Color Splash takes on Miami starting this Sunday on HGTV
The first thing you might notice when you see interior designer David Bromstad on television is that he happens to be very easy on the eyes and that includes his often shirtless, tattooed torso. However, Bromstad established early on that he is much more than a gym bunny and first showed his amazing design skills when he won HGTV’s first season of its competition series Design Star in 2006. The following year (as part of the Design Star grand prize) Bromstad premiered his own series, Color Splash, which was set in San Francisco and became a hit for the design network. With the new Color Splash season that begins this weekend on HGTV, Bromstad, his crew and the cameras venture cross-country and move the show to Florida with Color Splash Miami.
I talked to Bromstad earlier this week about the move, the importance of listening to your gut, what part of his personal life is off limits to the press and his thoughts on when gay marriage will no longer be an issue.
JH: Besides the obvious geography, what are the differences in Color Splash moving from San Francisco to Miami?
David Bromstad: We were in San Francisco, which was a beautiful city and very quaint and lovely, but Miami is edgy and sexy. I have a whole new team and I’m really concentrating a lot on personality and design and we’re really taking it to the next level. The makeovers are bigger, the colors are more crazy and it’s just a shift to a really fun show.
Bromstad splashes some color on a project
JH: Visually I know Miami clearly has its own sense of style but how does that lend itself to a designer?
DB: Miami is itself South American-influenced and it’s very international in a very different way than San Francisco. In San Francisco, everyone is traditionally contemporary but in Miami everyone is modern chic and very eclectic at the same time. People are very aware of style because we’re surrounding by amazing hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs and new architecture. Since we’re surrounded by so much design, people know what they do like and what they don’t like.
JH: You grew up in Minnesota, what was it like when you first ventured to Miami? They’re very different places.
DB: I went to school in Sarasota, Florida, which is on the West Coast of Florida and then I went and moved to Orlando and worked at Disney Universal for nine years [as an animator] and in those nine years I was down in Miami several times and I always wanted to move down there. You have to be really strong to live [in Miami]. It’s a party city so it’s easy to get caught up in that. When I first moved down here and made that decision I was ready for the diverse culture and ready for all the designers and artists and all the great architecture so there was no shock to me.
JH: Miami also seems to have a little of everything in terms of the types of people. Will we see that reflected on Color Splash Miami?
DB: We’re going to show a lot of different types of people and have a very international cast. I have two Latina assistants – one who speaks four languages and the other is completely gorgeous and is incredibly talented. We have carpenters from the UK. My painter is from Panama. And then the clients we’re working with are very different, very cool and a little bit spicy.
JH: Spicy is good!
DB: Spicy is great. [laughs] That’s what we want!
Bromstad working with some clients on Color Splash
JH: Watching you on your show, you seem to really listen to your gut and go with your inspirations. Is that the key to being a good designer?
DB: Absolutely. Going with your first instinct is always key, at least it is for me. Once you start second guessing yourself and you start doing things that you are not quite comfortable with it really shows in your work. I always come back to my first instinct and stick with it.
JH: How has your business changed since you first started appearing on television? Has it gone places you never imagined?
DB: I never thought that I would be an interior designer on television. That’s bizarre to me! And then getting recognized…it’s a huge compliment and I’m very aware of how blessed I am and I never take advantage of that. Because I’m so thankful and appreciative of what I’m doing it makes work so fun. Nobody is throwing me eggs or calling me nasty names. I’m not in the press having scandals so I have it pretty good.
JH: Even before you were on TV with Design Star, was being out ever a question for you?
DB: That was a huge part of when I came to Miami. In my 20s I really struggled. I was out and gay but being proud of it and really owning it was a whole different story. When I went onto Design Star I did think about it. ‘Should I be in the closet and keep everyone guessing?’ I made the decision to just be myself and it was the right decision. HGTV has always backed me on that. When you have a company that really supports you 100% it really empowers you.
JH: One thing about watching your show is that it’s never about you being gay and it doesn’t really come up or is a part of any agenda.
DB: Well, that’s the thing about that. A lot of people on these reality shows are like “I’m gay!” Being gay is who I am but it doesn’t define who I am.
JH: One thing that does coming with being in the public eye is people wanting to know about your personal life. Are you comfortable with that or do you draw any lines?
DB: I do draw a line on certain things. I let everyone know I have a partner and we’ve been together for six years but that’s where it stops. His personal life is his personal life. It’s not up to me to divulge his information. I’ll divulge everything about myself and be an open book but when it comes to my partner and what he does and where he’s at in his life that’s nobody’s business but his own.
JH: It’s also very easy for fans to have misconceptions of celebrities. What’s the biggest misconception about you?
DB: I have to honestly say that I’m really portrayed exactly who I am. When I do appearances and meet with people they’re like ‘You’re exactly who you are on the show!’ I say ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way!’ I’m not a good actor. People always think that I am always this high energy/crazy personality person all the time and I am when I’m around people but I’m actually kind of an introvert and I like to be home with my partner or home alone watching TV or on the beach where it’s quiet.
JH: Since you are partnered, what’s your thought on gay marriage? Are we going to get to the point where it’s a non-issue?
