This week on HGTV Obsessed, hosts Kat and Mike Stickler dive into an interview with HGTV star and host of Build Me Up, Orlando Soria, and break down his enneagram. He describes what it was like to work with Olympian Gus Kenworthy on his Hollywood home and making design accessible to more than just clients with big budgets. Orlando then talks about moving back to where he grew up in Yosemite, buying a home there, and his future plans for the space. Finally, Orlando talks about his feelings going into 2021 and his thoughts on accent walls. Then, Clinton Kelly comes to the rescue of a listener who wants to start investing in home pieces but isn’t sure where to start.
This week on HGTV Obsessed, hosts Kat and Mike Stickler dive into an interview with HGTV star and host of Build Me Up, Orlando Soria, and break down his enneagram. He describes what it was like to work with Olympian Gus Kenworthy on his Hollywood home and making design accessible to more than just clients with big budgets. Orlando then talks about moving back to where he grew up in Yosemite, buying a home there, and his future plans for the space. Finally, Orlando talks about his feelings going into 2021 and his thoughts on accent walls. Then, Clinton Kelly comes to the rescue of a listener who wants to start investing in home pieces but isn’t sure where to start.
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Find episode transcript here: https://hgtv-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/orlando-soria-talks-designing-through-a-breakup-investing-in-quality-decor-with-clinton-kelly
[MUSIC PLAYING] KAT STICKLER: Hi, guys, and welcome. I'm Kat.
MIKE STICKLER: And I'm Mike.
KAT STICKLER: This is HGTV Obsessed. Oh, hello there, and welcome back to another episode of HGTV Obsessed.
MIKE STICKLER: The weekly podcast where we dive into all things HGTV. I'm Mike.
KAT STICKLER: And I'm Kat. And when we aren't watching HGTV, we make funny videos on TikTok about marriage, parenting, and life.
MIKE STICKLER: And we cry sometimes.
KAT STICKLER: And we cry.
[LAUGHTER]
I did cry on my most recent video, yes. So today, we were just in the tech check and we started talking about the Enneagram. And I am not finished talking about it because I am a three. So I am going to--
MIKE STICKLER: You are a total three.
KAT STICKLER: --take any opportunity I can to keep talking about myself.
MIKE STICKLER: Tell the world. I'm a three. I'm better than you.
KAT STICKLER: So a three is an achiever. And Mike is an Enneagram four, which is the individualist.
MIKE STICKLER: Yes. I am very, very in my feels. I think I'm a forewing three. So like that means I'm also--
KAT STICKLER: But do you think that's a good combo for marriage?
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah, I think it's a great combo.
KAT STICKLER: You do?
MIKE STICKLER: We're doing great, aren't we? We've made it this far.
KAT STICKLER: Highly recommend three finding a four.
MIKE STICKLER: Was that sarcasm?
KAT STICKLER: No, it feels good.
MIKE STICKLER: OK, good. It better be.
KAT STICKLER: I feel like it can be super crazy, and I just feel like I'm a different arguer than you.
MIKE STICKLER: You're 100% are.
KAT STICKLER: Like when Michael and I get in an argument, I try to get some reaction. If he's too calm, I'm like, mhm, I've got to say something to get some passion in here, some theatrics.
MIKE STICKLER: It normally works. [LAUGHS]
KAT STICKLER: It works every time.
MIKE STICKLER: No, not every time. Not every time. I have to choose to be like, you know what, this isn't going to happen right now. I'm going to let this one simmer. [CHUCKLES]
KAT STICKLER: I'm very driven, and you are very emotional.
MIKE STICKLER: Those two don't mix sometimes. Yeah. Those who don't mix sometimes.
KAT STICKLER: Ooh, you're not very emotional.
MIKE STICKLER: Thanks, babe.
KAT STICKLER: OK.
MIKE STICKLER: All right. So anyways, so should we talk about our guests today because we talk about the Enneagram with him and they kind of come full circle here so.
KAT STICKLER: Well, I just got really anxious that we said the wrong things about your Enneagrams and now the internet's going to come after us and be like, wait, you're a three with a four? That's horrible.
