When you’re ready to own your own home, what do you do? You design and build it, of course. You actually build two…one to live in, one to sell. That is, if you are California-based interior designer/builder Jasmine Roth, host of HGTV’s “Hidden Potential” and “Help I Wrecked My House” series. In addition to her busy HGTV and home building/design schedule, Roth recently introduced a lighting and ceiling fan collection with Hunter Fan, which was shown this past January at Lightovation. Saying Roth is “busy” would be an understatement.
Coming from corporate America, Roth says her foray into interior design was a “happy accident.” In 2010, coming out of the recession, Roth and her husband decided it was time to swap their rental situation for home ownership. Knowing what they wanted, the college sweethearts decided to forgo the traditional home buying experience, instead buying a plot of land and building one home for themselves and one to sell.
Did Roth have any experience in this arena? No. Did that stop her? Also, no.
After finding a builder, Roth says she couldn’t find a designer she connected with so she decided to tackle the design portion of the homes herself. “I learned a lot building those first two houses,” she notes. “While these projects were going on, I learned that a big part of my success has been my curiosity and my realization that I knew nothing.”
With a builder willing to trust her design judgment and teach her the ropes along with her own passion for the project, Roth found her entry into the interior design and home building world. That builder works for her now, by the way. Roth sold one house and moved into the other, and then left her job, knowing that this was to be her path. “I don’t work now,” she says. “I do this and it doesn’t feel like work because it’s something I wanted to do anyway.”
While she might not consider what she does “work,” Roth isn’t relaxing. She continues to buy land and build houses from the ground up. And in the beginning, realizing she had a lot to learn — “I’m still learning to be a designer,” she says — she started working with friends and family for photos as payment so she could tackle smaller design jobs to build her knowledge and social media presence. “I was making money with my big projects, and this gave me a way to showcase ‘befores’ and ‘afters’ on social media. “I learned a lot on those smaller projects as well,” she continues.
Connecting with HGTV
There was another payoff to doing those smaller projects for the experience and visibility. Roth’s Instagram caught the eye of an HGTV junior development recruiter who found her online. “I had about 1,500 followers, and I was posting projects I had completed and houses I had for sale. One of them had the hashtag #beachbuild, and that’s how they found me,” she says. Roth also had a YouTube account where she posted videos of her projects and a blog where she shared inspiration as well. Roth got an email that she first thought might be fake, but it was enough to get her interest piqued and it couldn’t hurt to reach out. “It was real,” she says. “There are a lot of steps to getting a TV show. I just tried my hardest and over-delivered.” Roth hired a photographer, created a reel and did her best to cement the opportunity. “I don’t do anything small,” she notes.
Her hard work paid off, as HGTV ordered a pilot of “Hidden Potential,” then a 14-episode season and then a 17-episode season. From there, she’s been on “Rock the Block,” winning the second season of the competition, and has her current show, “Help! I Wrecked My House.” Roth credits the fact that she started big with new builds and then moved to smaller renovations with setting her up for success. After working on new builds, the renovations didn’t feel as overwhelming, she says.
Seeing the Light
While Roth says she had no formal training in interior design, she does have formal training in business. “Managing a project and budget comes naturally; the design part of it has been more of a learning personal quest,” she says. “The type of thinker I am — creative but with a pragmatic attitude — serves me well.”
Roth continues that the tools she learned in corporate America have given her an ability to see the organizational and analytical side of things. “I’m more resourceful than I am creative. Some people are truly creative and I work with those people.” she continues.
While she feels she’s still learning as an interior designer, Roth adds that her natural instincts and personal style have helped her understand what clients are looking for. “I’ve been doing this for 11 years and my style has evolved,” she says. That style would be casual and functional. “The analytical side of my brain won’t let me design something that doesn’t make sense.” Roth wants to know why she’s doing this project, who will be living in the space, how they will live there, and how her design can make their lives better. “If your home does what you need it to do, you’ll be happy. It’s a lot more than just style,” she notes.
Roth has taken that same pragmatic approach to the design and product development of her lighting collection with Hunter Fan. With her inaugural launch of more than 20 pieces, she says she focused on a more transitional style that allows the lighting and fans to integrate with a variety of design aesthetics. The collection includes everything from vanity lighting to sconces, pendants, chandeliers and ceiling fans in a variety of finishes.
“This collection with Hunter is one of my career highlights,” Roth says. “Once you’re in the world of design, you rarely get the chance to design your own products. Being able to work with Hunter has allowed us to add lighting to the industry that’s different, beautiful and functions really well.” Roth uses many of the products she’s designed in her own projects and has seen a lot of excitement around the collection as it has launched. And she’s not done yet. There’s more on the horizon as Roth and Hunter work on expanding the collection. “Throughout my career, I’ve seen how lighting can literally make or break a space,” Roth says. “I’ve enjoyed getting involved in the design process because I can share what my needs are as a designer and builder.”
Roth already has a lot on her plate with her design business, HGTV show, her curated ecommerce site and lighting collection, yet she keeps her eyes open for new opportunities. Roth credits her natural curiosity for driving her course through this business. “I want to know what’s next in the design world,” she says. “I always have new projects going, and every one opens my eyes to learning new things.”
