining area that is open to the kitchen, we see the piece of furniture around which much of the space had been designed. It is a large throne-like black leather chair that Antonio's father purchased in the 1960's. He also uses artwork by his father as some of the accents for his walls. This was especially exciting to see because this is the challenge so often presented to those of us at home; how to incorporate personal and family mementos into a stylish home interior.

The Antonio Project was punctuated with many funny unseen clips from Design Star, and Antonio's humor carries us equally through his home project. I can't wait to see what new ideas he will reveal in January with his own show.