Taniya Nayak is on cloud nine. Understandably so, after all she was among the 4 (out of a several hundred contestants) who made it as a Knock First Young Designer for ABC Family’s new teen series 'Knock First'.

‘Knock First’, says the ABC Family network ‘is a half hour d-I-y reality show where contestants transform their outdated rooms into kickin’ pads. The magic happens during a two-day, all night party with their best friends, a hip young designer and two totally handy carpenters.” "Knock First" airs on ABC Family at 5:30 p.m., weekdays.

Taniya, who is working to earn a masters degree in Interior design from the Boston Architecture Center, is the daughter of area Architect and a Community leader, Mr. B.D. Nayak. She has worked as an office manager and junior draft person in her father’s Architectural firm and insists that it is, in large part, her father’s encouragement and guidance that have landed her this opportunity. "I continue to learn from him," she says.

So how does she go about transforming a total stranger’s interior space, we wonder. “ It’s all about getting to know the person I am designing for”, explains Taniya. “When I talk to the teen, I ask questions, I try to gauge the young person’s interests and I get a fair idea of what would suit him/her. We take a tour of the room and I try to figure out a way to integrate the teen’s personality and sense of style into his/her living space. Incidentally, the parents are sent away from the house, put up at a hotel or someplace when we get to work.“

Again, the ABC Family site describes the process thus “Supervised and assisted by the Knock First Crew, our contestant’s friend’s help to strip, rip, paint and prime the room. Then, our contestant and the designer will head out to the "vision wall" onboard the bus, and look at what the designer has planned. In the confessional, the friends will give their thoughts on the plans for the new room.“

Taniya tells us that the experience was an eye opener and a lot of fun.

Taniya is a former Ms. India New England and was named one of The Improper Bostonian's Boston's Most Beloved Bartenders in 2001. ABC Family airs 30 half-hour episodes, with the bedrooms divided among the designers.

"Knock First" is produced in Boston and was conceived by Scout Productions, which created summer sensation "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy."

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