Whatever Happened To HGTV's Genevieve Gorder?

It's no secret HGTV has produced a number of design stars over the years, and many of said stars only continued to find success after leaving the network. Renowned interior designer and former HGTV personality Genevieve Gorder may no longer be a fixture of the channel, but she left quite an impact during her time there and has stayed busy in the years since leaving, both professionally and personally. The untold truth of HGTV's "Dear Genevieve," which ended in 2013, was that the host remained on the network as part of "Genevieve's Renovation" but not for long. Gorder eventually left HGTV in 2014, but that does not mean she is no longer in the design spotlight. Fans may know what Gorder was like before the fame, but whatever happened after her time on HGTV?

Gorder has remained passionate about interior design even though she initially started out as a graphic designer. As she explained in an interview with the design site Room Fu, "As a graphic designer, I didn't know this would parlay into interior design down the road. It was a happy accident." That happy accident turned into a career and love of interior design. The former HGTV star runs her own design studio, gg studios, that she started in 2009 and has hosted multiple television shows and specials throughout her decades long career. Read on for all the details about what happened to HGTV's Genevieve Gorder. 

As previously mentioned, part of the untold truth of Genevieve Gorder's life is that interior design was not the first career path she pursued. However, when she did find her way into the industry, she went on to make a major name for herself in the interior design world and beyond. Gorder's impressive design skills have helped her land multiple renovation shows over the course of her career.

One such show called "Stay Here" dropped on the streaming service Netflix in 2018. The series followed Gorder as she helped property owners make over their unsuccessful rental properties. The former HGTV star likened the show's concept to dating. As she told People, "It's just like a dating app. They want the cutest girl on Tinder and they want the most beautiful house on AirBnB or whatever app they're using." On the show, Gorder visited eight properties in different cities across the United States and redesigned them so that they would be more aesthetically appealing to prospective guests. Although the Netflix show only lasted for one season, Gorder was able to help property owners exponentially increase their bottom line; after renovations were complete, many of the properties were booked out far in advance. She further demonstrated her knack for interior design on "Stay Here," and it was far from the last design show she would be a major part of. 

2018 was a big year for Genevieve Gorder, both for her career and in her personal life. Gorder previously got divorced in 2013 from actor Tyler Harcott, the father of her only child, but she eventually found love again. During the same year that "Stay Here" aired, the former HGTV star got married for a second time to her now husband, model Christian Dunbar. Dunbar, who is also a designer, is one of the real life partners you didn't know HGTV stars had. For her wedding to Dunbar, Gorder did things a bit differently this time around. 

The wedding vows themselves were exchanged between the couple in private with only Gorder's daughter present before they jetted off abroad. The interior designer did not have a large, traditional wedding ceremony; instead she opted for a small party with family and close friends in Marrakech, Morocco. While Gorder's design style may sometimes be intricate, when it comes to events, she prefers to keep things more simple. She spoke with People about her nuptials and said, "I'm so chill I don't really like big, planned formal events. ... It's a love party. Just come have a great night." 

"Trading Spaces" designers Hildi Santo Tomas and John Gidding were among the guests in attendance. During their time in Morocco, the wedding group did some sightseeing, and the happy couple rode off into the sunset on camels together.

Genevieve Gorder is one of the HGTV stars who were famous before they joined the network. Between 2000 and 2007, Gorder was a fixture of the iconic interior design show "Trading Spaces" prior to garnering even more fame on HGTV. When "Trading Spaces" was rebooted in 2018, she signed on again but only for a short amount of time.

Although the concept of the reboot is the same as the original, there were still notable differences. In an interview with DuJour, Gorder explained, "There's a whole multibillion-dollar industry built on affordable design, now at your fingertips." Alas, the revival of "Trading Spaces" was not nearly the hit that the original series was, and it only ended up running for two seasons. Gorder left the reboot after its first season, but it was not exactly her doing. As the former TLC star told People, "It was not my decision at all." Gorder's hands were tied, more or less, and she ultimately had to step away because she'd committed to another gig.

