Design Squad

When I accepted a producer position in New York for the sixth season of HGTV Design Star, even though it was only for a few months, I was determined to put a designer spin on my own 475-square-foot chunk of corporate housing. Sure, moving to Manhattan and producing a high-profile, prime-time hit reality-competition series is stressful; however, transient can be much harder, especially in spaces where paint and permanent installations are prohibited. Since I pride myself on pushing the envelope when it comes to decorating, the idea of living somewhere with bone-colored walls, mass-produced corporate art and a homogenized excuse for an area rug just wasn’t going to cut it. Located just a hop, skip and a jump from the Empire State Building, here’s how I—along with New York design blogger friends Susan Brinson and Ashlina Kaposta—used the art of temporary design to take my Murray Hill apartment from beige and bland to playful and pattern-tastic.

Man of Design Brian patrick flynn’s Favorite Things

 Car: Vintage Jeep Grand Wagoneer with wood-paneled doors  Artist: Jonathan Fenske  Chair: Platner lounge chair with smoke boucle upholstery  Restaurant: Victory Sandwich Bar Kitchen Gadget: Electric hand blender; the only relationship I have with my kitchen is the six minutes I spend in it to whip up protein shakes  Coffee Table Book: Hue by Kelly Wearstler; I love how her interiors are like fine works of abstract art and the photography is incredible  Comfort Food: Homemade biscuits and sausage gravy Wallpaper: It’s a tie between Illusion: Black from Graham & Brown and Hicks Hexagon in pink-and-gray from Cole and Son  Paint Colors: Queen’s Wreath 1426 by Benjamin Moore because it’s the perfect balance of gray and plum; I love using violets, browns and grays together  Cocktail: Absolut Mandarin and Sprite; I’m not much of a drinker so it’s likely you’ll find me holding the same one I ordered at 8:30 p.m. only half empty at 11 p.m.  Movie: Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead  Charity: ASPCA; I have two rescue dogs and can’t imagine life without them  Way to Entertain: Outdoors, buffet-style … at someone else’s house  TV Show: Raising Hope  Vacation Spot: The Four Corners