The 13 girls competing on The CW's America's Next Top Model won't be providing the only eye candy during the series' eighth season, as the runway hopefuls will be living in a modern mansion perched high above Los Angeles.
ADVERTISEMENT
Top Model production designer Jeff Hall took the contemporary digs the contestants called home during filming and added a "lounge vibe." In the February 26 issue of TV Guide, Hall provided a tour of the mansion.
Because aspiring models need their beauty sleep but also have to keep their eyes on the prize, Hall designed each bedroom to evoke a photo-shoot setting. In one bedroom birds are the theme, with light fixtures perched inside cages instead of feathered friends. In addition, the birdy-bedroom features a photo of Top Model 2 winner Yoanna wearing a motorcycle helmet -- which Hall said means she's "in flight" -- and also added bird of paradise flowers as an "exotic touch above the headboards."
"It allows for a little bit of fantasy and it's playful," Hall told TV Guide about all of the bedroom themes.
The mansion's living room also reminds the Top Model contestants why they're in Los Angeles, as the coffee table doubles as a catwalk. It's illuminated and adorned with a botanical print -- the starting point for a plant motif repeated in the wall art and accessories -- which is continued throughout the house. High ceilings and a comfy sofa are constantly monitored by a portrait of Top Model creator and judge Tyra Banks. However the portrait also serves a practical purpose, as it shields the mansion's phone room, which was created by converting an indoor/outdoor bar.
ADVERTISEMENT
Despite the common misconception, models also need to eat, so Hall designed the mansion's kitchen and dining area based on a "stylish Los Angeles restaurant," complete with a round table that can comfortably seat all the girls. Above the kitchen counter is a collage of Top Model winners and runner-ups and hanging above the table is a large, white chandelier composed of a series of concentric circles.
"[The chandelier] mimics the same shape as the table and ties it all together," Hall told TV Guide.
The 13 Top Model contestants are also offered a jet-line view of Los Angeles thanks to the mansion's terrace, an outdoor room just off the kitchen. If watching stunning sunsets isn't their cup of tea, the terrace's curtains can be drawn for privacy. Weather also isn't an issue on the terrace, as its throw pillows and oversized padded benches are protected with a cover.
And what Los Angeles mansion would be complete without a pool for the Top Model girls to lounge around. A glass wall in the mansion opens to a travertine-tiled patio. Hall accented the clean-lined architecture of the pool and patio area with a golden statue of Venus -- the Greek goddess of beauty.
"It doesn't go with the house, but we thought we'd have a little fun and throw an oddball piece in," Hall told TV Guide.
ADVERTISEMENT
The eighth season of America's Next Top Model is scheduled to premiere with a two-hour episode on Wednesday, February 28 at 8PM ET/PT on The CW.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio