Q&A: Top Design Judge Margaret Russell
The ELLE DECOR Editor in Chief reveals the secrets of judging, the wildest challenges, plus the design habits that drive her crazy on Top Design
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Besides featuring a new head judge, new contestants, and new challenges, what makes this season of Top Design on Bravo different from the last?
I think that, as with all of the Bravo shows that have been like this, everyone learns from the highs and lows of the previous season and grows and changes. The show has the same core—demystifying the world of design and showcasing the potential of talented people—but has a feel that is new, fresh and certainly warmer. This time it’s about real people and real spaces.
The look of the show has changed: It’s no longer the frosty white previous white boxy spaces allowed us to compare apples with apples, but I think having the designers work in actual client spaces, with windows and doors and chandeliers, is much more interesting. It is more about decorating and floor plans and less about set building.
What are some of the wildest challenges?
I can’t believe [the writers and producers] came up with some of these…this season’s challenges are just really cool and provocative. The contestants create everything from a window display for the contestants from Project Runway to an endless design triathlon to dreaming up the room of the future—not to mention the spin the guest judges like Jeff Lewis, Simon Doonan, and Danny Seo put on things. I think there’s going to be a surprise every week.
What sets this season’s contestants apart from the last?
They are a really varied group. We have an artist, a set designer, a magazine editor, some professionals with experience, and some just starting out. And this lot proves that experience doesn’t mean you know everything or mean you’re the most talented person in the room. I was really fascinated by that. As for the seasoned professionals, I thought they might be jaded or weighed down by the rules of design, but I was truly surprised by how ingenious they were.
When choosing who gets kicked off the show, do you consider a contestant’s attitude (i.e. prima donna, total jerk, big-hearted newbie)? Or is it 100 percent about the design they’ve created?
It is absolutely about the challenge. Also, we aren’t allowed to know who is misbehaving, shacking up, or anything outside the design they produce—so I can’t wait to see the show!
Drama-queen contestants are the bread and butter of reality television. But you’re saying you’ve never been encouraged to keep big personalities on for better ratings?
On any of Bravo’s reality-show disclaimers, there is a line about Bravo having the right to weigh in. But honestly, nobody ever led us to a decision. No one ever said, “Keep this person on. They are so obnoxious; it’s going to make great TV.” Contestants are going to make “great TV” because of what they produce.
How would you say the show has changed with India Hicks as the host?
India is brilliant and funny and really takes charge. As daughter of the iconic David Hicks, she has this amazing design legacy. Having grown up in exquisite houses, she’s experienced firsthand what extraordinary design really is. That and she’s absolutely stunning. I can’t tell you what it’s like sitting there at 4 A.M. and looking over and seeing India and Kelly Wearstler not sweaty, not tired, and every hair in place.
According to an article I read, India Hicks described your judging style as “incredibly authoritative with reason.” Would you agree with that? Add to that?
The challenges were very specific and could be interpreted in different ways, but I was always the factual one, always evaluating: What was expected and what was the outcome? There is nothing intentionally mean about anything we say, but at the end of the day, someone has to go home. As a judge, I have to be discerning about what we are looking for in a particular design and how to articulate that to the designers. We have to establish what is right about his or her design, what is wrong, what we’d love to see, and what our expectations are.
A portion of the grand prize is a four-page spread in ELLE DECOR. Do you think having the winning contestant’s work appear within your magazine’s elite group of interiors makes you a tougher judge?
I don’t know if it made me a tougher judge, but in the back of my mind, I absolutely know I have more at stake. No matter if the winning interior has ELLE DECOR’s aesthetic or not, it’s going in the magazine. Not only that, but the other judges get to go home when the season is over but I have to stay and do the photo shoot. I only occasionally still do shoots, but for confidentiality reasons I had to do this one. And the photographer has to sell his soul to the devil, promising he’ll never reveal the winner.
How would you describe the judging style of Jonathan Adler and Kelly Wearstler in comparison to yours?
It’s funny. There were times when Kelly and Jonathan really surprised me—for different reasons—and made me think about things in a different way. I think they were looking at the various challenges from the perspective of a working designer, knowing what goes into creating a project—and believe me, what these 13 people had to do was really grueling. Kelly tends to be on the hunt for “the big idea” and sheer creativity, whereas Jonathan and I tend to be a little bit more pragmatic. We all have our own dogma about what good design should be, but together I think we come to the best conclusion.
What do you consistently look for in a top design?
For the show, the answer is meeting the demands of the challenge. But in the bigger picture, a design has to be truly extraordinary, thought provoking, and inspiring to be a Top Design. I want to learn something; I want to be surprised. For people who have been in the business as long as I have, that’s what we live for. Beautiful spaces are a plus, but to be honest, the show is not about pretty design. That might be great to go home to, but that doesn’t win a design competition. The wow factor has to enter into it.
What’s the design habit that drives you crazy?
Trying to do too many things in one room. Trying to please every aspect of what a client wants in a space when there is no way that will ever work. So I’d say a lack of focus. That and really tacky accessories. There was one episode where someone went really crazy with candles; no room will benefit from 30 votive candles.
If you could give one reason for someone to watch Top Design, what would it be?
I couldn’t begin to be limited to one reason…
1. Like all Bravo shows, Top Design is so deeply seductive; I think you are going to fall in love with the contestants.
2. There are so many great ideas, so many ingenious solutions in any given episode—in addition to legitimate sources…like paint colors and fabrics you can find on your own.
3. I believe nearly everyone thinks they are a decorator. Every viewer has bought sheets before or made a decision about what carpet to buy, so everyone can imagine what a contestant could or couldn’t have done in a challenge. These designers are extremely talented and capable people, but everyone thinks to his or herself, “I would have done it this way.” In watching Top Design, everyone might think they’re an expert, but everyone is a judge.
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