All language subtitles for Ellens.Next.Great.Designer.S01E02.1080p.WEB.h264-KOGi_Track03

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

- Hey.

Thank goodness.
I was lonely.

Just standing here,
waiting for everybody.

How's everybody doing?

- Good.
- Good.

- Good.

I got to tell you,
a lot of the pieces

you guys made
for the first challenge

were so inspiring,
truly works of art,

and that is why I'm so excited
to introduce you guys

to a very special guest today.

Not only is she an extremely
accomplished actress,

businesswoman,
and philanthropist.

She was also a costar of mine
for a few years,

and she's married to someone
we all know very well.

Designers, please help me
welcome Portia de Rossi.

[cheers and applause]

- Hi, designers.
- Hey.

- Portia.
- Scott.

- You look fantastic.
- Thank you.

- How are you?
- The last time I saw you...

- What?
- You were rolling up

my dead body
in a rug on "Scandal."

[laughter]
- Yes.

If you guys didn't watch,
Portia died on "Scandal."

I may have been
the one responsible for it,

and I had to roll her body up.

She was covered--caked in...

- Brains.
- Dried blood. It was--

- You were very nice
about it, though.

- It was a great ending
for you, though.

- It was, wasn't it?
- It was, yeah.

Well, I know that you have
been
dying to meet our designers.

- Yes, I have, I've heard
all about you from Ellen,

and I've seen
some of your work.

I'm such a fan.

That's why I'm thrilled

I can help you guys
with your next challenge.

- Yes, tell us about your
company, about General Public.

- Well, General Public
is an art publishing company,

and we find amazing art

from great artists
all over the world,

and we reproduce it
using 3D technology

to create all of the texture

and brushstrokes
of the original.

So we're bringing
great artists and great art

to the general public,
hence the name.

- Designers,
for your next challenge,

you will have four days to
complete a piece of furniture

inspired by art

from Portia's company,
General Public.

Portia and Ellen personally

picked out the pieces
just for this challenge.

Take a look
on the screen over here.

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

- Baby!

- Hi.

Hey, baby.

We are at General Public.

It's my art publishing
company.

All right, I've got some
really
cool stuff to show you.

- Yeah? I can't wait.
- Yeah.

And this is our factory.

This is where
we make beautiful art.

- Just an idea she had
in her head.

- So we're scanning
the original.

We can probably print this
while you're still here,

actually.
- Okay.

I'm so proud of her.
I mean, it's amazing.

- I just think
this is so unique.

Like, what are they
gonna do with that?

- Yeah, it's fantastic.
I love the colors of that.

We both love design.
We both love furniture.

We both love art.

So why not put it together

and why not create
a challenge around it?

- I figured it would be
really cool

to see what one of your
designers

would do with a still life.
- Love that.

- For us, furniture and art
just go hand in hand.

This one, to me,
is just so bold.

But to actually think

about how are you
gonna design furniture

around a piece of art is
a different way to go about it.

This would be an interesting
challenge for somebody,

'cause it has so much movement.

- Yep, I like them all.

- So I kind of
covered the gamut.

I hope we see
really different,

interesting pieces
of furniture.

Thanks for helping with this.

This is, like,
what I do all day--

wrestle with these things.

- I think she picked out
some amazing pieces.

I mean, they're all good,

and it'll be interesting to see
what they do with them.

I'm gonna put that like that.

- Oh, no.
- No?

- Eh.
- Somebody come help!

- They'll do it.
- Okay.

- There it goes.
It's rolling.

- Can you--can you help?
It's rolling away.

Okay.
Okay, good.

All right,
let's get out of here

before you break something.

[laughter]

- All right.
So what is it like

to spend your life
around art all day long?

- It's very inspiring,

just as it is spending your
life around amazing furniture.

So I can't wait to see what
they're gonna do with this.

Anyway,
it was great to see you.

- All right,
thank you for coming out.

- Thank you, Scott.
Thanks, guys. Good luck.

all: Thank you.
- See you soon.

- See you soon.
- Yeah, have a good one.

- Well, are you guys ready
to see the paintings?

I know I am.
all: Yes.

- All right.
Let's light it up.

[bright music]

- Wow.
- Whoa.

- These pieces have been
randomly assigned to you guys.

Go ahead and check it out,
please.

- Oh, wow.
- Amazing.

This feels like
it's in my wheelhouse.

I studied art,
and I studied design,

and my mom's
an art historian.

It speaks the language
that I'm used to speaking.

I feel very confident
about this piece.

- Guys, take in the color,
the lines,

the symmetry, or lack of.

You know,
anything you can use

when you're designing
your next piece.

- This is so aggressive.

My painting gives me
a lot of aggression.

It makes me feel uneasy.

Like, I don't know
what I'm going to do.

- All right, guys,
don't just stand there.

Grab them, they're yours.
Take them with you.

- They're ours?
- Take them.

- Wait, what do you mean?
- Like, take them home?

- Out the door.
- How heavy is this?

- Oh, Jesus.
- I got it.

- You need help?
Here, I'll get that.

- I think I can barely get it.
[laughter]

- See you back here
in four days.