[LAUGHTER]
MIKE STICKLER: Well, anyways, our guest is perfect because he actually knows a lot about that too. I'm going to completely disregard what you just said.
KAT STICKLER: You go, well anyways. Today we are so excited to be talking to Orlando Soria who is a designer, HGTV star, and an all around, beautiful, hilarious person. You guys, when he was speaking, he just speaks beautifully. Like, he doesn't interrupt. He's very sure of what he's going to say.
I was trying to take notes. I'm like, how do I speak like this? It's cool. You'll understand what I'm saying. You'll-- you'll, he doesn't do that stuttering step. So you'll know what I'm saying when it's time. Nothing stumped him. He was just beautiful to listen to. I loved it.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah, let's do it. Let's get into it.
KAT STICKLER: What a four move.
[LAUGHTER]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Orlando.
MIKE STICKLER: Woo! Welcome, man.
ORLANDO SORIA: Hello.
KAT STICKLER: I want to be super sure that we are saying your name because this is one of your triggers.
ORLANDO SORIA: It's actually not a trigger, but other people have made it a trigger. It's pronounced Orlando. But I won't get mad at you if you say Orlando, unless you've known me for like five years and you're still saying my name weird. The longer you know me, probably, even though you're in Florida, you might start pronouncing it Orlando, Florida and people will think you are the most pretentious.
KAT STICKLER: We're going to Disney World in Orlando. How have you been?
[LAUGHTER]
ORLANDO SORIA: So it's actually pronounced like that. Because like Kat, I'm a secret Latina.
MIKE STICKLER: Oh.
KAT STICKLER: Didn't know that.
ORLANDO SORIA: Secret Latinos unite, yeah. My father's family is from Mexico. So I'm just kind of like half. But obviously, I got like none of the melanin, which is annoying.
[LAUGHTER]
MIKE STICKLER: Same. Do you see this? This is all white.
KAT STICKLER: But you're not from anywhere that--
MIKE STICKLER: I know. But you know what--
ORLANDO SORIA: I'm always the pasties person at the pool party.
MIKE STICKLER: That's me, completely. Cool. So before we get started, I heard that you might know the answer to this. Do you know your Enneagram?
ORLANDO SORIA: I do. I'm a six.
MIKE STICKLER: Oh.
KAT STICKLER: I've never met a six. It's really nice to meet you.
[LAUGHTER]
ORLANDO SORIA: Oh, my god. So I have a friend who actually worked on my show who's really into it. And so she would constantly be analyzing me and being like, oh, my god, that's such six behavior. And I'd be like, OK.
I've read a little bit about it. And sometimes I can't tell if those things are like self-fulfilling prophecies or if it's like really real. But I mean, I do think that there is something to those sort of self analyzing personality tests that can be really fun and help you--
KAT STICKLER: What is a six. Because I am a three, so I'm pretty self-absorbed so I only know about three's. So what is a six?
ORLANDO SORIA: I guess sixes are very orderly. And they're very much about rule following and kind of like strict adherence to social codes. So I dated somebody once who we went to the movies. And he left all of his trash at our seat and I was just like, wait, what? Or people who don't take their shopping cart back or things like that.
Things that apparently are very triggering to six's because we're very like rules-- or people on an airplane getting up before the person in front of them or something like that. So we're very into order. And we're also very into, I guess, community. But I think they can all be interpreted so many different ways. I just kind of took what made sense for me.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah. I'm a four, so I'm just always in my feelings, basically.
ORLANDO SORIA: Oh, OK.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah.
KAT STICKLER: Mikes, right?
ORLANDO SORIA: I could see myself being like that too though because I'm like very emotional about everything. So sometimes I'm like, I could take this test on two different days and get two different grades.
MIKE STICKLER: Exactly. All right. So we kind of got off track before we even got started. So Orlando, can you tell the people listening a little bit about yourself and then also how you got into the design world really?
ORLANDO SORIA: Yeah. So I'm an interior designer. I usually live in LA, but right now, I'm living in Northern California in a tiny town called Fish Camp, which is right next to Yosemite National Park. I got my start doing interior design actually on HGTV because I had been doing production design, and set design, and all sorts of entertainment related design. But I'd never done straight up interior design until I was hired to be on Emily Henderson's TV show, Secrets From A Stylist, I think, exactly 10 years ago.