DB: I think we’ll definitely get there but I think we need to get there faster. Come on, people! In the last five years we’ve come a long way but we’re supposed to be in one of the most progressive countries in the world and yet we’re just half way there but I do think we’ll get there. Gay marriage will definitely happen. It’s just a matter of when.
JH: Miami already had their Pride celebration, right?
DB: We have it really early in March because it’s so bloody hot down here right now! We had our Pride early and I went to it. It’s very small but it’s so great. It’s the second year that Miami Beach has Pride. Miami the city does not have Pride but hopefully that will come in the next few years.
JH: Since you travel quite a bit, will you be hitting any other Pride celebrations around the country?
DB: I’m always celebrating but I am just starting the second season of Color Splash Miami in two weeks but it’s so funny because every year during New York’s Pride I’ve been up there working and again this year I’m scheduled to be up there working. [laughs]
Color Splash Miami with David Bromstad premieres this Sunday on HGTV at 11pm et/pt right after the season premiere of Design Star.
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Jim Halterman is a freelance writer who spends his days interviewing the top tier of talent and creative forces in the entertainment world and then, because he's that kind of guy, he brings it all to YOU! And, because we all like free stuff, check back on Fridays for the best giveaways!! (Photo: With SMASH star Megan Hilty at TCA Winter Press Tour, Pasadena, CA, January, 2012)
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Well, glad JimHalterman.com is becoming your one-stop entertainment guide! haha Thanks for the comment! Much appreciated!!
I want to add my name to the list of people disappointed by the now not so new show in Miami. As much as I appreciate David’s talents the show is not as interesting as the San Francisco. One obviously reason is the fact that Danielle, Claire and Ian are missing. The new staff seems less professional. Another is that in SF more of the work seemed to have been done in single family homes as opposed to the condos of theFlorida show….not nearly so interesting. And, don’t people in Florida have any children?
I loved Color Splash when it was filmed in the San Francisco Bay Area. I even spotted David at Urban Ore in Berkeley one Friday morning! I’m disappointed in the Miami show, and have stopped watching the series. I still catch the original show in rerun sometimes, and wish that David would come back to the Bay Area. It’s not too late!
It seems as if the old crew got their friends to post on here. The Miami season is exactly what HGTV needed. There are plently of suburban home shows and David is the only one that can actually step out for a bit and work on Miami homes. Color Splash Miami rocks! It allows people to step out and see what else is out there in world. Keep up the good work! I’ll you in Miami and where ever else you go!
Like to know your age. This show needs to be evaluated as a whole and what it can give to a mass audience. The show is not about Florida. The show is not how David’s desire to be in a hip place that suits his desires. The show is to reach as many of people it can. We are watching to get ideas for all types of home across the country. The hip style of Miami is not I call typical. The colors alone are bright and full flamingo salmon, dark bright reds and greens. Or it is plain white and straight lined white furniture with have no arms or its high arms and wings that wrap around your head so nobody can see you and you can’t see them. Very adult styles and never for a family and children. The guest and David visit hotel lobbies or bedroom for ideas. This usually means furniture is costly and out of reach to the majority of people. Remember, it is what all clientele wants, not what the ones from one state. While watching the new show you find David laughing, making jokes that are not funny, telling some that if they don’t get it right your fired. Even if it is a joke, it’s not funny (used too much). Hardly ever do you see David doing any work and again he is laughing. He has a deadline and has not completed the project with laughing of course. Some of the new assistants and suppliers are not with it. Some know only how to giggle badly. Believing that David is her guru. Nobody is that good. Others try to take over the talking as if to show viewers they know about the project more than anyone else. And they don’t. After being so excited that David won “Design Star”, I was a devoted to watching every show with my family. After, this new show in Miami, we tried 2 to 3 times. Each time we turned it off very quickly. None were even average, way below average. A lot of ideas don’t even seem to work on the new shows. One of the early shows, the couple wanted a portico done for entertaining. They wanted a place to stock beverages so guests could help themselves. What was designed for them were 2 sizes of horse trough turned upside down. One was used as a side table for lighting (a lamp), the other as a coffee table so people could rest and put their beverages down on the coffee table. O-kay. What do you do with the lamp and a place to put down their glasses. The two troughs are being use to hold beverages in ice. Not too useful or practical. These types of designs are seen many times on this show. The shows organization is also confusing. People come in and out of the sect discussing a problem and trying to find a solution, or choosing colors, furniture choices and its placement all at the same time. Yikes, what idea is pressing. Too much time wasted on unnecessary behaviors, interior designs that are specific to one section of the population, and most of the time impractical. The moving of this show and change in staff was incredibly a mistake. It is unwatchable. Danielle, Claire, and Ian made the show the success it was. Knowledgeable, professional, organized, interesting, and stars equal to David in all areas. Maybe, it is this the reason he left San Francisco. He wanted to be the only star with less qualified people. Well, what he got is a show that is probably not going to be on television for long and also not in reruns. Too bad, it was such a great show with ideas that the majority of the audience could use. Not to dismiss the new staff they are very nice and good individuals, but need more experience.
I love Color Splash Miami! I also loved the San Francisco show, but the Miami show is so vibrant and the designs are fresh and exciting. Who says you can’t have vibrant color unless you’re in Miami! I love watching the show for the designs and also the great personality of David and his staff! What great energy!
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