- Okay.
- Wait for me.

- Urvi stole her name.
- Here we go.

- Yeah, dude, it's my name.
I own it.

- [chuckles]

[car horns honking]

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

- Love it.

There are endless possibilities
inspired by this painting.

I don't know,
I'm thinking, like, bench.

We could--we could
do a loveseat.

I've never
designed one before.

I don't know how to do this,
but we could try it.

- Man, sort of reminds me
of the days

when I used to smoke pot, man.

Just talk, like, hours about,
you know, some--

- Hours trying to figure out
something, right?

- Man, yeah.

- I have several ideas.
Maybe a chair.

Perhaps a coffee table
or cabinet.

But the thing--
I want to come up with ideas

to manufacture
in the time that we have.

- Yeah, efficiency.

- I'd like to see if,
this time,

it could be
a little less stressful.

- I love the, like,

white on white in the tones.

- What kind of furniture piece
are you thinking?

- I think the first thing
that comes to mind

is some kind of seating.

I'm super excited
about this piece.

- I mean, dude,
this could be anything.

This is crazy.
- Okay.

♪ ♪

- And now we've gone through
50, 60 different sketches.

Let's make a decision.
- Okay.

- How about a desk?
- It's gonna take too long.

- But you want to win?
You want to win?

- You want to be done
by Friday?

- I think I need to call Momma.

- What's up?
Where are you?

- I'm in the middle
of this challenge.

I need your help.

I'm feeling like a bookcase,

like a sideboard or credenza.

- You have to finish this
by Saturday?

- Friday.

- What?
How you gonna do that?

[laughter]

- Something tells me that we're
gonna make a crazy decision

and be super challenged again.

Nico, what do you think?

You want a chair
that you can get cozy in?

[dog whimpers]

[mellow music]

♪ ♪

- What do you think
when you first see this?

- The colors are aggressive.

I see caution.
I see danger.

- Yeah.
- I see apprehension.

I guess when you're
in a dangerous situation,

you only have, is what?

- You don't want to think.
- Your intuition.

- Exactly, you gotta...
- So...

- Go with the flow.

- That's what's gonna happen.
- Here we go.

- I take these two colors,
yellow and the black.

For me, these two colors

represent caution,
caution tape.

They represent danger.
They represent apprehension.

And this is exactly
how I'm feeling right now.

Last week, the judges
put fire under my ass,

because I was
in the bottom two.

- The problems with the piece

were the execution
of the craftsmanship.

- The craftsmanship, it wasn't
what we initially planned.

I just wanted to play it safe.

- And--Jesus, mother.

All right, well that makes me
a little nervous.

- What I'm gonna do for this
challenge is I'm going to do

what I'm used to doing,
not being safe about anything.

I have an idea.

We're gonna go heavy
on concept for this one.

- Oh, wow.
Okay.

- The project became
an opportunity

for me to send a message
to myself:

believing in yourself.

The piece of furniture
I'm designing is about

an opportunity for you,
the user of the object,

to see yourself on a pedestal,

encased in a glass vitrine,

and is a reminder
that you are special

and that you can do
anything you want to.

[upbeat jazzy music]

It is an opportunity for me to
show strength and persistence.

This is like
museum-quality pedestal,

so everything has to be
even better than furniture.

♪ ♪

- I mean, this, to me,
is just like

calling for marble,
maybe some rubber.

I could see it also being,
like, some kind of a chair

that plays off of the squares.

So my idea is to make a chair

using slabs of marble
for each side,

and then a sling chair
out of recycled rubber,

that I work with a lot,
and connect those two pieces

with brass rods
and custom brass hardware.

Maybe we can find, like,
some of those green tones

that were in the--
in the painting.

Not too far from my studio
in Brooklyn,

there are, you know,
many marble yards

with remnant pieces
of marble...

All right,
let's remember this piece,

and we'll come back to it.

I think this one's
a little too gray.

That are left over
from bigger jobs

that have been discarded.

I think this is the one.
- I think so too.

- This chair is a risk,

because I've never
made a chair.

I mean, I'm actually nervous
about this--this piece.

There's just a lot
to pull off.

[bright music]

- I don't know,
I'm leaning towards loveseat.

I think it's comfortable.
- Yeah, that'd be cool.

- I think we can make
something dynamic.

I'm thinking steel.

So I decided
to make a loveseat,

because I wanted
to hand-dye the fabric

to look like the splatters
in the painting.

- I've only dyed one thing,

being the Joker for Halloween.

- Yeah?

- Purple all over my bathtub.

- [laughs]

- Yo, I just want to say
these are badass.

- Thank you, Fernando.
- These are badass.

- That means--

The judges loved
my pieces the first week.

- These are absolutely
stunning.

- I have proven
that I can do this

and that I'm not someone
to be [bleep] with.

I never even quite thought
about doing this like this.

♪ ♪

Yeah, I'm definitely
a little nervous,

because this is the first time
I've ever hand-dyed fabric.

See, look at that.
Isn't that a beautiful tone?

See that?
Yes.

This is gonna give
that darkness that we need.

