Fav Pics from MDD Season 2

I am sad it is over so soon!! Season 2 of Bravo's Million Dollar Decorators went by WAY too fast.  I certainly hope it was successful enough to bring about a Season 3!  I just cannot get enough of these quirky, charismatic, and beyond-talented designers: Jeffrey Alan Marks, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Kathryn Ireland, and Mary McDonald (see prior post for designer aesthetic and personality review...) 

http://kensingtonbliss.blogspot.com/2012/11/hooray-bravos-mdd-is-back.html ).

What was particularly interesting about this season was watching two of them (McDonald and Bullard) revamp the decor of their own homes.  Bullard took his color palette down several notches, focusing instead on a more subdued range of colors, amping up the textures and patterns instead.  McDonald continued to inject her typically bold pops of colors, but completely changed the look of her home.

Attached below are some of my favorite photos from Season 2. Photos obtained from various sources including Bravo website, Elle Decor, Luxe magazine, and Cote De Texas blog...

Bullard and McDonald with One Kings Lane (OKL) Founder, Susan Feldman travel to Jaipur, India to find inspiration for a collaborative home decor line, exlusive to OKL

First up, the "delicious and divine" (as he would say) Martyn Lawrence Bullard....

Bullard's outdoor patio area, love the bold black and white chevron (Bullard's own fabrics) against the lush green landscaping...

Bullard's home prior to re-do, rich with bold colors, patterns, love the bright apple green and hot pink against the beautiful zebra rug....

Bullard's dining room BEFORE re-do, again, lots of bold color and pattern here...

Bullard's living room AFTER re-do, in my opinion, these photos do not do it justice...so much more gorgeous when filmed on the show...He incorporated several Indian and Moroccan influences, light fixtures, bone inlay pieces, patterns, motifs....Also included several of his own fabrics (collaboration with Schumacher) overall, a more subdued color palette, but rich with pattern and texture. Particularly love his bold graphic fabric in foreground chair....

Beautiful mirrors, antique Indian chandelier and mixed use of fabrics for the chairs...

Again, you can see the Indian and Moroccan influences in the intricate rug (tile-look design), chairs, lanterns, and ceiling design.

Luxurious master bedroom with fur throws, rich reds, Ikat lampshades and pillows, and ornate bed frame, which Bullard designed himself...

Absolutely LOVED his dressing room, his own line of fabric/wallpaper used on walls and window treatments...love this deep, rich red and how about those gorgeous light fixtures (Restoration Hardware, I believe?)

Love this lively little nook, with vivid graphic black and white patterns against the traditional (original to the 1920's house) terracotta tile floor....

Bullard's kitchen with several original elements preserved including terracotta tile floor (love this Old World feel), stove originally installed by Gloria Swanson.

This photo does not do this space justice...amazing design for Tamara Mellon's (co-founder of Jimmy Choo) dining room.  She wanted to restore her child's playroom to its intended purpose: unique, dynamic, "sexy" dining room. He had to pay $10K to rent a crane to lift the 3,000 pound custom marble dining table into the room via the outdoor terrace...He used a bold black and white chevron patterned rug, red lacquered walls, and yes, patent LEATHER curtains....is that dynamic / rock-n-roll enough for you?

The MDD designers were all invited to design various rooms for the preservation of historic mansion Greystone Manor for the Maison de Luxe showhouse....

Bullard insisted on doing the master bedroom, and gave it his signature luxurious treatment with his own Schumacher line of fabrics and wallpaper...my favorite is the chevron stripe used for the walls in this photo...it is hard to see, but the chevron stripes are actually made up of little Greek key patterns.  I also love the contrast between the shiny metallic (feminine) gilded pieces against the (masculine) black leather and wood furniture.

Again, these photos do not do the master reveal justice, much more beautiful when filmed on the Bravo show...interesting the way he incorporated soft, lavender colors against the black, grey, and cream color scheme...

Now, onto the quirky and lovable Kathryn Ireland...

She helped an old friend design her Texas home...the couple loved traveling to Paris, so she used an old framed map of Paris as focal artwork above the bed.  Love the soothing color palette and Persian rug....

Ojai Family/Dining space designed by Ireland...again, a neutral palette with pops of bright, sunny colors with her signature fabrics...the rustic farm table is used again...

Ireland's kitchen design of Ojai client's home, love exposed shelving and the rustic farm table, she seems to incorporate these into many of her designs....

Ireland designed the "children's kitchen" of the Greystone Manor show house...she incorporated her fun, colorful, Suzanni and large check fabrics to cheer up this previously drab space.

