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Feb. 26, 2024

The Real World of Design with Genevieve Gorder

The Real World of Design with Genevieve Gorder

Debbie Travis, Tommy Smythe and Genevieve Gorder pull back the curtain on early lifestyle reality television.

This week, Tommy and Debbie are actually talking about design & decorating in honour of a special guest! Genevieve Gorder is one of America’s favorite interior designers for years. She is the founder and director of the Genevieve Gorder brand, a television host, designer, producer, a home product designer, contributing author, and global ambassador for home and human rights. Gorder has appeared and been featured in several dozen lifestyle shows around the world. Currently, you can find Genevieve on Netflix, HGTV, Bravo, TLC, Amazon, numerous talk shows, and now on Crackle TV with her new show At Home with Genevieve. A two time Emmy nominee and regular design host at the White House, Genevieve has built multiple lifestyle collections for home. From rugs and textiles to wallpaper, jewelry and a full line of furniture and decor. Off Air and internet, Genevieve designs and consults for a diverse group of clients and companies. While she has guided many hotels, restaurants, cruise lines, towns and private clients towards their design dreams, her latest project will open in 2025 as a Six Senses hotel in Mexico. She travels the world with Oxfam as a Sister on the Planet ambassador, using her influence to fight global poverty, hunger and injustice with a particular focus on home and empowering women and girls. Gorder’s work has been featured in numerous publications nationally and internationally. Currently you can find her on the cover and featured in the NYT best seller “In the Company of Women”. Genevieve resides with her husband and furniture designer Christian Dunbar and daughter Bebelle in Manhattan. 

Debbie, Tommy & Genevieve discuss their early collaborations and the impact they had on viewers and future designers. They also reflect on the success of shows like Changing Rooms and Trading Spaces, which revolutionized the design industry. The conversation explores the democratization of design and the joy of teaching and communicating design to a wide audience. Genevieve and Debbie share their passion for creativity and the importance of finding inspiration in everyday life. They also discuss the challenges and rewards of the renovation process and the joy of creating spaces that bring happiness to people's lives. They touch on the realities of television production, filming challenges, finding drama in home renovations, and appreciating the realness of the process.

Topics covered:

  • Introduction and Admiration
  • Early Collaborations and TV Shows
  • Passion for Design from Childhood
  • Impact on Viewers and Future Designers
  • The Success of Changing Rooms and Trading Spaces
  • The Rise of Reality TV and Design Shows
  • Early TV Experiences and Real World
  • Diplomacy and Creativity
  • Translating Design and Joyful Approach
  • Teaching and Communicating Design
  • Design as a Calling and Teaching Process
  • Democratization of Design and DIY
  • Breaking Barriers and Changing the Industry
  • Taking Ownership and Creating Collections
  • Finding Inspiration and Learning from Italy
  • Passion for Design and Teaching
  • Balancing Creativity and Teaching
  • Sharing the Renovation Process
  • The Cost of Renovations
  • Creating Destinations
  • The Realities of Television
  • Filming Challenges
  • Finding Drama in Home Renovations
  • Appreciating the Realness
  • Continuing the Conversation


Find more information about Genevieve's collections:

Jewelry: https://monyajewelry.com/pages/genevieve-gorder

Rugs: https://buymymagiccarpet.com/pages/genevieve-gorder-collection

Wallpaper: https://tempaper.com/collections/genevieve-gorder?gad_source=1

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