Ellen's Design Challenge Season 2: See Alexis Moran's Designs

Photo: Gilles Mingasson / Getty Images

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Meet Alexis Moran

Alexis Moran, a furniture designer and business owner in Orinda, California, describes her design style as modern, but acknowledges that most modern furniture lacks personality. She says she strives to infuse bold character into her designs and loves to showcase special aspects of each piece of material, whether it’s natural or industrial. She finds a lot of beauty in natural materials and composition and typically works in wood and concrete. She also works in glass, metals, and plastics.

Photo: Gilles Mingasson / Getty Images

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Alexis + Jeff

Alexis is paired up with HGTV and DIY Network carpenter Jeff Devlin. He'll help bring her designs from sketch to reality.

Designer Alexis Moran and carpenter Jeff Devlin prepare to glue wood blocks that will make the legs of a dining table inspired by a fine china plate choosen from the Mayfair Wall, as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge. Ellen DeGeneres puts eight furniture designers to the test when they come to Los Angeles to compete in various challenges designing and building amazing furniture creations. With a workshop, a lead carpenter and all the tools they’ll need, the contestants will be tasked with a new build each episode. A panel of expert judges along with appearances by Ellen will eliminate them one by one until one designer is left standing to take home the cash prize and win “Ellen’s Design Challenge.”

Photo: Gilles Mingasson / Getty Images

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Challenge 3: China-Inspired Design

For the show's third challenge, the designers chose a china pattern and were asked to create a complementary dining table. After choosing a vacation-worthy pattern, she decides on a coastal-style table with a modern twist.

Designer Alexis Moran and carpenter Jeff Devlin prepare to slide wood blocks around a steel rod to make the legs of a dining table inspired by a fine china plate choosen from the Mayfair Wall, as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge. Ellen DeGeneres puts eight furniture designers to the test when they come to Los Angeles to compete in various challenges designing and building amazing furniture creations. With a workshop, a lead carpenter and all the tools they’ll need, the contestants will be tasked with a new build each episode. A panel of expert judges along with appearances by Ellen will eliminate them one by one until one designer is left standing to take home the cash prize and win “Ellen’s Design Challenge.”

Photo: Gilles Mingasson / Getty Images

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Challenge 3: Checkerboard Legs

To create an end-grain detail on the table's legs, Alexis and Jeff stack wooden blocks onto metal supports.

Designer Alexis Moran and carpenter Jeff Devlin assemble the legs of a dining table inspired by a fine china plate choosen from the Mayfair Wall, as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge. Ellen DeGeneres puts eight furniture designers to the test when they come to Los Angeles to compete in various challenges designing and building amazing furniture creations. With a workshop, a lead carpenter and all the tools they’ll need, the contestants will be tasked with a new build each episode. A panel of expert judges along with appearances by Ellen will eliminate them one by one until one designer is left standing to take home the cash prize and win “Ellen’s Design Challenge.”

Photo: Gilles Mingasson / Getty Images

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Challenge 3: The Assembly

Alexis and Jeff add the table legs to the simple wood top.

Designer Alexis Moran's dining table, the challenge looser, is presented on judging day, decorated with Mayfair products. This week's challenge was to design a dining table inspired by a fine china plate choosen from the Mayfair wall, as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge. Ellen DeGeneres puts eight furniture designers to the test when they come to Los Angeles to compete in various challenges designing and building amazing furniture creations. With a workshop, a lead carpenter and all the tools they’ll need, the contestants will be tasked with a new build each episode. A panel of expert judges along with appearances by Ellen will eliminate them one by one until one designer is left standing to take home the cash prize and win “Ellen’s Design Challenge.”

Photo: Gilles Mingasson / Getty Images

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Challenge 3: The Finished Design

The finished dining table features a whitewashed detail on the underside of the top and legs.

Designer Alexis Moran presents her design, the challenge looser, to judges Christiane Lemieux, Cliff Fong, and guest judge Wendy Goodman on judging day, as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge. This week's challenge was to design a dining table inspired by a fine china plate choosen from the Mayfair wall. Ellen DeGeneres puts eight furniture designers to the test when they come to Los Angeles to compete in various challenges designing and building amazing furniture creations. With a workshop, a lead carpenter and all the tools they’ll need, the contestants will be tasked with a new build each episode. A panel of expert judges along with appearances by Ellen will eliminate them one by one until one designer is left standing to take home the cash prize and win “Ellen’s Design Challenge.”

Photo: Gilles Mingasson / Getty Images

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Challenge 3: The Designer Takes the Stage

Alexis presents her design to the judges, showing the china pattern that inspired her dining table.

Photo: Gilles Mingasson / Getty Images

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Challenge 3: Inspired Design

The table is set with the china that inspired the design.

