20 Signs You Should Host an HGTV Show

How many of these design scenarios can you relate to? Five or more, and it may time for a career switch.

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August 08, 2022

By: Lauren Oster and Tiffany Chen

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Do you have what it takes to become an HGTV host?

Does your heart flutter when you hear the words, “light, bright and airy?" Do you talk about the furniture in your house as though it's your own child? Are you addicted to redecorating your living room once every few months? Do you find yourself yelling in frustration when the designer on TV chooses the wrong shade of granite? Consider these and other signs of HGTV host potential. Ahead: major signs design stardom may be in your future.

You have strong feelings about The Pillow-Plumping Chop.

If you’re a serious interior design buff, you’ve either made a habit of — or decided you hate — giving cushions a Chuck-Norris-esque whack to fluff them up. No pillow aficionado can be neutral about The Chop.

From: HGTV Magazine

Your projects have their own playlists.

As anyone who’s demolished an old kitchen counter while listening to AC/DC knows, a proper soundtrack is everything. The tunes you cue up to take care of business are already your theme music; now all you need are opening credits.

You’re not afraid to grab power tools and dive into demo and construction yourself.

A great host can design and execute. If you're always ready to get down and dirty in the trenches during a home reno — whether it's a simple task like painting your fireplace surround or as complicated as demolishing old kitchen cabinets — it might be your time to shine.

The team at the local hardware store greets you by name.

It’s nice to feel like you have a home away from home — especially one that has a wide selection of paint brushes and stays open until nine on Friday nights.

You watch a couple buy an obviously haunted house at the beginning of a horror movie and think, “But it has great bones!”

Look, every property has drawbacks. Disembodied voices and inexplicable feelings of being watched might be a fair trade-off for solid construction in an up-and-coming neighborhood.

Your price-haggling performances are Oscar-worthy.

Meryl Streep might have more “traditional” acting triumphs to her name, but no one can top your ability to convince flea-market sellers that you couldn’t possibly bring something home unless it cost just a bit less.

From: HGTV Magazine

You have a meet-cute story for your favorite piece of furniture.

"I had pretty much given up hope of ever finding a sofa I could really love, and then one afternoon I ducked in out of the rain at this little vintage place in my home town ... and there he was."

see more: A Cleverly Updated Nashville Family Home

From: HGTV Magazine

You have a bowl filled entirely with oranges on your kitchen counter — and you don’t even like oranges.

There’s no shame in appreciating an object’s looks without fancying its taste, mind you. Plenty of people like subway tile in their kitchens, and they’re not eating it, now are they?

You talk about your favorite paint color the way other people talk about their favorite band.

“I was 18 when I first saw Farrow & Ball’s Down Pipe, and it changed my life — it’s been all over my bedroom walls ever since.”

From: Jennifer Jones

You leap into action when someone spills red wine — at their house.

When you've mastered a dozen techniques for tackling potential stains, deploying them as often as possible is just good citizenship.

You keep a measuring tape with you at all times…

...Along with a list of your home’s key dimensions. When the perfect accent table for that pesky space between your living room window and the bookcase turns up, you’ll be ready for it.

You window-shop apartment brokers’ storefronts when you’re visiting other cities, just to see what the local market is like.

Who knows? You might need the inside scoop on the rental scene in Cincinnati or London someday.

Assembling IKEA furniture doesn't scare you.

Most people balk at the idea of building their own furniture, but for you, the thrill is in the journey — nuts, bolts, mini screwdrivers and all.

From: Megan Pflug

What your home will be wearing for the holidays is just as important as (if not more important than) what you’ll be wearing.

A little black dress, a chic outfit you can still host capably in, whatever; you’re more interested in what you’re going to do with your mantel, front door and table settings this season.

see more: 50 Christmas Decorating Ideas That Aren't Red and Green

You’ve offered to help a friend (OK, many friends) complete their home projects.

Who wouldn't want to spend the weekend stripping and hanging wallpaper or using a sledgehammer on an ugly garden wall?

You fantasize about color-coordinating your pets and your home.

Few of us who are not Martha Stewart actually have matchy-matchy properties and animal pals, but the dream is real. It’s hard to deny how great, say, a white dog looks on a white-and-blue rug (and how convenient it is when pet hair blends in with the furniture).

see more: Patio, Perfected: 11 Amazing Amazon Finds for a Shady Outdoor Oasis

From: H. Camille Smith

The kitchen backsplash is the first thing you notice when you walk into a friend's kitchen.

You wander into the kitchen in search of food but the magical pull of the backsplash is too strong to ignore — so, you spend ample time admiring it. When other guests ask what took you so long to grab the chips, you shrug while visions of white subway tile dance through your mind.

From: HGTV Magazine

You have a captivating persona like David Bromstad.

David Bromstad quite literally resembles a unicorn in real life, and who doesn’t love watching unicorns? Think you'd get along with David? Better yet, does your outgoing personality rival his? You might be just as captivating to watch on-screen.

see more: The Many (Smiling) Faces of David Bromstad

You strategize your storage like a chess grandmaster.

Garry Kasparov faced off against Deep Blue; you have shallow closets and a studio apartment. The big difference, of course, is that Kasparov lost.

From: Specht Architects

You describe a corner of your home as a “moment.”

Ah, designspeak, where something like a bold swath of wallpaper or a cluster of framed silhouettes can become a unit of time! Don’t be self-conscious about it; embrace your weird.

From: Jeff Troyer Associates

20 Signs You Should Host an HGTV Show

Related To:

Shop This Look

Do you have what it takes to become an HGTV host?

You have strong feelings about The Pillow-Plumping Chop.

Your projects have their own playlists.

You’re not afraid to grab power tools and dive into demo and construction yourself.

The team at the local hardware store greets you by name.

You watch a couple buy an obviously haunted house at the beginning of a horror movie and think, “But it has great bones!”

Your price-haggling performances are Oscar-worthy.

You have a meet-cute story for your favorite piece of furniture.

You have a bowl filled entirely with oranges on your kitchen counter — and you don’t even like oranges.

You talk about your favorite paint color the way other people talk about their favorite band.

You leap into action when someone spills red wine — at their house.

You keep a measuring tape with you at all times…

You window-shop apartment brokers’ storefronts when you’re visiting other cities, just to see what the local market is like.

Assembling IKEA furniture doesn't scare you.

What your home will be wearing for the holidays is just as important as (if not more important than) what you’ll be wearing.

You’ve offered to help a friend (OK, many friends) complete their home projects.

You fantasize about color-coordinating your pets and your home.

The kitchen backsplash is the first thing you notice when you walk into a friend's kitchen.

You have a captivating persona like David Bromstad.

You strategize your storage like a chess grandmaster.

You describe a corner of your home as a “moment.”

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