Congratulations Matt Locke!

Matt Locke, the Colorado Springs contestant on HGTV's "Design Star," vaulted into the finals of the reality competition by making over his parents' craft room, back here in the Springs, into a rec room/living room/craft room.

He used one of his now-patented "functional objects" to turn a corner holding a pottery kiln into a TV wall that rolls away to reveal the kiln:

I've been calling Locke the frontrunner since pretty much the first challenge, when his bed design simply blew away the rest of the group.

Locke and fellow finalist Jennifer will be helping some Katrina victims rebuild their homes in the finals held next Sunday.

I'll try to get Matt on the phone this week for a preview, or, barring that, definitely next week after the finals.

Also: The winner is selected by viewer voting, so call early and often.