♪ ♪

Yeah, the color
is getting close

to the colors
you see in the painting.

- Yeah.
- I hope that the judges see

that I took
very thoughtful steps

to be inspired
by the painting

to create this piece
of furniture.

It's amazing.
- So cool.

- Like magic.

[jazzy music]

♪ ♪

- ♪ Suddenly you realize ♪

♪ This town's number one ♪

♪ Our New York ♪

♪ Our New York
love's just begun ♪

♪ ♪

[knocks]
- Come in.

[gasps]
- Hey, Christina.

- Oh, my God.
- How are you?

Well, I was in the area,
and thought I'd come by.

There it is.

- Yes.
- There's the art.

- That's the painting.
- Inspiring for you?

- Very inspiring.
- Yeah?

- Too inspiring.
- And what did you end up with?

What--what is the project?

- Well, I've sort of named it
a cloud chair

because it's really puffy,
and you just melt into it.

- I like it.

- I landed on the idea
of a chair,

like a really puffy,
cloudy pub chair.

We have a lamp
incorporated into this.

- I love that. I love that.
- Do you?

- You know, we do have someone
here who can test this out.

- Really?
- Yeah. Nico.

- Why not? Nico.

- Nico's the boss.

- So cute.
- Okay.

Let's get this guy up there.
What do you think, buddy boy?

Should we do it?
That's a good boy.

- Nico, what do you think?
What do you think?

- And he loves the art too.

- I love the art.
Can I tell you?

- I love those
fine black lines,

which I'm incorporating
into embroidery.

- I like it.
Okay.

A little concerned
with the timing,

just the upholstery of it all,
'cause I know how delicate

and detailed
and time-consuming it can be.

- It was really cool
to have Scott's input.

He really understood
what I was doing.

He was really excited
about the design.

He really did have
a valid point.

I need to do a lot of work.

Thank you coming.

- Thanks for having me
in your studio.

- Thank you. Of course, anytime.
- We'll see you guys.

I'm gonna take that piece
with me too.

- Are you?

- No.
- Oh.

[laughter]

[hip-hop music]

♪ ♪

- We're at Rubel Patel.

My guy Mike is
an amazing fabricator.

I'm here to get his help

figuring out
the structure of the chair.

So we need to test
the grommets,

make sure
they're strong enough,

and also just the rubber itself
if it's strong enough.

I'm not totally sure
if the rubber's gonna work,

and I've never used it
in this way,

where you're putting a whole
person's weight on it.

But I think it's definitely
worth the risk.

My mind is racing with backup
plans in case it doesn't work.

♪ ♪

- ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪

- Tell the competition--
tell them to sit down,

'cause it's a wrap.
[laughs]

- No time for gloves, man.
Hurry.

- Hey, wait, well,
these are designer gloves, man.

Come on, man.
I'm happy about the progress.

It's gonna be
a pretty awesome desk.

So if you look
at the painting,

"The Power of Collision,"

right,
when these two pieces collide,

what is the result?

What is the aesthetic result
of this--this collision?

This is nice, man.
Now this is looking hot.

- Once the leg is there...
- I can see it.

- It's gonna be really nice.
- It's a wrap.

The leg side of the desk,

we're actually
going to construct

a three-dimensional
abstraction.

The way we interpret
this painting into the desk

is the leg is colliding
with the desktop,

and that collision has created
a very unique detail.

Well, some of the joints
doesn't quite line up.

That detail has multiple
cuts and angles.

There's nothing
square about it.

We haven't gotten it right,
but we must get it right.

The whole desk
doesn't quite make sense

if we don't bring
this detail home here.

Man, that's it right there.
That's it right there.

We think we have a hot piece.

We just now have to bring
everything together.

The competition should be
very concerned.

That's the magic.

♪ ♪

- One down.

120 to go.

This credenza design,

it's so open and transparent,
visually,

because the main things
that I got from the painting

were a sense
of sort of empty space.

I have to cut 120 profiles

to go all the way around.

It's not fun, but I'm gonna
have to live with it.

I can't tell if I'm hungry
or tired, or both.

This challenge
is definitely harder,

but I did a little research
on the painter,

and she lived in Providence.

I came here to attend

the Rhode Island
School of Design,

and growing up in New Delhi
was very different

to Providence, Rhode Island,
but I've warmed up to it.

And being in the area
for the last seven years,

I do have a sense of aesthetic
that's coming through,

and that I could
translate it in my piece.

For example, I ended up
finding that the inkberry

were used to make black dye.

I'm gonna put this solution
that I concocted

and turn
everything deep black.

I'm feeling good
about my design.

I think it has high potential
to win this challenge,

because it has such
a deep story behind it,

and I think it's gonna
impress the judges.

[tense music]

- Two days.

- We still gotta do
the finish work.

Pretty much, we have to be
almost done tomorrow

with all of this.

- I just want to--
just want to get this done.

- I'm freaking out,
but we're gonna have to just--

- I mean, we got, like,
minimal time.

Just have to do what we can do.

Go with the flow, man.
- Yeah.

- We gotta do it.
We gotta do it.

- Right.

