In Living Color

He may have been born in the Midwest, but there’s no doubt that HGTV star and interior designer David Bromstad is now a Floridian at heart.

Since arriving in the Sunshine State more than 20 years ago to pursue his art degree at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, he hasn’t looked back.

“I’m from Minnesota, and the winters there are brutal and cruel and mean, and I didn’t want any part of that anymore,” he says with a laugh. “It took me a while to get used to Florida. The heat was just a lot to take. But, once you get used to it and realize it’s part of the personality of Florida, you fall in love with it.” 

After graduation, Bromstad – whom we featured on our cover 10 years ago when he was still a rising star in the design world – moved around a bit before settling in Orlando, he says: “I lived in Orlando for nine years, moved to Miami for 12 and then moved back to Orlando. I’m never moving again. Orlando’s such an amazing, easy place.”

But, while O-Town may be his permanent address, he’s not there much lately thanks to the huge success of his HGTV series, “My Lottery Dream Home,” which debuted in 2015. On the show, he helps real-life lottery winners leave their old digs behind and move into the kind of expertly designed, million-dollar abodes they’ve, well, only dreamed about. 

“Even though I’m an artist and designer, I’m also playing a real estate agent,” Bromstad, 45, told Art Hive Magazine about his role. “It’s a different type of creativity for me.” 

Finding participants was a challenge from day one, he says.

After all, Bromstad reasons: “Lottery winners get so many phone calls and attract so many scams. How many are out there that actually want to be on TV and invite you into their house?”

Once contestants sign on, however, his infectious enthusiasm and wicked sense of humor are hard to resist. 

“We’re there just to celebrate with them,” he explains. “We just want to celebrate their lives and celebrate what a unique moment this is.” 

As the series caught on, more and more lottery winners were willing to sign up, and “My Lottery Dream Home” is now airing its sixth season and about to start production on a seventh. 

For Bromstad, that translates to lots of fabulous homes to showcase – and a lot of time on the road.

“We’re filming 44 episodes a year,” he notes. “So, I’m traveling almost every week.”

That said, he’s not complaining. In 2006, he was selected as the first winner of HGTV’s “Design Star” competition series. He had no formal training as an interior designer, but his color savvy, artistic flair and effusive personality bowled over the judges and the rest of America.

Since then, he’s become one of the network’s most popular experts, hosting and mentoring participants on subsequent seasons of “Design Star” and “Design Star All Stars” as well as “Color Splash,” “HGTV’d,” “HGTV Showdown,” “Bang For Your Buck,” “The White Room Challenge” and more. In addition, he has curated exhibitions for Art Basel Miami Beach, developed a collection of bed and bath products, and licensed his artwork for a line of accessories and barware, among a multitude of other projects. 

Bromstad recognizes that the bulk of these opportunities have stemmed from his clout as a TV personality. 

“With TV, the doors have swung open, and they continue to swing open,” he says. “And it’s a blessing.” 

So, what’s it like to go from an aspiring HGTV contestant to one of the network’s most popular stars? 

“It’s kind of like a dream,” he shares. “I still don’t know when I’m going to wake up. TV was never something I even considered. It wasn’t a plan. It wasn’t a desire. I happened to just enter a competition – no way did I think I was going to win. I’m not even an interior designer; I’m an artist. I was winging it. And, now, here I am 13 years later, hosting a really fantastic show. It’s so much fun. I am just loving my life.”

It’s a good thing, considering that “My Lottery Dream Home” now occupies nearly 100 percent of his time, according to Bromstad. Although filming an episode only takes about a week, each requires months to fully put together. 

“People ask me, ‘What do you do besides TV?’” Bromstad says. “And I go, ‘Oh, you’re hilarious.’ Doing the show is so much fun, but it’s also exhausting.” 

For the time being, it has also put a damper on his personal life. 

“I am single and am actively looking,” he admits. “I’m ready. It’s just really hard when you’re on the road so much. The biggest challenge for me is that I’m constantly living out of a suitcase. It’s difficult to even cultivate the friendships that I’ve had for 20 years because I’m just not around.”

He’ll have time for all that when the show eventually winds down. But, for now, he’s thrilled for the opportunity to travel the country while demonstrating his unique brand. 

“My brand,” he says, “is just like me: colorful, fun, quirky and weird!”

Although his approach is lighthearted, Bromstad recognizes how important it is for a buyer to love the end result of his efforts. 

“A home is the most expensive purchase you’ll ever make, so having it feel like you is super important,” he says. “However it’s designed, it should make you feel gorgeous and delicious and wonderful.”

Even if you don’t have millions like the lottery winners on Bromstad’s show, creating the house of your dreams is possible if you follow his top redesign tips. The most important, he stresses, is to work within your budget. 

“Have a sense of what you can realistically do,” he says. 

Next: Start slow.

“Take it one room at a time,” he advises. “Pick the room that’s most important to you – whether that’s your master bedroom, your kitchen or your living room – and start there. Take a breath, do one room at a time and then continue. Even for a professional designer, doing an entire house all at once is a lot.”

Speaking of professionals, if you’re going to hire an interior designer, take your time to make sure they’re the best fit for your needs and personality.

“Just because someone’s work is really beautiful doesn’t mean you’re going to jive with them as a human being,” he says. “You just have to feel really comfortable, and you’ve got to have a connection. You’re going to be with this person for a while, and they’re going to be spending your money, so you want to trust them and love them and feel at ease with them.”

As much as it’s a collaborative process, Bromstad also advises people to let the designer do their thing. 

“When you constantly have a client throwing out comments, it’s kind of like, ‘Well, if you knew what you were doing, why did you hire me?’” Bromstad told Room Fu. “All of my clients have been very cool. They usually just throw their hands up and say, ‘You know best!’ And I’m like, ‘You’re right. I do!’”

For him, that free rein makes the grand reveal all the more fun. 

“I love when people walk into a room and they’re just wowed,” he says. “And then they have a little giggle.” 

Above all, he wants to impart his own warm, laid-back vibe into clients’ homes, he says: “I don’t want people to have their shoes on. I’m not a formal person. You won’t see a formal living room in my house. I like people to take their shoes off, wander around and get comfortable. I want them surrounded by delicious things. I want them to love where they’re at.” 

Clearly, Bromstad is loving where he’s at these days – which falls in line with his personal motto, he says: “Be present in the moment. Living in the past is a really dangerous way to get yourself into trouble, and trying to predict anything that will happen in the future never leads to anything positive. Being present is a huge deal for me – living each day like it’s your last!” O