HGTV hits McKinney: Designer duel brings national network to the city

Home and Garden Television is bringing a new attitude to interior design in McKinney. Its new show, "Showhouse Showdown," features two designers duking it out for the chance to win "best design" for Meritage Homes' two new model homes in McKinney.

The designers were chosen from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and have been armed with eight weeks and thousands of dollars to make their mark on one of the most popular floor plans in DFW.

Rick Harvey is the Texas region president for Meritage Homes.

"When HGTV approached Meritage Homes with this opportunity, the top 10 homebuilder concluded it was an ideal way to showcase what sets Meritage Homes apart from its competition and raise visibility for a company that is 25 years strong and making the American Dream come true for tens of thousands of families across the country," he said.

The initial filming took place Wednesday, with the final showdown from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

"They are decorating five rooms," Harvey said. "It is actually quite a task for the designers. Each 32-square-foot home has the exact same rooms --- four bedrooms, two-and-a-half-baths and a living room. Went through Wednesday and looked at color palettes, and they couldn't be more different. I have not seen what they have done; they want me to see that Saturday."

Meritage Homes is the only large national homebuilder to be 100 percent Energy Star-qualified in every home since January 2010. Meritage Homes is planning to open six more new communities in Texas. Harvey said the company joined in on HGTV's fun to promote awareness of the extreme energy-efficient products in every home they build.

Dawn Stroupe, executive producer of HGTV's "Showhouse Showdown," said McKinney caught the eye of HGTV because of its resurgence of homebuilding.

"Building is going on in the state of Texas," Stroupe said. "Your economy is doing well. We found by reaching out to builders throughout the nation that there is a lot of building going on in the state. We started to work with Meritage homes, who is building in McKinney."

Designers for the showdown were chosen after several interviews. The eight-week process culminates with voting by the public.

"It all comes down to the public," Stroupe said. "They get to come out, see the beautiful show homes and get a scorecard to decide who wins. In each episode we have two designers that have differing design aesthetics. It would be no fun if you walked into the house and it was the same. The question is, which of these houses would you buy?"

The public is invited to attend the judging event from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 4. The first 100 people will receive scorecards and will be allowed to vote. The judging will be held at Meritage Homes at 108 Bellegrove Drive in McKinney.

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