Genevieve Gorder has had a good year. This famed interior designer and DIY maven has a new series, Best Room Wins on Bravo and she has launched more products and her show on Netflix, Stay Here, has a nice buzz.
Genevieve Gorder connected with Monsters and Critics about her new shows and what makes them special, how she got interested in DIY projects, what are her favorite new design trends and why mixing and matching textures is a big deal.
She hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota, but moved to New York City to start an internship at MTV. After completing it, they offered her a permanent job. She went on to earn her B.F.A in design from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.
Genevieve Gorder was one of the original designers of the TLC’s hit series Trading Spaces and went on to judge HGTV’s Design Star in 2010. She also hosted HGTV shows including Genevieve’s Renovation, A Hero’s Welcome, White House Christmas and Dear Genevieve.
She still calls Manhattan her home where she lives with her teen daughter Bebelle.
Gorder also opened up about her continuing battle with Lyme Disease, which she contracted about ten years ago. This autoimmune disease is transmitted to humans and pets from ticks and is not yet curable, but it is treatable. It can be hard to diagnose because it only tests positive for a short period of time and it mimics other conditions.
A surprising statistic is that 300,000 new cases of Lyme Disease are diagnosed per year. Also, 75 percent of Lyme Disease cases have been contracted near the home of the person infected. Ticks don’t just live in the country.
For eight months, she felt unusually tired, with headaches and felt generally unwell and the doctors weren’t able to diagnose her because the disease was dormant. Finally after re-testing again, doctors were finally able to find it and start treatment options that made her feel better. However, Genevieve would advise that prevention is better than treatment.
Her biggest tip is to help people avoid getting Lyme Disease in the first place. That is a reason why she partnered with Terminix during Lyme Disease Awareness Month. During this time, Terminix will donate 10 percent of May, June and July sales of its new Tick Defend System to the Global Lyme Alliance, in order to raise awareness of the tick-borne illness and how to guard against it.
See this fun and educational interview here:
Genevieve Gorder can be seen on Best Room Wins Wednesdays at 10 ET/PT on Bravo and Stay Here is streaming on Netflix.