Design Star Season 4: Where Are They Now?

Want to know what happened to season four contestants after the show? We caught up with some of your favorite designers and got the scoop.

Filed under: Decorating

Torie Halbert

How has your life changed since Design Star?
Before Design Star, I was primarily a custom home designer. Now I am also a regular on Great Day Houston doing room makeovers with Ashley Furniture. So, part of my career is designing high-end interiors and the other part of my career is making over deserving families’ homes — totally different ends of the spectrum — and I am growing as a designer because of it. Probably like the rest of the cast, I am noticed in public most places that I go. I enjoy it. That part has not changed me a bit.

Torie with the host of Great Day Houston, Deborah Duncan

Did you participate in any events or get a specific job because of the show?
My exposure on Design Star has opened many doors. I have been invited to many high schools and colleges to speak and been honored with luncheons. For five college students from across the U.S., I was their chosen interior designer to do their final term project on (what an honor). I have been a guest of honor at charitable antique shows and fundraisers and was invited as a VIP guest during the filming of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Seabrook, Texas, with the likes of professional football and baseball players. I have also been featured in many magazines in the Houston area and was named one of Houston’s Most Dynamic Women for 2009 by Houston Modern Luxury magazine.

Have you kept in touch with fellow contestants?
I talk to Jason every week, sometimes every few days. He’s also a great stylist; he actually helped me find the perfect dress to wear to the 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Vegas in April. Jason and I are working on a residential project in Sarasota together. I also still keep in touch with Dan, Lonni, Natalee, Nathan and Antonio.

What was the most important lesson you learned from being on Design Star?
Be open to others’ ideas and be open to new colors and combinations that I’ve never tried before. We all grew from Design Star.

Which HGTV talent would you let have free rein in your house? Candice Olson on the interior and Jamie Durie on the exterior.

What's your home "secret shame"?
My game room still isn’t completely decorated; it drives me crazy. I keep saying after I finish the next client’s home, I’m finishing my game room. Hasn’t happened yet.

What celebrity home would you most like to design?
I would like to do a country music artist's home, like Carrie Underwood or George Strait’s ranch.

Which three books would you take on a desert island?
Only one book, The Bible. Other than that, I would not be reading. I would be enjoying my surroundings.

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