♪ ♪

- I'm so excited
that I was gonna spend

my entire day
welding up the loveseat.

Okay, ready when you are.

[upbeat electronic music]

♪ ♪

- Erica, look at your welds.

- I look at it,
and I immediately think,

"This is completely
incorrect."

This is so off.

- It just--yeah, it's glaring.
- So off.

Yeah, it's glaring.

One of the curves is, like,
slanted sideways,

and the whole top part,
where the seat is, is pivoted.

How the hell are
we gonna fix this?

[piece snaps]
Ooh.

Need to even out that bend.

We kind of went forward
and then backwards.

We need to re-bend and re-weld
all those weld seams

that we had just put together.

Ooh.
Got it right the second time.

[chuckles]

This has got to be perfect.

Otherwise, there is no way
I can show this.

The judges are gonna
eat me alive.

- Do you like the fabric,
now that it's upholstered?

What do you think?

- It's better than
I imagined it.

- Yeah.

Justin and I did all
the prep work

in terms of building
the structure of the chair.

And then we sent it out
to be upholstered.

Ah, the shape of that
is so stunning.

We have a big,
cloud-like cushion,

and I'm just loving
this fabric.

It just has such
a supple feel to it.

♪ ♪

I stumbled across this
technique called felting.

It's often used
for children's toys.

I'm using it
in an embroidered way.

And you can see
some of those

really fine black lines
in the painting,

and I want to see that
in my piece.

♪ ♪

All of the skills
that I learned in fashion,

in school, like tailoring--
they translate

incredible well
to furniture design also.

I come from a family of makers,
and it's in my DNA.

My grandfather
was a bespoke shoemaker,

and so was my father.

And I also am a trained
leather artisan.

I've been designing
furniture since 2005.

I really felt like
a lot of my skills

and talents really
come from my family,

and I definitely want
to make them proud.

While you finish the legs,
we have to get this lamp

wired up to make it in time
for the deadline.

- Let's get to work.

[up-tempo music]

♪ ♪

- I don't have much time.

I'm super nervous,
because I haven't seen

all the pieces together
at all yet for the chair.

And something, you know,
could totally go wrong.

- Cool.
- Oh, nice. Mike.

- Wow.
- It's so good.

I think all the details
are really coming together.

But I still need
to finalize the seat.

Ah.
Pressure.

Lydia and I
are gonna basically work

on punching the holes
for the grommets

and installing them.

- Are you scared? [laughs]
- I'm a little nervous.

If the grommets
aren't in right,

the seat could be crooked

or it could not be strong
enough to hold a person.

Perfect.

This all looks lined up,
right?

Wait.
Is it centered?

- Uh-huh.

Ooh, this one's off.
- What?

- It's off an inch.
- Oh, no!

Ah, I should have
double-checked.

- Oh, shit.

I mean, the pressure's
definitely getting to me.

We don't have a ton
of time left,

so hopefully
I can just fix this one

and not have to remake
the entire seat.

[air whooshing]

- Construction is done.

It's now time to take it
into the paint booth.

[hip-hop music]

- ♪ Baby we ain't got time ♪

♪ If you take it and tuck
the clock... ♪

The inner lining is one color.

The outer shell of the legs
is another color.

That takes a lot of time.

- ♪ Give me
special delivery ♪

- With a combination of maybe

the rabbit's foot
and some prayer,

we might be able to pull this--
pull this thing off.

- It's the last day
of the challenge.

I'm trying to stay Zen.
I'm trying to stay focused.

And today
everything comes together.

It's gonna get done.

My mirror sat on a pedestal.
It's coming together.

But I feel--I'll tell you guys
that I feel great,

but I'm not gonna tell myself
I feel great.

Yeah, it's great.
Okay, let's flip this over.

- [laughs]
You have no time to admire it.

- No, we don't.
- Excitement.

- We can look at it
when it's done.

- Keep your eyes
on the prize.

- Which is to get this
assembled.

I have to go. Like, I have
so much work to do.

I'm focused today,
because, like,

I just want this to be over.

But you're at an angle.

- I know, because I'm--
- Why you going at an angle?

- This piece.
- No, don't do that.

- Whichever way.
- Yeah. No.

Turn that around.
No. Don't do that.

Will is stressing me out.

You got it?
- I'm right there.

Hold on, stay right there.

- I got it.
[indistinct chatter]

After last week,
after being in the bottom two,

I don't have a choice.
I have to bring it.

It's gonna be
a very packed day,

and I'm gonna use
every single last second.

I need to get this velveted,
and we need to--we need to--

Will, we're running
out of time.

- All right.

♪ ♪

- Is it resting on that side?

- Yep.
- Okay.

Just make sure you get
an 1/8 gap on that end.

- I can't figure out
an 1/8 gap right now.

- Like, just visually.

- Today is a very busy
last day.

We are getting ready
to put the credenza together.

I am a little concerned

about whether I'm gonna
make it on time or not.

- There's four hours left,
and we need to do the door.

What?
Stop laughing.

- [laughs]

Sorry, your voice goes really
high when you're stressed.

- Yeah, of course it does.
- [laughs]

- What?
- That fits.

