UCO Professor`s New York Apartment to Appear

on Upcoming HGTV Show

August 18, 2006

University of Central Oklahoma Professor of Design James Robert Watson will have his New York City apartment featured on an upcoming episode of Small Space, Big Style.

The program premiers on Home and Garden Television (HGTV)—seen locally on Cox Cable channel 58 — sometime in September.

The show features stylish homes under 1,000 square feet. In each episode, the host meets the homeowners and learns the tricks to making the most out of limited space.

Watson entered a contest on a design website by sending in pictures and a floor plan of his 630 square foot apartment in Battery Park City, Manhattan.

Although he didn’t win the contest, someone from HGTV noticed his entry on the website.

"I got an email from someone at a show on HGTV called, Small Space, Big Style,” Watson said.

“She asked if I was willing to speak with one of their producers and I said, you bet!”

The show’s production team filmed Watson`s apartment in May and included it in the upcoming episode, Uncluttered Chic in Small Spaces.

Watson`s segment is called Souvenirs That Add Character to a New York Apartment, which examines how he decorated in a New York motif while maximizing his small living space.

The highlight of the apartment is an “Ode to New York” featuring 96 miniature Statues of Liberty and 96 miniature Empire State Buildings—two of the most recognizable New York icons—arranged in a grid in the footprint plan of the World Trade Center towers.

The apartment also includes a 3D puzzle of the New York Skyline illuminated by lamps featuring 9-foot tall stems that can be bent to any configuration. In addition, viewers will see slanted and lipped shelves crafted by Watson that hold books about New York City.

Watson inherited the New York City apartment from his parents, who passed away a few years ago. He lives in Edmond and teaches at UCO, but makes New York City his home in the summertime. He also gives study tours there yearly with his UCO students.

For more information, please call (405) 974-5212.

Page updated 8/18/06