Photo: Gilles Mingasson / Getty Images

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Challenge 3: Leg Detail

The outside of the legs feature the end-grain detail, while the inside of the legs are whitewashed.

Designer Alexis Moran and carpenter Jeff Devlin present their design, the challenge looser, to judges Christiane Lemieux, Cliff Fong, and guest judge Wendy Goodman on judging day, as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge. This week's challenge was to design a dining table inspired by a fine china plate choosen from the Mayfair wall. Ellen DeGeneres puts eight furniture designers to the test when they come to Los Angeles to compete in various challenges designing and building amazing furniture creations. With a workshop, a lead carpenter and all the tools they’ll need, the contestants will be tasked with a new build each episode. A panel of expert judges along with appearances by Ellen will eliminate them one by one until one designer is left standing to take home the cash prize and win “Ellen’s Design Challenge.”

Photo: Gilles Mingasson / Getty Images

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Challenge 3: Goodbye, Alexis!

Alexis defends her design to the judges, but they felt she didn't go far enough with her dish-inspired dining table. She was the third designer to be eliminated.

Designer Alexis Moran drills a hole within the wooden structure as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge.

Photo: Ejen Chuang / AP Images

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Challenge 2: Outdoor Design

For the show's outdoor design challenge, Alexis was assigned poolside seating. Her take on the lounge chair? A low-slung concrete version. Here, she works on the mold for the chair.

Carpenter Jeff Devlin uses air house to blow away the fragments of concrete left when the wooden frame was remove from the concrete chaise lounge as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge.

Photo: Ejen Chuang / AP Images

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Challenge 2: The Construction

Carpenter Jeff Devlin uses air hose to blow away the fragments of concrete where the wooden frame was removed from the concrete chaise lounge.

Designer Alexis Moran's and carpetner Jeff Devlin's concrete outdoor chaise lounge as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge.

Photo: Ejen Chuang / AP Images

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Challenge 2: The Finished Design

As seen on Ellen's Design Challenge, Alexis created this concrete chaise lounge for the show's outdoor challenge.

Detail of designer Alexis Moran's and carpenter Jeff Devlin's concrete outdoor chaise lounge as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge.

Photo: Ejen Chuang / AP Images

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Challenge 2: Lounge Detail

Here, a close lok at the design shows off the wave details molded into the curvy lounge chair.

Judge Chistiane Lemieux tries out designer Alexis Moran's and carpenter Jeff Devlin's concrete outdoor chaise lounge as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge. (left to right) Alexis Moran, Jeff Devlin, Cliff Fong, Chistiane Lemieux and Peter Dunham.

Photo: Ejen Chuang / AP Images

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Challenge 2: The Judges' Take

While the concept and execution of this piece impressed the judges, it lacked the comfort the panel craved in a lounge chair.

Designer Alexis Moran and carpenter Jeff Devlin sands down the wood plank that will form their bed frame as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge.

Photo: Ejen Chuang / AP Images

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Challenge 1: LA-Inspired Bed

Inspired by the skyline view from her Los Angeles hotel, Alexis opts to create a simple frame with a skyline-inspired detail for the show's bed challenge. Here, Alexis and Jeff work to create a smooth, round headboard.

Designer Alexis Moran and carpenter Jeff Devlin's bed as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge.

Photo: Ejen Chuang / AP Images

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Challenge 1: The Finished Bed

Alexis used an oxidation process to create a matte black finish on the walnut frame without a stain, allowing some of the natural grain to show through.

Detail on designer Alexis Moran's and carpenter Jeff Devlin's bed as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge.

Photo: Ejen Chuang / AP Images

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Challenge 1: Detail

A gold leaf detail echos the LA skyline, and provides a metallic contrast to the frame's matte black finsh.

Judge Sean Yashar examines the head board of designer Alexis Moran and carpenter Jeff Devlin's bed design as seen on Ellen's Design Challenge.

Photo: Ejen Chuang / AP Images

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Challenge 1: The Judging

Judge Sean Yashar examines the headboard detail on the bed created by designer Alexis Moran and carpenter Jeff Devlin.

Ellen's Design Challenge Season 2: See Alexis Moran's Designs

Meet Alexis Moran

Alexis + Jeff

Challenge 3: China-Inspired Design

Challenge 3: Checkerboard Legs

Challenge 3: The Assembly

Challenge 3: The Finished Design

Challenge 3: The Designer Takes the Stage

Challenge 3: Inspired Design

Challenge 3: Leg Detail

Challenge 3: Goodbye, Alexis!

Challenge 2: Outdoor Design

Challenge 2: The Construction

Challenge 2: The Finished Design

Challenge 2: Lounge Detail

Challenge 2: The Judges' Take

Challenge 1: LA-Inspired Bed

Challenge 1: The Finished Bed

Challenge 1: Detail

Challenge 1: The Judging

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