Look at how beautiful that is.

It's close to the very end
of the second challenge.

We got our cushions back
from the upholsterer.

Matt's cut all the lemons up
so that I can start

squeezing these lemons
into the bucket.

I am nervous about the citric
acid and lemon juice effect.

- It's only your whole life
on this.

- I'm, like, nervous.
- [laughs]

- Wherever the spray touches,

the velvet should turn
into these white splatters.

Spray bottle's getting stuck
with the lemon.

This is gonna take too long.

So I'm like, "Oh, God.
What are we gonna do?"

It was just not working.
We're getting it done.

- Down to the wire.
- But this is not a good time.

- This is how we roll.

- All right,
we have less than an hour left.

The final hour is the most
stressful time

of this competition,

and I'm really frustrated
with myself,

because some of the most
delicate parts--

and I've left them to last
minute, and it's my own fault.

Okay, it's crunch time,
everyone.

We have to get
this lamp wired up.

I'm down to the wire.
Puns intended.

And I'm wiring in my lamp,
which is quite dangerous.

I'm not a beginner,
but I'm not a pro either.

- Okay.
- Oh, boy.

- All right. Will,
let's check this finish oil.

William.
- Yo.

- Hurry up.
- Oh, my God, dude.

- Hurry up. Hurry up.
Hurry up. Come on.

- Just stop talking to me.
I know what time it is.

- So now I have to just
not mess up this next part.

Whoo.
We fixed it, I think.

- No, not too much.
Not too much.

Ooh.
That was a good one.

♪ ♪

- Get ready with the tape,
please. Okay.

We're good.
- Yeah?

- Yeah, we're good.
- There we go.

Done.
It's done and it's perfect.

- Come on. Come on.
Come on. Come on.

- Okay, it's done.

- Ah!

I just finished my piece,

and I think that the judges
are gonna be like, "Wow."

- Time.

- Wow.

- I hope that the judges see

that I took the whole soul
of this painting

and put it into
this piece of furniture.

- Yay.

- Just got it done in time.

- [whimpers]
- Yeah, just for you.

- ♪ You can see the wave,
it's passing us ♪

♪ High off the memories,
best friends from sometime ♪

♪ That time is the enemy,
yeah ♪

- I'm very excited
about this challenge.

- Yeah, I think it was an
interesting challenge for them.

- Art is such a great form,

can be,
of self-expression.

And so I'm hoping that
that sort of factors into

what--what we see.

- I agree.
- Yeah.

♪ ♪

- Well, hello there.
- Hi, judges.

- Hi.
- Hello, hello.

- I'm so excited
to present this piece.

I'm also nervous.

It's a loveseat,
so what's not to love?

How are you doing?
- Doing very well.

We're excited to see
what you got for us.

We have your painting
back here, "Basin."

Can you tell us what you
thought when you first saw it?

- It's a great piece.
I was so inspired by it.

I could see
so much in there,

and it was really hard
to decide what I would make.

A lot of the forms
that you see

speak to the forms
of furniture.

So I wanted to make
a piece of upholstery.

- You ready to show it to us?
- I'm ready.

- All right. Let's light it up.

[bright music]

♪ ♪

- I have a background
in embroidery,

and I wanted to bring that
into the piece.

There's these really lovely
wiry, meandering lines.

- Oh, cool.
- Look at that.

- I just want to touch.

- I love this move.
It's so--

- Yeah, stunning.
- And the way--the linework.

This could turn into a larger
couch, I think, as well.

I think that that's maybe

the only quirky thing about it,
is the scale.

- It's a very
accommodating piece.

It welcomes you.

You can have a drink there.
You can read a book.

It's really, you know,
about embracing you.

- Yeah, it's giving me kind of,
like, French '60s,

'70s, along with, like,
just contemporary,

and it's so clear to me

what this is and what
I'm supposed to do here.

And it's beautiful.

- Having last week's piece
and now this,

I'm getting into the groove
of who you are,

what your work is about,
and it's really sophisticated.

- I love the solitude
that this piece gives me.

Thank you, Christina.
Thanks for showing to us.

- Amazing.
Thanks so much.

- Good job.
- Well done.

- I want to create that

emotional experience
for people,

whether it's joy or just
creating that wow factor.

[percussive music]

♪ ♪

- Hey, guys.
- Mark.

- Hi, Mark.
- I'm still here.

I'm feeling nervous as heck,

because based on
what happened last week,

I don't know what is going
through the judges' heads.

- How was your--your mindset
after last week's judging?

- I was having, like--
I went back

and was having flashbacks
of my entire life.

- Wow.

- Such a moment that
I was not prepared for.

- You got the piece
"Time Out"

from Portia's collection
this week.

We're all just gonna
take a look at it here.

- My initial thoughts was that
it was a bit aggressive,

but I moved past it.

I'm really happy
with the piece.

- Good.
- And that's where we're at.

- All right.
Let's light it up, please.

[lively music]

♪ ♪

- The initial idea for
this piece, it was called

"Put Me On a Pedestal."

There's a mirror
inside this display case.

You are being reflected
in this display case.

