MEET THE DESIGNER

What is your design philosophy? Your home should be an elegant yet livable space where you, your family and your friends can come in and put your feet up, relax and enjoy each other's company. There should always be soft rugs, warm lamplight, comfy furniture and a place to put a drink down. Where did you study and receive training? I grew up in High Point, N.C., which is the nation's furniture capital. My mother is an interior designer and my father was in textiles. I went to FIT for fashion design but soon learned fashion wasn't for me. I still, however, had a passion for design. My real training came when I was the host/interior designer for a makeover show on Fox TV, Design Invasion. I had 12 hours to completely transform one room.In makeovers, the big question is what to scrap and what to keep. Is there any cardinal rule? If it ever lived in a dorm room or your first apartment or is made of oak veneer, ditch it. Getting rid of clutter is where good design begins and ends. Now you host HGTV's Small Space, Big Style. What space-saving techniques do you swear by? Sometimes it's not about storage but making your small space appear larger. One trick is to hang your drapes all the way up to the ceiling, drawing your eye upward and making the ceiling appear higher and the room larger. With acting, designing and entertaining, how do you stay sane and relax? By going to my house in Sag Harbor. It's my retreat, my getaway—and yet the perfect place to have guests. It's high up on a hill on a dead-end road. I'm up above the treetops and can see Noyack Bay and Shelter Island. I like to think of it as a big treehouse. What inspired your home's décor? Color! I knew I wanted to live with color, so I went for it and painted each room a different color. The guest rooms are fun and bold, and the rest of the house is a palette of medium, warm-hued tones. How does design affect your other passions? In clothes, I love the classics but am not afraid to combine them with newer, trendier pieces. In entertaining, the presentation of the food, the ambience and the table setting are just as important as what I serve. All these elements come together to make my life rich and wonderful.