"I had a previous series already scheduled for the same time that we were going to shoot 'Trading Spaces,'" Gorder told the outlet. "So the only thing that happened was just a schedule conflict." That television series was the next step in her career. 

In 2019, Genevieve Gorder traded spaces and workplaces when she left her TLC show for a Bravo show. On her new network, Gorder hosted a renovation show called "Best Room Wins." The premise of the show is basically spelled out in the title: two designers would go head to head in a competition to design a room that looked high-end but was actually designed on a more affordable budget. Although the designers' budget was considered affordable for the projects they worked on, it was still a large sum of money for many people at $25,000 per room. This was a significantly larger budget than that allotted on Gorder's previous show, "Trading Spaces." 

"Best Room Wins" featured couples who had a room in their home in desperate need of a major makeover. Gorder was one of the judges along with Whitney Robinson, the former editor-in-chief of Elle Decor, and a third guest judge who rotated every episode. Gorder took to Instagram to announce her new television series and likened it to "Project Runway" but for interior designers instead of fashion designers. The interior designer posted a photo of herself next to Robinson and captioned it, "I'll be your Heidi, your Tim and your Nina alongside my favorite Michael Kors I mean Whitney Robinson." "Best Room Wins" lasted only one season.

Between hosting multiple interior design-focused television shows, running her own design business, and spending time with her family and friends, former HGTV star Genevieve Gorder certainly juggled a lot at once. However, she has also learned the importance of rest. In 2019, Gorder revealed that after many different medical tests, she learned that she had been living with Lyme disease for nine years. The television personality also divulged that she was diagnosed with a second autoimmune disease: Hashimoto's disease.

To better live with these two diseases, Gorder switched her diet to a gluten and sugar-free one in addition to making more time for taking breaks. She also started exercising more frequently so her major symptoms did not disrupt her life or work too much. In an episode of the podcast "Made Visible," the interior designer said, "I think what I learned by having two autoimmune [diseases]... was it's okay to rest." Gorder explained that her default setting is to move at a fast pace and be a part of multiple projects at once, but she now knows she needs to prioritize taking a much-needed step back and really listening to her body. "As a mother [to daughter Bebelle Gorder], I knew that if I didn't rest, I would break," she said. The desire to show up not only for herself and her career but for her family as well drove the former HGTV star to give her body the downtime it needs.

As one of the richest HGTV stars, Genevieve Gorder probably did not need to expand her portfolio beyond television and interior design, but in 2019 she did. As it turns out, stunning interior spaces are not the only thing Gorder designs; she also helped to design a video game. The interior design expert and television host went from designing rooms to designing a video game when she partnered with mobile game publishing company Jam City. Gorder lent her extensive design expertise for the video game "Vineyard Valley" that allows players to virtually renovate a rundown winery called Tangled Vines Winery. While this was perhaps an unexpected career move for the interior designer, this opportunity allowed the former HGTV star — and self-professed mobile video game aficionado — to show off her creative design skills in a different format while further diversifying her already vast career portfolio. 

Gorder used her real life design skills to help create a game where people can follow in her footsteps and showcase their own interior design skills virtually as they play to fix up the dilapidated winery. The virtual mobile game involves a series of puzzles and solving mysteries that ultimately lead to players successfully renovating the rundown property. Players interact with various characters throughout the game and are also tasked with building a catering company. 

Being a well-known television host certainly comes with perks and one-of-a-kind special opportunities. For former HGTV star Genevieve Gorder, one of those perks over the years has been bringing the White House some extra holiday cheer. In 2021, the interior designer hosted HGTV's "White House Christmas." As far back as 2011, she's been involved with the "White House Christmas" program. Though this was not Gorder's first HGTV White House holiday special, it didn't make the experience any less special. As she said on "The Rachael Ray Show," "This year was extra though, because we got a beautiful interview with first lady Dr. Biden, which was incredible."

