HGTV star to appear at Pittsburgh Home Show

Anthony Carrino, one of the “Kitchen Cousins” from HGTV, will be a celebrity guest at the upcoming Pittsburgh Indoor/Outdoor Home Show.

Next weekend's show at the Monroeville Convention Center will feature about 200 exhibitors displaying the latest trends in home and garden design. The show attracts around 16,000 visitors every year, says Patti Cartwright, owner of Coral Productions, based in Rochester, N.Y., which organizes the show.

Carrino, who will appear from noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 9, and his cousin, John Colaneri, worked together in construction for 10 years before being discovered by HGTV in mid-2011 for their combination of being both the designers and contractors on their projects.

“Kitchen Cousins” premiered in October 2011, and after two seasons, a second show went beyond the kitchen with “Cousins On Call.” Their newest show, “Cousins Undercover,” premiered last year.

Carrino will discuss how to assemble the right team for home projects.

“It's more about helping people understand the process of design and construction,” Carrino says. “This is something that they shouldn't be afraid of making the wrong decisions about, because there are ways of going about it that will allow you to be successful.”

Carrino will end with a question-and-answer session.

Visitors to the home show will have a chance to win a two-story modular home from 422 Homes by guessing a six-digit combination to unlock a safe. Other prizes include a high-speed washer and dryer, billiard table and a T-shirt autographed by Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

Melanie Donahoo is a freelance writer for Trib Total Media.