'Design Star: Next Gen': A Total TV Kitch-Inspiration

The remaining designers – Chris, Carmeon, Justin and Eli – compete against one another in this week’s episode to transform their design labs into spaces inspired by famous TV kitchens. The challenge specifies that each TV kitchen needs to be re-interpreted in a practical, real-life layout. The designers are welcomed to incorporate color and signature items, but must also include three specific nods to the inspiration space.

Justin chose to design a kitchen modeled after the 1990s sitcom Sister, Sister, which starred the Mowry twins. The floorplan accommodates a large dining table for the family with comfortable slip-covered dining chairs and a contemporary chandelier. In the likeness of the show kitchen, he didn’t stray far from light colors and opted to have white walls and gray and gold accents.

A kitchen wouldn’t be a Sister, Sister kitchen without a large island. In the show, the family often congregated around the island, so Justin’s contemporary upgrades take that into account. Waterfall countertops and counter-height seating elevate the concept of the island to modern-day design.

Gold lights and cabinet hardware are a contemporary step above the inspiration kitchen, but the glass inset cabinet doors and the roman shade over the window are direct nods to the show’s original design. Justin demonstrated how in modern day, those features can still work in a new space.

Trim used on the TV kitchen’s island was reimagined in the modern space as wall frames. Lined with wallpaper instead of paint, Justin used the trim to provide a subtle nod to the show’s original interior design style. The trim serves as decorative shadowboxes to accent this bright, contemporary room beautifully.

Chris was quick to pick the iconic kitchen from I Love Lucy as his inspiration source. The show aired in black and white, which left him flexibility to invent a kitchen and dining area with a happy color palette. By interpreting in color, he married the original era with his own timeless and luxe personal brand. Pink-painted walls, black and white tile, yellow accessories, and select items, like the wingback chair, were used to trigger nostalgia and fill the space with soul.

Pink paint flows from the wall to the window and french door trim, and black curtains are installed to add contrast and definition to the space. Playing further with color, Chris incorporated a blue area rug and other blue accessories to balance the warm walls with cool hues.

As a nod to the original patterned tablecloth in I Love Lucy, Chris upgraded a clean-lined table with an adhesive floral wallpaper. This colorful design marries the pink in the room, and serves as a focal point in the entryway.

Citron checkered cabinet inserts and island paneling nod back to the original I Love Lucy kitchen. Two islands add dimension and fill the space, while a back wall of cabinets and appliances mimic the original floorplan of the show kitchen. White shutters over a window are installed to symbolize the show’s classic shuttered pass-through.

Using two kitchen islands is a relatively modern spin in kitchen design, and Chris justified that it would work well in Lucy’s kitchen, too – one would be used for prepping and preparing food, and another can provide space for eating and entertaining. Yellow pendants hang over the entertaining island. Iconic black and white tile flows through the room.

Vintage blue floral wallpaper and a citron yellow wallpaper are used to suggest what Lucy’s show kitchen might look like, had the show been filmed in technicolor. Alive with warmth and whimsical character, we think she’d approve.

Inspired by the Golden Girls kitchen, Carmeon designed a galley-style kitchen and eating zone with a main dining area. With tropical plants, dark contrasting accents, and fabric texture, she sought to bring culture and impact to her design. An oval dining table is surrounded by black bentwood chairs and illuminated by a large black pendant. Mauve curtains flank a sideboard and add color to the room.

As a nod to the colors in character Sophia wore, Carmeon designed the galley kitchen with dark cabinetry and butcher block countertops. She installed copper bundt pans on one wall as an additional nod to the inspiration kitchen, and flanked them with cascading greens to incorporate her own aesthetic; the pans were an iconic accessory in the Golden Girls kitchen design.

One wall of open shelving in the narrow galley kitchen allowed it to feel connected to the rest of the room. Copper hardware and fixtures contrast the black cabinets, matte black sink, and butcher block counters. Accessorized with white and transparent kitchen items, Carmeon defined the space to be utilitarian; a true reinterpretation of the TV show kitchen she selected for the challenge.

Carmeon made a nod to the TV show’s classic floral tablecloth by reinterpreting a table covering in a way that was more representative of her own design style. The bohemian cloths are used to adorn a small table in an eating zone. Natural, woven accessories and greenery help to bring the entire space together.

Eli transformed his design lab into a freely-flowing dining room and kitchen inspired by the 1990’s traditional kitchen in the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. The black and white checkered floor was one nod to the TV kitchen, which had an inset checkered pattern beneath the dining room table. He reimagined the space to be more contemporary and abstract to cater to his design aesthetic, but without losing emphasis on the fact that it needed to be accommodating for a large family with a rotating door of visitors.

A large two-level kitchen island adds more family gathering space than the staged kitchen in the TV show. With room for four to sit, this might be the perfect space for kids to do schoolwork or help in the kitchen. Two large contemporary pendants hang over the island.

Placement of the islands and the orientation of the cabinets and appliances helps to make the design lab feel well-proportioned and free-flowing. Black and oak cabinets were used as a nod to the original kitchen’s generic oak cabinetry.

An archway at the end of the room serves as a focal point in the kitchen, and a frame for a collection of barware and accessories. Though the TV show kitchen didn’t have a bar area visible, Eli had no doubt that they probably had their collection of items tucked away. This interpretation puts them on full-display.