In the special, Gorder showed audiences the holiday decor in the iconic historical building. With an eye for design, she was the perfect person to show off the blue and silver decorations that year. The interior designer not only gave viewers a look at many rooms and halls within the White House, but she explored the exterior holiday decorations as well. "Gifts From the Heart" was the design theme of the holiday decorations that year, and each individual room boasted a different gift theme. For example, the gift of peace and unity was the theme of one room, while another decorated section's theme was the gift of faith. Gorder not only showcased the decorations, but she had a hand in some of the decorating herself. She assisted in putting the final touches on the famous holiday gingerbread house and helped arrange strands of garland as decor. The tour extended from the grand foyer to the east room and many rooms in between.

In June 2023, Genevieve Gorder added yet another network to her résumé. The interior designer launched her own lifestyle and design talk series called "At Home with Genevieve" on the now-defunct streaming platform Crackle. Unlike in past television shows that Gorder hosted, this show wasn't just about interior design and home renovations. "At Home with Genevieve" gave viewers an inside look into her life and touched on a wide range of lifestyle topics, from food and fashion to health and being a pet parent. As she told People, "It's kind of an unedited version of what I truly want to talk about in the world of lifestyle and home, and I brought in people from all over the country to give their two cents and weigh in as experts."

"At Home with Genevieve" only lasted one season and had just three episodes, but it packed a lot of DIY tricks and countless advice into those three episodes. In the reality series, the interior design star shared her personal expertise while also consulting with experts in their fields. The show featured a number of guest stars, including Stacy London from "What Not to Wear" as well as influencer and plant enthusiast Christopher Griffin.

Over the years, fans have witnessed former HGTV star Genevieve Gorder transform countless homes and rooms for people across America, but in 2014 they tuned in to watch the renowned interior designer renovate her very own abode. Genevieve gave fans an inside look into her own New York City apartment renovation that was featured in a special called "Genevieve's Renovation" that aired on HGTV.  The special showed how she designed and merged two luxury buildings into one home for her and her daughter, Bebelle Gorder. Clocking in at almost 2,500 square feet, the space was already unique in that it is hard to come by such a large place in the heart of Manhattan. Yet Genevieve made her duplex even more unique with personal touches like a floating staircase.

The pair lived in the stylish apartment in Chelsea for over ten years. However, when it was time for Bebelle to leave for college, her mom made the decision to list the duplex. In 2025, over a decade after the special featuring the home renovation aired, the interior designer put her home that overlooks a private park on the market for approximately $4.35 million. With two rooftop patios and stunning French windows that provide plenty of natural light, it is easy to see why this Manhattan property sold for millions. Although Genevieve eventually sold the property, it still holds many memories since she raised her daughter there. The interior designer told Mansion Global, "Everything and every room has pretty much become something else within the last 10 years." 

In February 2026, Genevieve Gorder teamed up with Kohler. The former HGTV star was brought on to do an TV ad campaign for a new venture from Kohler. The powerhouse bathroom fixture manufacturer brought Gorder aboard for the launch of Reveal by Kohler, an all-in-one bathroom remodeling service. As Erica O'Brien of Kohler said in a press release provided to Supply House Times: "Genevieve brings her signature blend of modern, soulful style and approachable expertise to inspire homeowners to create spaces that are both beautiful and functional."

There is a lot that goes into renovating a bathroom — or any room, for that matter — and Reveal by Kohler aims to simplify the often stressful and time-consuming remodeling process. As Gorder wrote on Instagram, "New products, new bathrooms in 1-2 days. Thrilled to be partnered with @kohler a brand I use for clients around the world and in my own home."

This was not the first time Gorder and Kohler combined forces. In 2016, the company shared on social media that the HGTV star was going to be at their booth at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas.