Discovery+'s "Design Star: Next Gen" Brings Next-Level Good Vibes

Adler and Makk serve as judges for the new take on HGTV39s classic Design Star with Holker Boss as host The format is still roughly similar Eight interior designers compete for a 50000 cash prize and their own design show But there was a huge twist this year Filming took place from October 21 through November 21 2020 smack dab in the middle of the pandemicquotIn past seasons designers are going out all over the place an office building or a homequot said Holker Boss In the midst of COVID19 though that simply wasn39t an optionThe solution quotThey built this enormous structure this campus really where the designers had their own spacequot Holker Boss explained With one set and everyone staying at one resort the atmosphere was a bit summer campy with close bonds forming between the judges and hostThe lovely trio hopped on a Zoom call with me to gush not just about each other but the incredible level of talent in this premiere Next Gen seasonOriana Schwindt So hold on you shot this whole season during the pandemicJonathan Adler We were quarantined in heaven The production team and HGTV were super pro about it They were vigilant but somehow made it delightful at the same timeLauren Makk It39s true There were three judges eight contestants and a camera crew a small village of people and we didn39t have an outbreak There were no incidents at all Everyone there had the same spirit of making sure we were safe and happyAllison Holker Boss They were so careful and they made sure everyone felt comfortableSchwindt You must39ve gotten to know each other pretty wellMakk We all developed such an incredible friendship It wasn39t just on set we became each other39s nuclear families My husband and Allison39s husband became such good friends they still text and share food stories We all sent Christmas cardsAdler We kind of didn39t even believe it as it was happening Right now with eight inches of snow on the ground here in New York I still don39t believe it happenedMakk It did It really did girlSchwindt What brought each of you to the showAdler When HGTV calls you listen I39ve spent so many hours of my life watching that channel that I thought it was time to you know let them return the favor and get to watch meMakk It39s always been an incredible dream of mine HGTV is the reason I became an interior designer Being an interior designer was something I didn39t even realize was a career as a little girl growing up in Oklahoma so when the network reached out to me it was a nobrainerHolker Boss I39m mostly known in the entertainment world as a choreographer and a dancer But I have such a passion and love for building and design I39ve been doing it for years So when HGTV called it was like I was manifesting this for years and it finally happenedSchwindt This is a pretty good time to be uplifting new voices in interior design with so many people trying to redesign their own spacesHolker Boss Everyone says they love being home but we usually spend so much time outside it Being in your space so much of the time this year has made so many of us realize how important it is to make your space feel yours putting your unique twist on it and making sure it feels creative warm and invitingAdler Even I was picking up ideas from these designers It39s been crazy to see how obsessed people have become with their home It39s the perfect moment to expose the talents of this next generation of designersMakk This season has been so interesting because the designers were basically given the same square footage to reimagine over and over and over which is what we39re all going through as a collective right How to react in our own 600 square feetSchwindt There39s quite a bit of diversity in this group tooMakk We have our first drag queen Tony Allgeier he39s Alora Chateaux But really this next generation truly taps into the current climate of what America is going through I39m so grateful for our production company and HGTV celebrating diversity in this show They39re young Black white drag queen amp8230Adler And there will be caftans But really we had people like Chris Goddard from Arkansas who is a genius The geographic diversity is really somethingMakk You have people from places that have traditionally been mute on design but they have this incredible ability to resonateHolker Boss Exactly And they have such incredible personalities they39re so different from each other but you see them work so well togetherSchwindt What were some of your favorite challengesHolker Boss There were so many amazing ones I39ll never forget though the one where they brought in an airplane and a caboose and a bus amp8230Makk A city busHolker Boss It was so impressiveAdler The airplane was pretty wild But for me there was an indooroutdoor garden challenge that really resonated with me because I39m always trying to live an indooroutdoor lifestyle and it was fascinating seeing how the kids interpreted the challenge differentlyMakk For me it was the first one the Ugly Room Makeover It39s a real testimony to see what kind of designer you are when you take an ugly space and have to still utilize some of the existing elements quotHow can you make this ugly stuff look goodquot is pretty much any interior designer39s job Y39know quotHow do we make your bad taste tastefulquotSchwindt Reality TV has changed quite a bit over the last couple years People seem to want shows that are a little softerHolker Boss That was something that made this season really special The contestants are of course very competitive but they were all cheering each other and they all wanted each other to succeedAdler I think that as reality TV has gotten more mature this was an opportunity for people to step back and breathe and take it to the next level My husband Simon Doonan is on the NBC show Make It and it was a similar thing where everyone just likes each otherHolker Boss We all needed it this year we all needed that loveAdler We39re the judges who careSchwindt Did that make for some difficult decisionsMakk Jonathan and I lost a lot of sleep The designers all have such incredible personalities I have to say it was a daunting task I can39t stress enough how much of a challenge a weight a reward we felt when judgingAdler I still keep wondering like quotDid we make the right callquotMakk Some of the earlier eliminations there are some technical details that are why people are not progressing to the next stage But as you get closer to the end it becomes a moral dilemmaAdler Like I said we39re the judges who careMakk Maybe we should make sweatshirts that say quotJudges Who CarequotDesign Star Next Gen premieres on discovery on Wednesday February 24Click the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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Discovery+'s "Design Star: Next Gen" Brings Next-Level Good Vibes

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Oriana Schwindt

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