Ireland photographed in her master bedroom in this cozy, canopy bed made with her beautiful, feminine fabrics...

Lucky Lindsay Lohan reportedly wanted a bedroom "just like Kathryn's" (as shown above)....as such, she was treated to Ireland's "French and feminine" design treatment of her new cottage-style Beverly Hills home....

Now, onto designer Jeffrey Alan Marks....

Marks gave the reigns to his partner (model-turned-designer-in-training?), Ross, to design close friend, model/actress, Amber Valetta's master bedroom....He used a very loud hand-painted hot pink and white abstract design wallpaper for the ceiling and coordinating Phillip Jeffreys hot pink grass cloth for the walls.  While I loved the grass cloth walls, I think the rest of the room needed to be tempered a bit more to balance its bold color...I was not a big fan of the loud ceiling, nor was Valetta's husband, evidently.  I fear the couple will tire of this design, particularly since they have to look at it every time they are lying in their bed!  Perhaps better suited for a smaller room, such as a bathroom.

Mark's largest project on the show, the La Jolla home...again, the show's video coverage of this room trumps the photograph.  Love the soothing warm taupe palette used throughout this large room with pops of bold colors and lots of feminine accents.  Also, love the white chandelier and how it pops against the taupe ceiling...

He fabric covered the wall of this little inset nook to create a cozy feel for the otherwise expansive master bedroom...beautiful result! Love the regal, rich, purple colors used against the graphic neutral patterned nook wall. 

This is my favorite room of the La Jolla home...how ADORABLE is this little girls' room?  Love the soft pinks and greens and the graceful, feminine lines of the canopy beds.  If you look closely, you can see the darling little pink cowboy boots at the foot of each bed!

Nantucket beach house Jeffrey Alan Marks and Ross designed together...the restriction set forth by client: All pieces must come from catalog sources (how pedestrian)! Marks was initially appalled by this requirement since he typically custom designs all furniture used in his homes...but I think he pulled it off quite successfully!  I particularly LOVE the blue and white chevron fabric used on the chairs around the round glass table....

Last but not least, moving onto my favorite of all the designers: Mary McDonald...

Perhaps my favorite from her designs this season (but let's face it, they are ALL amazing, so hard to chose!)...is her work for designer Monika Chiang's new NYC boutique.  I just LOVE the amazing color combo of soft lilacs and lavenders against the bright kelly green accents.  I not sure which was more impressive: the final design of the boutique or the fact that McDonald was able to successfully please the seemingly difficult/snooty/pill-of-a-personality client, Monika Chiang...(no offense if she happens to be your cousin, perhaps it was just the way she was portrayed on the show)...

Now, onto Mary's beautiful home re-design...

Mary, in front of her home...

Her lovely outdoor patio, with soothing blues, blue and white Chinoiserie porcelain vases...

McDonald's redesign of her own home...LOVE her use of bold apple greens and whites/creams.  This has always been a favorite color of mine (used for my bridesmaid dresses in our wedding and recent painting of our master bedroom) 

McDonald re-purposed her dining room into an office/study.  Love her beautiful, ornate gilded desk, but curious about the strange (too-realistic and frankly, scary looking) bust...

Her little kitchen nook redesigned...Love the fresh and clean apple green and white palette and Ikat pattern.

I love how she kept her black and white painted floors in her kitchen re-do....provides a great backdrop for her apple green chairs and wallpaper..

For her master bedroom, McDonald initially planned to use a grey color scheme and gave her hardwoods her signature treatment: painted in a large-scale bold graphic pattern...but then, during a trip to NYC, she discovered the beautiful hand-painted Gracie wallpaper in conflicting robins egg-ish green/blue tones, so she had to re-do her floors with wall-to-wall carpeting, yikes!

Despite this glitch in floor design, I LOVED the final outcome of her master.  The colors and wallpaper design are so soft, feminine, and peaceful. Love the pops of light pink as well (lamp shades, pillows, flowers)

Beautiful detail of her chinoiserie bed...

Love her beautiful grey and white master bath. Traditional marble counter tops and polished chrome faucets coordinate seamlessly with more modern grey and white chevron patterned floor.

McDonald's final hall design for the Greystone Manor show house. I love the way the black and white checkerboard patterned marble floor (masculine, graphic) plays against the patterns in her blue and white porcelain chinoiserie vases (feminine, organic)

I also love the way she incorporated more modern, contemporary artwork into this traditional space.  The blue and orange abstract painting here is a fabulous backdrop to her chinoiserie vases...