For David Bromstad, figuring out how to brighten up a room is second nature. Since winning the debut season of HGTV's Design Star, he's become one of the most well-known and friendliest faces on the home improvement network. Whether a host, designer, or mentor, most people feel an instant kinship with him, since Bromstad oozes the kind of insightful-yet-outgoing aura that convinces you: Sure, he can paint my walls that typically inexcusable shade of mint green, and I'll gladly share my Netflix account with him.
On Beach Flip(Sundays at 9 p.m. EST/PST on HGTV), Bromstad once again takes on the triple threat as host, judge, and mentor -- or as he quips, "hojentor" -- working alongside fellow cohosts Josh Temple and Nicole Curtis and four teams of contestants on the sandy beaches of the Gulf Coast as they work to renovate their own beachfront locales.
We caught up with Bromstad to discuss his new show, his 40th birthday in Mykonos, and why he'd love sharing a hotel room with Genevieve Gorder.
Out: Let's start off by talking about Beach Flip and what your experiences were like as a judge but also a mentor as opposed to your other shows.
David Bromstad: Well, hosting my own show, like Color Splash, is different, a little intimidating, because it's you alone, so it's just more fun with three people. It takes the pressure off. We had some extreme weather: it was cold, freezing, it was, like, 32 degrees one day, and we're out there pretending it's summer. But it was so fun: We're from Los Angeles, and now we're in lower Alabama, so we found it very entertaining. I loved working with the contestants and being a mentor was awesome. Doing the behind the scenes stuff, I got to know them a little bit better than the other judges. I get to ask them fun little questions, like: "Are you guys gettin' it on?" They're like: "Hell yes we are." I'm like: "Good for you."
I know that you were both a mentor and judge, but when you had to choose a winning design, what was it like?
Awful. Awful. Awful. It was so hard, because you're invested with these people, especially toward the end of the season. The first few episodes, you're like "Yeah, duh." But me and Nicole didn't agree with Josh's decisions. We were like, "No, wrong decision..." He's like: "I'm going for it." After the midway point of the season, the competition really begins. We were almost crying when we had to pick a winner. At one point, I was literally in tears, and it was just a very tough decision. There's money involved, and it's a game changer.
I remember watching you on Color Splash and Design star, and when you designed, it was apartments and homes in traditional neighborhoods. Is it different designing for waterfronts or seaside locations?
Yes, because in place such as L.A., it doesn't differ, the weather just stays the same, it rains like three inches a year. But when you're on the Gulf Coast in Florida, you get hurricanes, there are certain codes that you have to have in place. So it's definitely different designing for a beach than a regular house.
You do a lot of traveling, where was the last place you took a vacation or a trip?
The last place I vacationed was Mykonos. I've been there four times, and I love it. I'm not ever going back, only because I've been there four times [laughs]. It's time for a new city. There are so many places that are unexplored, but it was an amazing place, I'm sure I'll go back. This year, I'm going to Provence in the south of France.
What was your most memorable moment from Mykonos?
It was my birthday. So basically we have 12 core friends, and most of them are from Orlando or Miami. So whoever turns 40 that year gets to pick the destination of where they're going to spend their day. It was my 40th birthday and so I was like, "We're going to Mykonos." It was the third time, so we chartered a boat. I don't want to say a yacht, but it was a nice boat. And my most memorable moment was, I was so wasted, wasted beyond belief, and I was getting off the boat -- and you know, I grew up on a boat, so I know how to get off a boat -- but apparently I fell in the water, with my phone. I don't know how, but I came out with cuts all over my body, I must have fallen into like coral or something. It was ridiculous. So it was like "Happy 40th!" It was awesome. It was worth losing a phone.
If you could share a hotel room with any other HGTV host, who would it be and why?
Genevieve Gorder, because she's one of my best friends. Or Josh Temple, because he's one of my best friends. I love 'em. But me and Gen, we're both Leos. You know what we'd sit and do? We'd sit and curl each other's hair and talk. Me and Josh, we would just get wasted, and he's obnoxious when he's wasted, so Genevieve Gorder. We're going to go with Genevieve and Josh.
How many stamps do you have in your passport?
Oh god. London, Paris, Barcelona, Mykonos, Greece, Greece...nine?
What destination would you say feel most like home away from home?
Well I live on the beach, so I'm going to say Tahiti. Or Bora Bora, that's where I want to go the most. I can live there and not move. I want a shack on the water and just be. I want to make enough money to stay there for the rest of my life and never come back.
Do you prefer planes, trains, or automobiles?
Plane. Because it gets there faster, and I don't like driving in a car. In college, I lived in Minnesota and I went to school in Sarasota, Florida, which is a 24-hour trip. And I've driven it 35 times. I usually did it in one sitting. When I started making a little bit of money, I said no more, I'm flying if its over 4 hours.
So you said you're going to the South of France?
I'm going to Provence, Monaco, and Saint-Tropez. We go out on one big vacation with all my gay friends, but they already went on their vacation, their gaycation. They went to Madrid Pride, and then they went to Mykonos for seven days. I refuse to do circuit parties. I'm too old. It's the same people in a different city. So we're going to the South of France with this wonderful generous lady who I met on Facebook. She took me to the Elton John Academy Awards party, -- $10,000 dollars a seat! -- because she "liked my energy." She goes like this: "Do you want to go to Provence?" All you have to do is get yourself there. I was like, "Great, I'll get myself there," and she goes, "Bring whoever you want." So I'm going with my assistant Michael who's my best friend. I looked at the website: a villa with butlers, private chefs, whatever you want. It's all expenses paid, all I have to do is show up. I go "Who is going to be there exactly?" and she goes, "I can't say, but you will know them." Which means they are famous.
Beach Flip airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EST/PST on HGTV.
