Edmonton Home Show 2014: 10 Questions for HGTV's Sarah Richardson

The 2014 Edmonton Home + Garden Show is running from March 20 to the 23 at the Edmonton Expo Centre. This year, in addition to having over 750 exhibitors, we're thrilled to welcome the Sarah Richardson host, co-creator and co-producer of four celebrated HGTV series'.

Join Sarah on Sunday, March 16th at 1:00pm on the State Farm Main Stage presented by HGTV. She's an award-winning designer known for jaw-dropping transformations; we were thrilled to have the opportunity to interview her. Check it out below! 

10 Qs for Designer Sarah Richardson 

1. What three items do you always keep in your purse/pockets?
"Phone, lip gloss, credit card (I rarely have cash - just ask Tommy! he often has to loan to me)"

2. What is your favourite room in your home and why?
"Living room - it gets amazing east and west light and is an awesome place to hang out or entertain."

3. How were you discovered?
"Amoryn Engel, society reporter for the National Post and Hello! Magazine, was a segment producer for a lifestyle show on Life Network. She heard that I had a decorative art business painting floorcloths, and called to ask me if I could do a segment on the show, Real Life to teach people how to make them. At the time I was working behind the scenes on a TV show for CTV and understood the beginning/middle/end steps of illustrating a "how to" project. When I arrived for the show, they were running early, so they grabbed everything out of the car, threw it in the studio, and the cameras rolled shortly after. I literally never had a chance to get nervous, and it turned out that Barb Williams (now an executive at Shaw Media) was in the directors booth and took notice. It wasn't a rocket ride to stardom by any means, and the road to success was paved with a LOT of hard work, but by 1999 I'd been given the green light for my own show. I've hosted and co-created and co-produced 5 distinct series since then."

4. Most memorable career moment to date?
"Winning a Gemini for Best Host (for Sarah's House) was pretty memorable - it is wonderful to be honoured by your industry.

5. What famous figure(s) inspires your career?
"There are so many legendary designers to be inspired by. David Hicks, Mark Hampton, Elsie de Wolfe, Dorothy Draper all created innovative and exceptional interiors, and are still revered today. Designing interiors that stand the test of time is a huge accomplishment in the fast paced world we live in."

6. Any embarrassing on-the-job moments you’d like to share?
"I think I did a pretty good job of sharing a LOT of embarrassing moments in Design Inc and Sarah's House! I created those shows to show the human side of design and share that something always goes wrong. While 6 months pregnant with my second daughter I was concurrently shooting both Sarah's House and Sarah's Cottage, in different locations over 3 hours apart, and designing a home in England for clients. When the doors for the cottage arrived, the glass was wrong, and it was my fault because I had signed off without looking closely enough at the plans. It cost a few thousand dollars and I shared my mistake on international TV…a bit embarrassing, but honesty and accountability matter to me!"

7. Describe your design style in five words or less.
"Contemporary informed by classic perspective"

8. What are your personal mantras?

• "The only answer is Yes!"
• "Lead, follow, or get out of the way."
• "You can get it if you really want (my theme song by Jimmy Cliff)"

9. What is the most challenging part of your job?
"Managing client expectations and budgets that are comprised of after-tax dollars. Reminding everyone that renovations and homes are brought to life through a huge investment of human time and effort, mistakes happen, things take longer than anticipated, and it's important to remember that everyone is genuinely trying their best."

10. What is your favorite organizational tip?
"Edit and purge, or as William Morris said so much more eloquently "Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.""

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Special thanks to Sarah Richardson for answering our 10 questions! Don't miss her at the Edmonton Home + Garden Show on Saturday, March 22 at 1:00 p.m. on the State Farm Main Stage presented by HGTV.

MARCH 20 - 23

EDMONTON EXPO CENTRE

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Main Stage Mania: Design Royalty to Descend on the Calgary Home + Garden Show

Calling all would-be rookie home renovators and designers! The State Farm Main Stage at the upcoming Calgary Home + Garden Show will play host to Canada’s top names in design, renovation and real estate – all armed with the wisdom and experience to find solutions to your toughest home project queries.

With big names like HGTV’s Bryan Baeumler and Tommy Smythe, plus the city’s top local experts, there will be no shortage of expert tips sure to take any home from admittedly underwhelming to delightedly outstanding. We sat down with these two fellas to discuss their current musings in home improvement and design – read below for a glimpse of what’s to come in each of their presentations!

Bryan Baeumler
As the star of HGTV’s Leave It To Bryan and House of Bryan, not to mention the new season Canada’s Handyman Challenge (airing now!), Bryan Baeumler is not one to shy away from a home improvement challenge. Join Bryan on the Main Stage on Friday, February 28 at 6PM and Saturday, March 1 at 11AM for his presentation on How To Save Your Home From Yourself, where the HGTV star will share his top tips for overcoming the most overwhelming of home improvement obstacles to arrive at the successful and rewarding achievement of your dream home.

What is your signature design style? And where do you find most of your design inspiration?

Bryan: Comfortably solid and efficient. I find my design inspiration all around me, but mostly in my head. I can’t see myself doing anything else – if I worked anywhere other than the design industry I would have to quit my job and return immediately!

What is one new home improvement tool you would like to add to your collection this year? And which local retail shop are you most likely to stop at to make the purchase?

Bryan: A welder. We break a lot of stuff around the shop! Lowe’s is great and my wife and I spend a lot of time there - it’s a great place to pick up any and all tools needed for home improvement projects.

Tommy Smythe

Tommy Smythe’s ever-reciprocated love affair with all things interior design has been made evident on several of HGTV’s most popular series, including design inc., Sarah’s House, Sarah’s Cottage and Sarah 101. Bring a pen and paper stage-side to learn the art of Mastering the Mix on the State Farm Main Stage on Friday, February 28 at 7PM and Saturday, March 1 at 1PM.

What’s your design mantra?

Tommy: Every renovation project begins with ‘The Triangle of Expectation’ – basically there’s good, there’s fast and there’s cheap.  You can have two out of the three.  It’s foolproof, universal and it always impresses. Real style is derived from confidence and the most confident among us are the risk takers. As the great American decorator Billy Baldwin once said, “A person with real flair is a gambler at heart” – I live by this credo.

Finish this sentence: If I didn’t work in the design industry, I would…

Tommy: Die. Or design menswear. Fashion has always been a major area of interest for me. My sister, Christie, actually went into that field; alongside her co-designer, Andrea Lenczner, the two head Smythe Les Vestes. Since fashion and design are so closely related, Andrea, Christie and I often exchange thoughts on colour, pattern, texture and detail. It’s really creatively stimulating to bounce ideas off of each other!

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Whatever your design dilemma, the helpful hints doled out at this year’s Calgary Home + Garden Show are not to be missed! To view the entire State Farm Main Stage schedule at the Calgary Home + Garden Show, please click here. See you there!

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