Debbie Travis
Host of Fine Living Network's From the Ground Up
Debbie Travis is internationally known for turning modest homes into polished palaces in the blink of an eye, and has pushed the boundaries of the decorating lifestyle genre so much that talk show host Regis Philbin gives her royal status as the "queen of renovations." Oprah, too, claims Debbie "can do things with paint that you’ve never seen before," and USA Today crowned her the "queen of paint and plaster."
She is among today’s beloved icons on the home decorating front, and is well-known for her innovative decorating solutions and fearless attitude toward color. She delivers short, effective explanations of her design techniques. With her dry British wit always on hand, Debbie created one of the world’s first design shows, The Painted House. The series amassed devoted viewers in over 80 countries. She is also an acclaimed author with eight best-selling books and her "House-to-Home" column, syndicated to more than 70 U.S. newspapers.
Today, Debbie’s expertise is seen Sundays at 10pm ET/PT on the FLN primetime reality competition From the Ground Up. In the series, Travis shakes up the design world in search of a new chief designer. The 10-episode challenge follows the home makeover guru and 14 design wannabes as they tackle unconventional designs using Debbie’s traditional ‘from the ground up’ grass-roots style.
"Don’t be afraid to experiment," says Debbie. "You can always paint over it!" She enjoys showing the less-than-perfect options -- the mistakes and goofs along the way that can be successes in their own right. She says the quickest and cheapest way to give a room a makeover is with a little paint and a lot of imagination and offers three "Smart Tips" for getting started on your vision:
- Smart Tip #1: Before tackling any makeover project, put a budget together on how much you want to spend. It’s always a good idea to add another 15 percent for extras and unexpected expenses.
- Smart Tip #2: Preparation is key! Use a good high-adhesive primer to cover shiny, varnished or wood surfaces before painting. This will help the paint color stick to the surface and stop any stain or knots seeping through. Also use a good primer before painting over wallpaper or a dark wall color.
- Smart Tip #3: Use at least one wall in your home as your canvas to express yourself with color or pattern – to bring out your personality!
Debbie came to North America from England in 1987 and formed a small decorating business, which led to a series of instructional painting videos that sold more than 150,000 copies. Driven by a love of decorating and an inner need to "take projects to the next level," she soon parlayed her new celebrity into a multimedia home décor empire, which now includes a line of home-décor products reaching nearly a $100 million in sales – coming to America soon!
Following the success of 13 seasons of The Painted House, she launched her next series Debbie Travis’ Facelift, which immediately became another worldwide hit, combining a mix of reality TV, drop-dead design and soap opera drama. With her television ventures, newspaper column, and her eight best-selling books -- The Painted House (hardcover and paperback), Decorating Solutions, Weekend Projects (hardback), Living and Dining Rooms, Kids’ Rooms, Bedrooms , Kitchens and Baths and Facelift (paperback) – Debbie Travis is determined to help homeowners create their own polished palace.
Learn more about Debbie Travis at www.debbietravis.com.
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