The Real Life Style Of TV Star Designer Krista Watterworth

Krista Watterworth is a designer familiar with stress—not only from the fast, no- time-for-error pace of her own TV design shows, but also from her collaborations with two of the most intriguing (okay, we'll say it, demanding—at least on-air) TV personalities, Restaurant Impossible's Robert Irvine and Rob Van Winkle of The Vanilla Ice Project. Her fab design sensibilities aside, Krista is also well versed in the art of stretching a dollar—on both shows, her budget to overhaul an entire restaurant or stage the major rooms in a home, respectively, is almost always just $10,000—less than the cost of a bath reno. Yet she gets it done…perfectly. Of course, Krista shines the brightest when she can bring her creative design skill set to a project that doesn't have a ticking TV clock. Her work has a fresh, timeless appeal that never looks "done," but rather serves as a reflection of the client.

Nationally known since 2006 for her highly acclaimed HGTV shows Save My Bath and Splurge & Save, she started her environmentally conscious Krista Watterworth Design Studio in 2003, splitting her time between residential projects and commercial renovations and between clients in New York City and Palm Beach County, Florida. We checked in with Krista about her skyrocketing career and asked her to share tips for home improvement success.

TotalHousehold: How did you first become an on-air design star?

Krista Watterworth: I started out as an actor. I had graduated with a master's from the Actors Studio Drama School and was in Los Angeles and NYC doing some pretty amazing auditions for a series regular role on television. It was an awesome time in my life because I was auditioning at NBC, ABC, HBO and Showtime for lead roles in pilots like Dexter and Grey’s Anatomy (while they were still in development). An acting agent at Abrams introduced me to their hosting agent Mark Turner, who's still my agent today and suggested I do some hosting while I was “waiting for the big gig.” My first audition was to host Save My Bath and, well, the rest is history.

How do you balance your own design business with the demands of doing TV shows?

Doing TV loses its glamour after awhile. Actually, it's not very glamorous on set—there’s physical labor and long hours. I used be to on the road constantly to shoot shows and specials for HGTV, the Food Network and the DIY Network. After four years I started to have babies and realized that I need to be closer to home. I’ve slowed down on the television work lately. My husband, Eric Alterman, and I have two little ones, Griffon, 5 and Skylar, 3, and my design business in Palm Beach County, Florida is doing really well. So my focus is now on my boutique firm and growing my brand, working for clients predominantly in Palm Beach and Broward Counties—I really only travel now if a Florida client has a second home. I do love having to be under the gun and to troubleshoot in the moment. Now I design that way—fast and furious. It’s just in my blood.

What's more challenging—designing spaces for a TV reno or for a personal client?

Designing for television is pretty hectic. We have hard deadlines and no room for error. A lot of preparation goes into every episode, so that makes life a little easier.

What was the most challenging assignment you faced on any of the shows?

There are too many to mention between four seasons of Save My Bath (over 50 episodes), one season of Splurge & Save (13 episodes), six episodes of Restaurant Impossible and three seasons of The Vanilla Ice Project. With TV, I got my used to designing in my lab—you meet the TV client once, see the house once, do video interviews and photographs, and that’s it. Then I'd spend all my time in the lab creating something based on the small amount of evidence I have from them.

In her own home, Krista asked longtime friend Jay Wallace of http://jwallacellc.com in York, PA to custom-create this amazing wallpaper. "The words are actually the lyrics to our wedding song, Valentine’s Day by Bruce Springsteen—my husband is a Jersey boy through and through," says Krista.

Oversized pieces look right in a home with high ceilings and an open floor plan. "My husband said he wanted a big clock, so I found the biggest one (it’s six feet tall) and it took three men to hang it."

"Modern and clean with a little sparkle…I didn’t want it to distract too much from the view," says Krista of the dramatic fixture over the dining table. The items on the side board reflect her personality—a grapevine, modern glassware and "a small part of my collection of china (I’m obsessed!)."

When should a homeowner call in a professional designer?

If you feel overwhelmed to the point that it's stressful and you can't make decisions, and your inability to make choices or selections is actually stunting the reno process. Usually clients get excited that someone else is making the decisions for them—that’s my job.

What's the secret for successfully integrating a client's personality and likes into their home décor?

I used to have an idea for a show called "20 Question Design" based on a list I have that I ask clients. The questions have nothing to do with design—what's your favorite novel or TV show, for instance. I use it to find out about them. One client loved the Twilight series so I created an amazing mural from a photograph of a realistic but very ethereal forest. What we love about art and pop culture feeds into who we are, so I start with that. I use Pinterest a lot—I'll have clients create a Pinterest page that has boards with all their favorite inspirational pictures. It could be a hotel or homes they love. It helps so much.

Inspiration can come from many sources. For this bedroom for a client in Deerfield Beach, Florida, Krista was inspired by her own honeymoon in Paris. "This room, it feels very French to me," says Krista. Of its striking wall treatment, she adds, "Wallpaper is an easy fix to any boring room. It’s become pretty popular and quite expensive. I would say that wallpaper is all the rage."

"I have a secret obsession with large scale light fixtures, especially orbs," says Krista of this home's dining area. Outdoors, to camouflage a few unsightly gutters and poles, Krista used bamboo to create a living screen.

What about a client's concern over sticking to a budget?

I've had guerilla training in sticking to a budget. Where there's a will, there's a way—it just takes more time. If you need to watch the budget, you can act as the designer's assistant—track orders and get swatches. It depends on how involved you want to be.

In this home in Jupiter, Florida, Krista designed two-bedroom guest suite. "This room was motivated by mostly male visitors (geometric, streamlined) and the other female (softer, more organic, below). But I don’t stand by gender as hard and fast rules for design style," says the designer.

The rich wood, which provides a great contrast to the lighter colors of the design palette of the "his" bedroom, is beautifully carried through to the bath.

The softer side of the "her" bedroom.

What are your tips to avoid home reno disasters?

There's no map to a perfect reno. Here are some guidelines:

• If you're buying a home, get it inspected twice. There's a mystery within the walls of every home, especially an older home. You just don’t know how it's constructed. Every time you put a hole in drywall, you never know what you'll find.
• Anticipate higher costs, especially with an older home—it could end up costing as much as twice the initial bid because of unexpected problems.
• If you can afford it, have your designer manage the project and work with the contractors to keep everything on track.
• You want to be sure that your designer only works with contractors she knows. At this point in my career, I have people I really trust. And I keep in close contact with all of my crew. That’s the only way I can keep on budget and on deadline—the TV training taught me that.

For more on Krista, visit http://kristawatterworth.com

Photography by Jessica Glynn [http://jessicaglynn.com]