And it's you on this pedestal
to give yourself more respect,

and you're also getting these
crazy visuals in here as well.

- Ah.
- [chuckles]

♪ ♪

- I'm just intrigued.

It's, like...

- It keeps revealing itself.
- Evolving, you know?

- Yeah, it does.
[chuckles]

- This is
exceptionally crafted.

You know,
and I love it as a mirror.

I would have this thing

just as a work of art
in my home, man.

- I look at that painting,
and I got it.

This is a representation of how
the picture made you feel.

- Ugh.
[laughs]

- Mark, this is a--
this is a beautiful,

phenomenal, personal piece,
and it's so impressive.

- You guys are making me sweat.
- I'm so intrigued, man.

- You've given us life
with this piece.

Like, it's just--it's got
so much dimension to it.

It just keeps revealing itself
over and over again.

- Yeah.
- The more I go around it,

the more I see,
the more I love it.

I don't know what piece
you would put in here,

because it's--
it's everything unto itself.

- Look, we all love it.
- Yeah.

- Thanks, man.
I appreciate it.

- Congratulations.
- Thank you, Mark.

- I think this week
I raised the bar,

to be honest.

I think I raised the bar

for the other competitors
and myself,

and I'm ready to take control
of this competition.

♪ ♪

- Hey.
- Hi, Urvi.

- Hello.
- Hello.

- I think that the judges
are gonna see something

different
than they usually do.

I'm hoping the judges
will be, like,

completely enamored by it

and, you know, want to just
look into it more and more.

- We were just discussing
your painting.

- Kind of felt like
the chicken feet

or the cow tongue
of the challenge.

[laughter]
The way, like, it's--

you know,
it's the piece you're given

that people expect you
to do worse with.

But if you play it right,

you can come out
with something amazing.

- Well, we're excited to see.
You ready?

- Yeah.
- All right, let's light it up.

[bright music]

♪ ♪

- I was going for more
of the emotion

that I received
from the painting.

I looked at mussel shells,

I looked at twigs,
at branches...

- Mm-hmm.
- Or sticks.

And the berries on it
are used to create black dye.

I used those cues

to guide my design choices
with this piece.

- Hello.

- It's different.

- Yeah.

When I first saw it,

I loved how the light
comes through this.

Okay, I think that's a really
interesting design choice.

I'm having a bit of a hard time
getting from the painting

through your head
to the piece.

- Right.
- That said,

it's a strong piece.

Have I seen it before?
Maybe.

- It's beautifully made.

I'd be careful about
what I was gonna put inside,

'cause you're
definitely gonna see it.

I think the craftsmanship
is great.

But I see a lot of beautifully
well-made pieces,

and so I'm looking for you
to push me forward.

- What do you think, Fernando?

- It's elegant,
but it's kind of conventional.

And so is it moving
the ball forward,

in terms of, you know,
furniture design?

I'm not sure.

- I think you made
a solid piece.

Thank you
for showing it to us.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

- Yep.

- I'm feeling
a little confused,

because in the first week,

the judges really liked
my work.

This week,
they seem ambivalent.

It does make me nervous.

♪ ♪

- Hi, guys.
- Hey.

- Hi.
- Hi, Erica, how are you?

- I am happy how
my loveseat turned out,

and I'm ready
to impress the judges

second week in a row.

- How was the week for you,
working on this?

- For me,
this piece ended up being--

I don't know,
weirdly spot on.

I know it was
a total coincidence,

but I felt like it really
captured a moment in time,

and a lot of my work tries
to capture a moment in time.

And I really went with
that dynamic sort of quality,

that fluid quality,
and I really took that to heart

when I made my--my loveseat.

- I'm dying to see it.
- Yeah.

- Can we show it?
- Of course.

- All right, let's light it up.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- When I saw the painting,

I thought that I wanted it
to look like it was floating.

I love the idea of being able
to sit in something

and actually stare
at the painting,

so I really went for that.

- All right.

- I mean, I was really thinking
entryway, foyer piece.

- I don't think it was
designed to be a lounging...

- No.
- Hanging out.

- I think when
we heard loveseat,

I was thinking
of something else.

Because when I think
of a loveseat,

I'm thinking of--
there's, you know,

two people that can sit there
and enjoy it.

It was not the most comfortable

or the easiest sort of place
to sit and enjoy.

Separately,
I like a lot about it.

Looking at the fabric,
I want to make something

with this fabric.
- Mm-hmm.

- I mean, I think
it's absolutely stunning--

- It's all hand-dyed.
- Yeah.

And that speaks so much to me
about you and your process,

and you're so organic
in what you do.

And that part, I love.

Together, I can't say
that I love this

and would want to--

to purchase it for--
for a client.

- Got it.
Got it.

- I can't say I'm a fan
of this piece at all.

- Okay.
- Unfortunately.

Like, I don't know.

I'm having trouble making sense
of this with this, the shape.

I'm having trouble
with this piece, 100%.

And the scale is so off.
Like, ridiculously off.

Like, this is a tiny thing.

- It's funny,
I see what you're saying,

but I look at it differently,

because I can definitely see
the painting in this.