So on that show, the concept was that we design to house twice, once for one member of a couple and then the second time for the other member of a couple. So it was kind of design boot camp. We had to like literally source and design two looks every week, which was crazy because it's impossible to get furnishings that fast week after week. And then after that, I just moved into doing it professionally and have been in and out of doing TV stuff ever since.
So in the meantime, I started a blog and started an Instagram. So it kind of has always been like a combination of design content and then like working with real clients as well, which I'm still doing now.
MIKE STICKLER: Wow.
KAT STICKLER: And you designed a home for the Olympian Gus Kenworthy, right? Yeah.
ORLANDO SORIA: Yeah, yeah. That was super fun. So he started following me years ago when I was renovating a condo with my boyfriend. And then he bought a very similar condo, like literally same era, and was like, oh, I should hire this guy because he's already done this.
So that was a really fun project because he's like super silly and has really adventurous youthful style. We got to go really colorful. We got to go really playful. He has a crazy art collection. And it's just inspiring to be around people like that because he's obviously medaled US Olympian, but he's also a model and an actor.
And it's so interesting to just-- I love being surrounded by creative people. That's one of my favorite things about LA and just kind of like seeing writers and seeing actors and seeing the different things that they do. It's always so fun. Because I work mostly with visual arts and interior design. But it's always fun to be around other creatives.
KAT STICKLER: So you started that project with Gus Kenworthy before you did HGTV?
ORLANDO SORIA: Oh, my god, that project, you guys, took like three years. During the process of that project, I was going through a breakup. I moved to a new place. I redesigned the new place. I wrote a book. I pitched a TV show. We sold the TV show. We created two seasons of the TV show. It was like-- and still in the process of this project.
Sometimes, things go off the rails. And this project went off the rails. For basically permitting reasons, it ended up being a lot more difficult to create the roof deck that he wanted than we thought it was going to be. It seemed like, oh, we'll just like re-engineer it and put a deck up there. But that ended up taking forever. And then for some reason, there were unprecedented rains in LA that led to a lot of delays. So yeah.
It was like funny when that project was finally ready to share because from where we began to where we ended, we both were at completely different-- he hadn't done as much acting when we started. He was purely mostly an athlete. And then now, he's been on like multiple seasons of like American Horror Story and done a lot of other stuff. So it just was really interesting when you're like, that was only three years, but it feels like the longest three years in history.
KAT STICKLER: That's--
ORLANDO SORIA: Like you guys ever think about what you were doing three years ago? And three years is not that much time, but it can be insane. What were you doing three years ago?
[LAUGHTER]
KAT STICKLER: Well, single living my best life. Just, wooh.
MIKE STICKLER: I was playing in bands in bars.
[LAUGHTER]
That's what I was doing. Yeah.
ORLANDO SORIA: Isn't that wild? It's not that long ago.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah. And life is totally-- life can change so quick. That's-- I mean, for us, it changed so quickly. And then obviously with you, then that led up to your show, Build Me Up, right. So why don't you tell everyone a little bit about Build Me Up.
ORLANDO SORIA: Yeah, sure. OK. Something fully exciting that I'd like to say about Build Me Up is that you can now watch it on the Discovery Plus app, which is great because a lot of people, like for the past few years since I've had my show up, have been like, how do I watch your show?
And I've never had cable, so I totally understood that. I'd be like, um, well. My solution was always I get Hulu Live so like you can watch HGTV on that. But this is easier because you just download the app directly to your-- I have an Apple TV. So that's kind of fun. It's introducing it to a new audience that didn't really get to see it before.
That show kind of came out of a personal experience, getting back to the condo that I designed with my boyfriend. Basically, I designed this beautiful home with my boyfriend, and then he dumped me. I moved. And I moved into this new apartment, and I spent the next year healing through designing it and making it really beautiful.
And there was something really liberating about not having to take somebody else's design needs into account when you're designing your new space. So I was like, how can I take this experience and make it into something that can help other people? Because it was such a healing experience to design this new space for myself and think about what my life was going to be. And that was the genesis for what became Build Me Up.
