Around the World Designs from Design Star

By Vern Yip

Unfortunately, this room more closely resembles Thai takeout than the true essence of Thailand. Whereas Matt went to the extreme of capturing the minimalist design aesthetic often associated with this culture without also capturing the detailed richness that is often paired with it, Mikey V. is over the top in his employment of calligraphy-like wall paintings and paper lanterns, but fails to capture the restraint and understatement most often associated with this country. His room borders on being a caricature, but there are some genuinely good things about his effort. The inventive use of square upholstered seating pushed together in the middle makes a clean, minimalist statement without dominating his transformation, as compared to Matt's effort where all we see is one massive element. Mikey V. also skillfully injects some nice details in his space, such as the river-rock edging on the floor and the bamboo molding that forms an architectural wainscot. This effort finally demonstrates that Mikey V. is not just a handyman, but that he is also capable of some seriously inventive design.