I think the metalwork,

the curves and the movement,
is really impressive.

Some elements
work really well here,

but some that
are more confusing.

- You know,
I thought that it all,

in some senses, kind of
circled within each other.

- Got it.
- Okay.

Well, thank you
for showing it to us.

We appreciate it.
Thanks for your work.

- Thank you. Thank you.
- Yeah, of course, of course.

- I'm stunned.
I shocked.

I thought the piece
was gonna be a hit.

I put it all on the line

and somehow
it wasn't enough this week,

and that's killing me.

I'm not done
fighting to be here.

- Yeah.
- Here she comes.

- Oh-ho.
- Hi.

- Hello, hello.
- Hi, guys.

I really wanted this piece
to be almost, like,

inhabiting the painting.

I think the judges
are really gonna love it.

And also, they're gonna see,
like, what I bring each week.

- So the art challenge.
How was your week?

- It was definitely
nerve-wracking.

I really connected with
the painting that I was given.

And I really think that,
you know,

art is about eliciting
an emotional response.

- Absolutely.

- There's a lot of texture
in this piece.

So I thought that was
a really important part

to kind of
take inspiration from.

- Very cool.
- I like that.

- Before you go any further,
can we see it?

- Yes, please.
- All right, let's light it up.

[gentle music]

♪ ♪

- My initial reaction
was to draw from kind of

these organic gestures,

and that made me think
of a slab of marble,

and cut it and re-assemble it
to create a new composition.

The seat is made out
of recycled rubber.

That's kind of a signature
material that I work with.

♪ ♪

Drawing out all of these
different kind of textures

from the materials
was really meant to draw back

to the composition
of the painting.

- Whatever your process was,
it was working for you.

I'm in love with this.
- Thank you.

- This, I can see
the same designer here.

I can absolutely see
that the same designer--

the attention to detail,
the precision.

I think that this is
absolutely spectacular.

- It's not the most comfortable
piece I've ever sat in, no.

- It's not a La-Z-Boy.
- No, it's not a La-Z-Boy, so--

but this is a work of art,
so I kind of like--

- It really is.
- You know what, who cares?

- To do something that we've
never really seen before,

something that--
that draws our eye,

is extremely difficult to do.

I think you've achieved
a lot with this.

Comfort, I have a bit
of a problem with.

That said,
I can't stop looking at it.

- Great. Awesome.
- Congratulations.

- Thank you.
- And thank you for this.

- Thank you so, so much.
Thanks again.

- Thanks, Arielle.

- I feel super proud.

I don't think anyone
was expecting it.

I think it established me

as a serious threat
in this competition.

♪ ♪

- Here he is.

Hi, Paul.
- Hello, hello.

- Hello, hello again.
- Hello.

- Before you walked out,
we all said,

"Man, I wonder
what he's wearing today."

- I'm feeling very energetic,
and I'm feeling very positive.

Today is my day.

- So you were given
the piece titled

"The Power of Collision."

What'd you think about it
when you first saw it?

- So something smashing
into something else

is gonna create something new.

So even though
we're looking at a big piece,

it's--it is one part
of the detail.

It's this one detail
that really tells that story.

- Good, well,
should we take a look at it?

- We should definitely
take a look at it.

- All right, let's light it up.

[bright music]

♪ ♪

- As I was trying to, again,
interpret the painting,

you know, my mind went to
these celestial bodies, right?

Sort of floating
out in space.

So that's why the upper part
is not connected to the base.

- Oh, wow.

Look at that.

- Interesting.
- Yes.

It's a writing desk,
by the way.

It's a writing desk.

♪ ♪

- I'm gonna be really honest.
- Okay.

- My gut reaction
is that it feels

like a very commercial piece,

a piece that would go into
fabrication on a larger scale.

- Is that a bad thing?
- Yeah.

So I'm just addressing
this as--

as that sort of
style of piece.

- Yep.
- Versus, you know, artistic.

I feel like this
is more in that realm.

I love this detail.
I think this is the moment.

I wonder if it's a--whoop,
trip--hazard, I wonder.

But maybe you could speak
to that more.

- Yeah.
- But that was my only little,

like, oh, design issue.

- I do give you credit
for making something different.

I--I like the angles on it.

I think that's part
of what makes it so cool.

- I don't see it as a piece
of home furnishing.

If I showed up to a new job,

and this was my desk,
I'd be thrilled.

- Right.
- Yes. Of course.

- I'd be thrilled, right?

- I'm still wanting
to see you.

- This is a good piece.
It's a solid piece.

- It is a good piece.
- It is a good piece.

- It's not blowing our minds,
but it's a good piece.

- Okay. I take "good."

- All right.
Thanks, man.

- Okay, thank you.
- Thanks for showing us.

You got it, man.
- Thank you.

- I mean, I wanted
to impress them.

I'm hoping it's enough
to get to go on to next week.

But I walked away
from the criticism

feeling like, I mean,
it is what it is.

Not everyone has to like it.

- [sighs]
- Well, Mark won the day.

- I appreciate
the comment, guys,

but, like, I don't necessarily
think that's true.

