Showhouse Showdown

HGTV settles the score between two Houston designers as a wine room takes on awaterfall

Angela Lee, ASID Allied Member, is the principal designer for Evolution byDesign, which she founded with her husband William Lee.
Photo by Felix Sanchez
With a client list ranges from new construction homeowners, to some of the NFL’smost respected athletes, Lee tries to reflect the unique personality in each ofher deisgns as shown in this 2007 living room project.
Photo by Felix Sanchez
Example of Angela Lee's work from a 2007 master bath project.
Photo by Felix Sanchez
Cindy Aplanalp, AISD Allied, general speaks of her style as an "elegant mix ofsophisticated eclectic," incorporating touches of the traditional and a savvyuse of textures and technology.
B. Goldman
Example of Aplanalp's work in a 2010 residential project in Kehmah.
The kitchen from Aplanalp's 2010 residential project in Kehmah.

The city’s interior design scene was all a-flutter this summer when HGTV selected two Houston designers to duke it out in on its newest half-hour reality competition, Showhouse Showdown. Due to the fickle nature of TV scheduling though, everyone is still waiting to find out who won months later.

In the sweltering heat of early August, Cindy Aplanalp and Angela Lee took on identical 3,000-square-foot homes in northeast Houston’s Fall Creek community. Tasked with creating five original rooms on a $50,000 budget, each designer was given roughly a week to craft unique spaces that appeal to a broad spectrum of home buyers.

“It was harder to be filmed working than I thought,” Lee laughs. “You have to execute your designs, talk to the camera and try to look good all at the same time.”

More than 400 people turned up for a public tour of the houses on Aug. 13, the first 150 of which voted on their favorite of the two designs. With the help of former reality star Bob Guiney, Showhouse Showdown: The Wine Room vs. the Indoor Waterfall will settle the score when it airs this January.

“It was harder to be filmed working than I thought,” laughs Angela Lee, owner and principle designer of Evolution by Design. “You have to execute your designs, talk to the camera and try to look good all at the same time.”

“I had a style called ‘functional elegant’ to guide me through the project,” Lee says. “It’s a transitional style that’s not really contemporary and not really traditional. In other words, I looked to modern lines with a classic feeling.” To maintain the balance, she mixed traditional elements with modern accents.

While $50,000 may seem like a perfectly sizeable budget to the uninitiated, Lee says, the money goes quickly when having to account for cabinets and appliances for the kitchen. Used to working with million-dollar client budgets, both designers found themselves in the unfamiliar position of making many of their design decisions based on cost.

“I do a lot of expensive homes and wanted to bring some of those high-end elements into my designs,” says Aplanalp, a principle at By Design Interiors. “I used venetian plaster on several key walls and had my own carpenter hand-craft trim to the window casements. Instead of ceiling fans, I chose cool lighting features.”

To save her budget, Aplanalp put her family to work, having them move furniture and sew decorative pillows. She also re-purposed a broken piece of furniture to create a low-cost wine cabinet and tried to purchase as much furniture from garage sales, World Market, Costco and Pier One as possible.

“Lighting is a magical element to interior designers in that it does so much to control the overall aesthetic. First lighting, then flooring. That’s always my design mantra,” Aplanalp says of her technique. “Wait until you see the master bedroom. It’s a very sexy space designed to be a retreat. With all this wonderful accent lighting, anyone will look good naked in this room.”

Stay tuned for more details on Showhouse Showdown, as HGTV plans to post its revised fall and winter schedules in November. Everyone's going to find out who won — someday.

unspecified series568664006

sleep like an olympian

Houston Olympians share sleep tips at luxury mattress maker's posh store

Luxury sleep brand Saatva’s Houston showroom (1703 Post Oak Blvd.), referred to as a “Viewing Room” by the company, is one of only three in Texas, and 17 in the country. Its steadfast stance to exclusively manufacture all of their products — from mattresses to furniture collections— in the US, has contributed to the 15-year-old, eco-friendly company’s success.

Courtesy of Saatva

Saatva has joined Team USA as the official mattress for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Saatva is known for its made-to-order luxury mattresses that are always delivered white glove — never rolled and shipped. Designed in collaboration by Hines Collective and award-winning multidisciplinary architecture and design firm Ware Malcomb, the 4,000-square-foot viewing room integrates modern touches and emphasizes the new interpretation of Smarter Luxury Sleep.

From the moment a visitor enters through the foyer, the viewing room aims to redefine the customer experience. With its aromatic fragrance, subtle color palette, warm lighting, and sustainable flooring and wall treatments, Saatva Houston offers an inviting respite from the city’s bustle.

Further into the space, silvery trees form a canopy under the ceiling’s gentle curves. Soft fabrics and floor-to-ceiling mirrors punctuate the walls throughout, creating a unified environment from start to finish. In keeping with Saatva’s “made in America” philosophy, interior materials and finishes, including the architectural lighting, were manufactured in the U.S.

The Houston store also features a collaboration with Samsung, allowing customers the option to choose a self-guided tour of Saatva’s products. Customers can also test pillows, sateen sheets, and beautifully-upholstered furniture collections in store. Saatva even thought of the four-legged family members with a posh dog bed.

Supporting Team U.S.A.

Saatva’s commitment to all things American now reaches beyond the realm of manufacturing. The brand recently partnered with Team U.S.A. to provide mattresses during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. To celebrate their 15 year anniversary and new partnership, Saatva Houston recently invited two highly-decorated, Houston-native Olympic athletes to an intimate gathering to share the importance of restorative sleep.

Three-time Olympian and seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Manuel — who also happens to be the first Black American woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming — was joined by two-time Olympian and four-time Olympic medalist Bryce Deadmon (Track & Field) for the celebratory breakfast. Both athletes dished on their favorite Houston cheat meal spots and the restorative sleep routines they live by.

Pre-sleep routine of Olympian Simone Manuel (two Gold, four Silver, one Bronze)

“I think the biggest thing is definitely putting my phone away as early as possible,” she says. “It’s hard, you know? There are so many distractions, but I try to at least limit them if I can’t completely eliminate them.” Manual gets in bed around 9 pm, with her phone off limits. “I like to watch TV before I go to sleep, but I at least try to turn down the brightness and put on blue light glasses, and that helps a lot. Sometimes I’ll put the TV on mute and then I’ll turn on some white noise.” Manuel’s go-to sleepy time extras? Lavender linen spray and eucalyptus incense.

Favorite Houston healthy spots: Local Table and JLB Eatery
Favorite Houston cheat meal spots: On The Kirb, The Rouxpour, and Pappadeaux.

Pre-sleep routine of Olympian Bryce Deadmon (two Gold, one Silver, one Bronze)

Deadmon relies on 20 minutes of meditation to get ready to go to bed. “I try to make sure I do that just to make sure I’m not really thinking when I get into bed. So, I kind of regulate my breathing before getting into bed — that’s really my main thing. It can be dangerous,” Deadmon adds with a laugh. “I have fallen asleep while meditating. I’ll wake up like ‘What’s going on?!’ That’s not supposed to happen. But it really calms me down before I actually go to sleep.”

Favorite Houston healthy spot: Pre-made meals from H-E-B
Favorite Houston cheat meal spots: Doña Leti’s and Burger Bodega.

home-design furniture

Showhouse Showdown

HGTV settles the score between two Houston designers as a wine room takes on awaterfall

Family-friendly Houston restaurant picks Missouri City for 6th location

$150 million, 12,500-seat entertainment venue coming to Houston in 2027

Beyoncé-loved Houston brunch spot expands and more popular stories

sleep like an olympian

Houston Olympians share sleep tips at luxury mattress maker's posh store