Staten Island Disser Now Taking On TV
The woman who managed to make [ice cream controversial](/blogx/display_blog.cfm?bid=62590018&day=13&startmonth=6&startyear=2007) is once again in the spotlight, but this time, its as one of six remaining contestants on HGTVs ["Design Star,"] an interior design reality competition now in its second season. [Kim Myles](http://www.kimmyles.com/), who co-runs [5 Boroughs Ice Cream](http://www.5boroughsicecream.com/index.html) with her husband Scott, drew criticism when the pair decided to name one of its concoctions Staten Island Landfill, leading Staten Island borough president James P. Molinaro to call for a boycott of all the companys products. Just two months later, Myles is the only New Yorker in the TV competition vying for the chance to host her very own design show on the network. We spoke with Kim to hear how the multi-tasking also-hairdresser went from chocolate chips to paint chips and to follow up on the controversy.
So how exactly did you go from mixing ice cream flavors to interior decorating? I think ice cream and interior designing both speak to how I live my life, taking risks and taking chances Im not professionally trained, but Im passionate about it. Newly passionate. I think the two intersect because its two people who are willing to put it out there, putting it forward, and living our dreams
So when did you become interested in interior design? Ive always kind of been obsessed with interior design, ever since I was a little girl. When I was 12 years old, my uncle gave me a stack of Architectural Digest, and it was just mind blowing that people could live like that and that places could look like those. Because it certainly didnt look like that on my cul-de-sac And when I moved to New York, it was completely awe-inspiring. Everywhere you looked, someone was putting something out there that was a statement, really been into it and being interested in it.
Youve say youve had no formal training. How did you learn the ropes? In my apartment. I said this is something Im going to dabble with, so Id repaint and redesign every three months. That has been the learning process for me, putting it into process in my house, just really immersing myself in what other people are doing, too. And then I designed for brave friends. Ive never been paid to do it. It was always in my home or my friends. So to participate in home "Design Star" is a huge leap for me, taking a private hobby of mine and putting it out on the national stage.
How did you find out about the show? I watched it last year and fell in love with it. And part of what I loved about it was that it was clearly not about drama for dramas sake. The prize, at the end of the day, is your own show. They dont give you money, they give you a career. I was obsessed. And I love the structure of the challenges. There are individual challenges with limited budgets and limited time, so you had to turn on that creativity to the fullest within those parameters.
What was the application process like? When they put out the call for season two, I made a 5-minute tape, just me in my apartment and showing them my projects and my crazy stacks of tear sheets from the 18 million magazines that Ive collected over the years. If you knew the amount Id spent on design magazines Listen, I have what it takes. I came to New York as a theater actor, and I realized pretty soon that I actually wasnt brilliant at pretending to be other people and I wasnt going to make a living at it. But I realized that Im really, really good at being myself. Ive never worked on camera, but I felt like I would really be able to translate my ability to present that to a camera.
So, I know youre sworn to secrecy about the shows outcome, but can you tell me generally what the experience was like? Well, right now Im one of six left of the original 11. I lived in Las Vegas. We all flew out to begin filming in March, and we all lived there, in a housetogether. Our first design challenge was actually to design the penthouse Its all interior-driven challenges with a specific budget and time limit. Afterwards, we all head over to the elimination studio to be judged, and they pick apart the work.
Have you thought at all about what your show will be like if you win? Will you come back to New York? My dream going into it was, "What if I can win? And what if I get it? And what would my show be?" It would be all about New York. Mine would be taking people in their first year in Manhattanwho have come here with a dream and who are working the heinous hours that we all do, making no moneyand making them a place that is inspirational, make a space that reminds them of why they took the risk, why they came here. That is my dream show.
So I have to ask: What happened with the 5 Boroughs controversy and the boycott campaign? Weve had a huge year at 5 Boroughs. That happened, and it actually tripled our sales. It really put us on the map. Weve crossed state lines and are now available at Whole Foods in New Jersey and Connecticut. We are thrilled that New Yorkers have really adopted us Were actively now in the position to be seeking inventors. Weve put our dreams out there and 5 Boroughs Ice Cream is really exceeding our expectations. The plan for us would be to roll out new flavors in 2008, including Staten Island Cherry.
Design Star airs Sundays at 9pm. You can read more about Kims experiences on the show on [her blog].