HGTV host and designer Sabrina Soto
HGTV host and designer Sabrina Soto has cornered the market on how to make-over tired living spaces into luxurious retreats thanks to an innate ability to work with champagne tastes on beer budgets. Appearing on numerous design shows, her latest endeavor, "The High Low Project," showcases splurge-verses-steal room transformations in which she mirrors the look of a high-end room costing tens of thousands of dollars for a much more wallet-friendly look without sacrificing an ounce of style. Her recently released book, "Home Design: A Layer by Layer Approach to Turning Your Ideas Into the Home of Your Dreams" (Wiley, $19.99), offers the designed-challenged a simple plan of attack for freshening up any room in the house. Named Target's Style Expert for the Home, her knack for creating affordable luxury has made her one of HGTV's most popular personalities. Details: www.sabrinasoto.com
Question: The resources for inspiration these days are endless -- blogs, design shows, magazines, the Internet -- which is great -- but it's easy to end up feeling completely overwhelmed. What plan of attack should someone have when taking on a design project?
Answer: You see a bunch of great stuff and you think "I'm ready to make a change" but you end up with nothing because you don't know how to put it together. Having inspiration is great, but remembering it all is key. You have to start off with a plan. That's the most boring part because people want a certain look and they want it now. ... It's a process. You have to have patience. You have to take your time, because that's when you're going to find the deals.
Q: Do you ever find yourself having a "creative block" when re-creating a space?
A: Of course! I'd be lying if I said I didn't. Sometimes, when I'm overwhelmed, I just start shopping because there are times when clients come to me with something to start off on and times when they've got nothing. Usually, I find it in random places. Sometimes in a department store, online or in a thrift store.
Q: Your new book, "Home Design," is all about the art of layering. How long does it typically take you to nail down the look you are going for?
A: It really does depend on the room. It depends on where you're starting. Some people start from scratch, and others have half of what they need. If you're just freshening up a room, it could take a month, if you're completely re-doing it, it could take 8 months.
Q: When you walk into a home for the first time, is there one common mistake you see people making?
A: Hanging art too high -- it drives me bananas. I want to start walking around with a hammer and nail and start fixing everything. The center of a piece of art should be eye level. And another thing is putting rugs on top of wall-to-wall carpet.
Q: Do your friends and family get nervous when they know the Style Expert is coming over to visit?
A: Yes! My girlfriend moved into a house she was re-doing, and she wouldn't let me come over until it was completely done eight months later. I'm not judging the decor. I'm not there to critique your design. I'm just there to hang out and have a glass of wine! So please, let Sabrina in.
Q: Have you ever been in the midst of a room re-design and decided to scrap it and take off in an entirely new direction?
A: No, never. Usually because before I start the install, especially for the show, I have a plan that's not going anywhere. The only time I have to change things is if something breaks or if something would come in in the wrong color. Although, one time, we were re-doing a room and had set all the furniture out on the front lawn without knowing that the owner had put an ad on Craig's List saying "free furniture out on the lawn." So someone came by in a pickup truck and took everything. I cried!
Q: Every project you do is so fresh and unique. Are you ever inspired so much by the end result that you want to go home and completely re-do one of your own rooms?
A: Yes, all the time. Probably every episode I end up saying, "I want one of those." The problem is I live in an apartment in New York with no backyard, and I don't think they'd be too happy if I was sanding in the hallway. Not like I haven't tried ... .
