My Favorites: Million Dollar Decorators

I must admit, I really enjoyed watching the first season of Million Dollar Decorators. It was so fascinating and downright entertaining to see high-end interior designers, Mary McDonald, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Kathryn M. Ireland, Jeffrey Alan Marks and Nathan Turner at work with their elite clientele and sky’s the limit budgets. It was most interesting to see how they approached and executed their design projects.

In addition to the show and very successful interior design careers, the Million Dollar Decorators  each have product lines that range from fabrics to lighting. Although not easy to do, I have picked my favorite piece from each of their collections:

It took a few episodes, but I grew fond of Mary McDonald’s tell it like it is attitude and her darling pug pups. I have always admired her work. When it comes to design, Mary knows what she wants and how to achieve it. Her take charge attitude might ruffle some feathers, but the results speak for themselves.  Mary’s signature look is sensational and sets her apart from the rest. House Beautiful says “her work is timeless and glamorous all spun together with a keen fashion sense…. she’s a fearless, exuberant accessorizer.”

Mary is currently launching her first lighting collaboration with Robert Abbey. The  elegant collection is classically inspired, yet has a wonderful dose of Mary’s modern sensibility. These are not your grandmother’s lamps! My favorite is the Ondine Brass Finish Table Lamp {seen above with a red shade}.

I loved Kathryn M. Ireland's free spirit and dry humor on the show. Who will ever forget her French maid, Jacqueline finishing off the bottle of champagne?

Kathryn might not come across as the most organized person, but she is a true artist with an amazing ability to mix patterns and colors.Her designs are inviting, bohemian and colorful. Elle Decor calls her style “seat-of-the-pants chic” and if you watched the show, you would agree.

The signature Kathryn M. Ireland is evident in her home collections that extend from fabrics to furniture. Her fabric line, launched in 1997 is most sought after and her pillows are my favorite.

Before watching the show, I only knew Martyn Lawrence Bullard’s work through printed pictures. I loved watching him in action. His bold presence was well noted and I loved seeing him working onsite with clients and staff. He knows how to get the result he visions without being overly pushy.

Just released last month, Martyn’s fabric collection with Schumacher is simply “delicious.” The luxurious collection of prints and wovens were inspired by his exotic travels around the globe. It is hard to narrow down just one fabric that is my favorite, but the Adras Ikat Print,  Sikar Embroidery and Sinhala Linen Print top the list.

Northern California raised, Nathan Turner ’s renowned store on North Almont Drive in Los Angeles first put him on the map {find some of the store’s items for sale on 1st Dibs}. But after watching Million Dollar Decorators, I think the sky is the limit for Nathan. Seeing him work out the details of a sofa that needed some major tweak and was to be launched in days at North Point was amazing. He might have been sweating bullets off camera, but handled the situation beautifully on.

My favorite piece from Nathan’s furniture collection with Elite Leather is the Matthews sofa. It has a timeless appeal that would look amazing in any space.

To my surprise Jeffrey Alan Marks came across like the air-head of the bunch. His partner Ross kept him organized and projects on track. Regardless of Jeffrey’s work style, his work is outstanding. His focus on classic lines and proportion can be found throughout his stunning portfolio.

Jeffrey’s JAM Studio is a collection of his favorite home décor items – some of which he designed himself. One such piece is the JAM barstool. Again, it’s got Jeffrey’s flair for classic lines and proportion - I love everything about it!

And guess what? This week I am attending an event at the SFDC and one of the Million Dollar Decorators will be there. Can you guess who?