- It's really in predictable.
both: It is unpredictable.

- I'm very nervous that I'm
gonna be in the bottom two.

There's just a lot
of emotions running through.

I'm holding it back
as much as I possibly can,

because I know
what I signed up for.

And I know that
this is gonna be tough.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

- Hi, guys.
- Hi.

- Hi.

♪ ♪

- It's okay.

I'm just feeling the weight
of everything right now.

The wind is completely
knocked out of me.

I'm so afraid that I'm going
home, and that's killing me.

- Designers,
this week we asked you

to create a piece of furniture

inspired by a painting
that was selected for you

specifically
by Ellen and Portia.

I got to say,
the pieces that you gave us

were actually
really inspiring to us.

You guys are--
are truly talented.

Some of the work
that we've seen

has been phenomenal,
you guys.

That being said,

there were a few
that really stood out to us.

- Mark.

You blew us away today, man.
- [chuckles]

- The fact that being
at the bottom last week,

and then this week just showing
us who you really are--

it exemplified what
this competition is about,

which is pushing
the boundaries.

Everything was there.

Everything that
this competition is about

was in that piece.

You blew us all away,
but you blew me away,

and I congratulate you.

- Thank you.

- And Arielle.

Collectively,
which is not easy to do,

you blew us all away,
all three of us.

I thought it was
one of the most beautiful

and usable pieces
of furniture

I've seen
in a really long time.

And from last week
to this week,

I could actually
put the coffee table

and the chair together

and see who you are
as a designer,

and they would work
beautifully together.

So well done.
- Yeah.

- Thank you. Thank you.
- Beautiful, beautiful work.

- And Christina.

You know, I was lucky enough
to be in your studio

when you were designing this.

I had no idea that the piece

was gonna turn out like it did,

and what you brought us here

was a moment
of comfort and joy,

and we loved it
as soon as we saw it.

It was just beautiful.
So thank you for that.

[gentle music]

There are a couple who were not
as successful this week,

in our opinion.

- So, Erica.

The fabric was beautiful,
and again,

the metalwork
was beautiful.

Just didn't
come together for us.

♪ ♪

- And Paul.

You're a great designer.

You've already shown us
in the first two pieces.

But this week, we felt like
it's been a little bit safe

and a bit conventional.

And we're really looking for
someone that's gonna stand out

as a great next designer,

something that we haven't seen,
really unique things,

and felt like, you know,
a painted surface--

there was a lot of little
things that were, like,

just not taking it to that
next step that we need to see.

- Unfortunately, we do have to
send one you guys home today.

[suspenseful music]

And the person
going home today is...

♪ ♪

Paul.

We thank you
for your contribution.

- Thank you. Thank you.
- For your pieces.

We appreciate your design,
your professionalism.

- Yeah.
- Thank you.

- I'm completely
in shock right now.

I thought it was me.

I felt all the emotions
for him.

- I'm slightly disappointed
that I got eliminated,

but I'm grateful,

and I was thanking God
just for the opportunity.

I don't know what's on
the other side of the door,

but I don't think
my journey stops here.

- [weeping]
- Exit?

- Yes, please, sir.
- All right, thank you.

- Thanks, Paul.
- All right, thank you.

Thank you so much, Paul.

- I got a journey still
to keep going,

so I'm not gonna sit
and sulk about it.

I'm so pleased,

and I'm confident to go back
and to continue my craft.

So I enjoyed
every minute of it.

- [sobbing]

[gentle music]

♪ ♪

- Thank you, guys.
- I'm sorry.

It was tough this week.
- Yeah.

- I appreciate your time.
Thanks for being here.

I can't wait to see
what you put up next week.

- Thank you.
- See y'all.

- Thanks, guys.

♪ ♪

- [sobbing]

All this emotion comes from
a place of, like, my empathy.

I don't even know Paul,
like--but I do.

That's the weirdest thing.
I do know him, he's me.

- I'm grateful to be alive
and in this competition.

But it's really,

truly heartbreaking
that Paul's going home.

- Win it for me.
You promise?

- Yeah.
For you, I promise.

[whimpers]

- Next time on "Ellen's
Next Great Designer"...

- Hi. How y'all doing?
both: Oh, my God.

- We would like to see
what you will do

being inspired
by different shapes.

all: Oh.

- I absolutely
hate this shape.

♪ ♪

- Wow.
- Oh, my God.

If this works,
it's gonna be amazing.

- Oh!
- Ohh!

- It could shatter
into a million tiny pieces,

and then we would have
nothing to work with.

- Ah!
- Don't touch it.

- I'm not gonna--
- Move, move, move, move.

- If I don't get this
fundamental part of my design,

I may as well just go home.

- Oh, my God,
the whole chandelier

just snapped in half.

♪ ♪

- I've never seen
anything like this.

- It's a statement.

- It feels like a rock and roll
piece a little bit.

- Yes, please.
- Yes.

- It's very tricky
to take a shape

and not have it look cheesy.

- I don't love the color.

I mean, it's not a high-end,
luxury item.

- Ugh!

- I think you tried
a little too much.

Unfortunately, the person
going home today is...

- Anyway.