Designer Michel Smith Boyd (right) and couturier Anthony Elle (left) from Luxe for Less elevate cost-conscious creativity to an art form. On Rock the Block’s fourth season of competition, this makes them the duo to watch. “I think the other teams might underestimate us,” Michel said when he arrived. “Luxury for us means knowing how to spend the money and how to create an experience. I’m a designer by trade, and I specialize in luxury, and I can’t wait to deliver that to Rock the Block.” Anthony is also confident his skill set will keep them ahead of the curve: “As the DIY maker with a background in couture design, I’ve got us covered — and that keeps our budget in check.”

The scenic town of Berthoud, Colorado, has never seen competition on this scale. Teams will compete to make the most of identical homes with an initial appraisal value of $1.9 million, and they’ve got budgets of $250,000 apiece to make the magic happen. Michel and Anthony have that magic well in hand: “We’re fashion boys, so [we know] if it’s happening on the runway today it will trickle down to interiors in the next year. So mountain modern is what we’re doing in this home, and together we’re unstoppable,” Michel said. “Nobody else is going to bring as much sexy to their house as us. You know, Page [Turner] and Mitch [Glew], they’re cute. The island renovators [Bryan and Sarah Baeumler]? They’re cute. And the farmhouse people [Jonathan Knight and Kristina Crestin] are lovely. But sexy? That’s us.”

The first order of business in the kitchen: much-needed innovation for the lackluster island. Inspired by Michel’s own kitchen, they planned to create a dual purpose, bi-level island installation with a waterfall edge that featured a counter-height prep area and chairs at table height. They budgeted $65,000 of their budget for the first week of renovations: “We’re going to make that 65 look like 100, and I stand by that,” Michel said.

Michel and Anthony spent $8,260 on herringbone hardwood floors with rich natural graining, then complemented that warm tone with durable porcelain for the island and countertops that rang in at $4,500 less than they would have spent on marble. “It’s just a beautiful blend between the wood finish as well as the porcelain,” Anthony noted. Along the kitchen’s rear wall, in turn, they made a graphic statement by transitioning from the porcelain backsplash to crisp black tile that frames the range hood beautifully.