For those of us who are afraid to hang a picture, there are myriad shows offering lessons in interior decorating.

		'Top Design' When: 11 p.m. tomorrow, Bravo. Starring: Todd Oldham.

But Bravo's new series "Top Design" is also instructive on what not to do.

Like the network's "Project Runway" and "Top Chef," "Top Design" tests contestants' talent with weekly challenges. Judges Jonathan Adler and Kelly Wearstler, who are designers, and Elle Decor editor Margaret Russell decide who stays and who goes.

The winner gets a spread in Elle Decor and $100,000 in seed money to launch an interior design business.

"People lack confidence in making [decorating] decisions," said host Todd Oldham.

But when we see professionals on "Top Design" make atrocious decisions, we don't feel so bad about our own lack of flair.

In the first episode, tomorrow at 11 p.m. (it moves to its regular 10 p.m. slot next week), contestants are paired in twos and design a tranquil room for a busy celebrity.

The designers aren't told who the celebrity is, but they're shown several kitschy objects from the mystery celeb's own collection -- a moth in a shadow box, a large baby doll head, a miniature disco ball on a pedestal.

The teams have two days and a very generous $50,000 budget. From their home base, Los Angeles' Pacific Design Center, they have a cornucopia of dealers to buy from. But, of course, not all the designers work well with others.

Michael Adams, an FIT and Parsons grad who has never picked up a paintbrush, is paired with John Gray, a self-made Chicagoan with a homophobic streak. The pairings are arbitrary, swears Adler. "The drama was sort of a bonus."

As with "Idol," the judges' putdowns are part of the appeal.

When one team chooses an Asian theme with an ostentatious Chinese wedding bed, Russell says the room looks like "a Chinese restaurant." The insults get nastier in later episodes: "hamburger shack," "assisted-living facility."

"Our mission as judges was to be honest and not to really sugar-coat things," said Adler. "The minute you commit to being honest, interesting things start to pop out of your mouth."

As Adler tells one contestant: "If I had to live here, I would shoot myself."

But he did concede that the designers are under tremendous pressure and, given more time, even the Chinese restaurant room could have been a success.

"They could have made it work. They could have Tim Gunn-ed it," said Adler, referring to "Project Runway's" resident adviser.

Even Adler has been inspired by the series' designers.

"When I started doing the show, I really didn't know what to expect," he said. "Then I got there and over the course of the show, I became a fan of these designers. And I came away with some ideas."