So build me up is a really fun show. Basically every week, we are meeting with somebody who's going through a different kind of life transition or life challenge, like everything from a woman who lost her husband to a mom whose kid is going off to college, to a dad who's moving his mom into spend more time with her grandchildren and so he's like building her little guesthouse. So it's all these different life experiences from some that are tragic to some that are really happy.
But behind it, it is just this-- the notion that interior design can really be healing and really be helpful and help people move into new parts of their lives. So the people who are on the show were so generous with their stories. And they're all so different and they're so unique. And I love them for doing it.
But it's satisfying to watch because you get the kind of design porn that we love HGTV for. But you're also getting these really real human stories about these people going through different challenges and like triumphs in their lives.
So I'm really proud of it. I'm really thankful that I've gotten to do it. And I think, especially right now when there's all this kind of dark stuff going on with coronavirus and whatnot, people are craving that kind of content that's just like, all right, this is like a nice person doing something nice for other people. It's just satisfying to watch.
KAT STICKLER: I think even every show I hear from HGTV I'm like, man, what are they going to come up with next? And then Build Me Up. I just think it's such a perfect idea and because you can get so many different perspectives and so many people can relate to this and learn. That's what one of my favorite things about the whole thing.
But so you were basically saying this painful breakup was kind of a catapult into your career where you started getting serious, bring it up, but you also are being recognized or were being recognized. You are. Are you still funny on social media?
I'm not-- I never funny. How dare you suggest. No. I mean, I started blogging right when I got out of school. I was one of those old school 2007 like, here I am on my blog. So I've always shared stuff even pre-Instagram for some reason. That's another part of my personality that I don't fully understand because I'm kind of like a shy person, but I also have a desire to tell stories and be heard, I guess.
And for me, inserting humor into my blog and into Instagram has been a way to demystify interior design and make it feel more approachable. Because I normally live in LA and I'm surrounded by these very high end interior designers that only work with like super rich clients. And that can be like a really snobby, obnoxious world.
And for me, I'd rather encourage everyday people to make their houses beautiful than work with super rich elite clients that I'm only affecting a tiny bit of the population. So. And you know, I grew up in the middle of the woods. No one had interior designers. And I think everybody deserves to be conscientious and think about how they can make their spaces beautiful regardless of how much money they have.
So the humor has been a way to invite people in and just let them know, this isn't a snobby thing for rich people, everything from taking what you have and rearranging it to something as minimal as painting a room can be a way of making your space beautiful. So the main goal is to just make it feel inviting.
MIKE STICKLER: So last year was, obviously, crazy for everyone. But you had some positivity come out of it with your first home purchase, right. So.
ORLANDO SORIA: Yeah.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah. You want to tell everyone a little bit about that.
ORLANDO SORIA: So that was crazy. I never in a million years would have thought that I would have bought a house last year. So I've been in LA 13 years. And I've always had this pipe dream of buying a house near Yosemite where I grew up.
Because basically, if you live in Yosemite, you have to leave when you retire. So my dad worked as the dentist in the park, and my mom was a teacher at the grammar school. So once they were done working, they had to leave the little cabin that I grew up. And so that was 2014.
And since then, my family has just like really missed having a house there. So I thought, what better time than right now when like cities are basically shut down to leave, and kind of renovate a house, and just get some fresh air? And it's been really nice. It's just peaceful up here. There's just like trees outside my window. It's been snowy. So yeah.
And the whole house buying process, it was interesting. This was the first house that I looked at seriously. It was the first house that I toured. It was the first house that I put an offer in on. And I don't know what the housing market in Florida is like, but that is incredibly rare for California. So I feel like I really lucked out.
I made an offer, and then I was told that somebody had made a bigger offer. It was a very nerve racking process because it's obviously the biggest purchase I've ever made. But I'm really happy I did it.
So basically, my plan is to probably be here until things open up a little bit more, and then I might get a place in LA again. But we'll see. I like-- it's really nice living here. I like being able to just have the quiet. And the grocery store is a little 20-minute drive away, which is a really pretty drive. And you drive to the grocery store, and you just park in the parking lot right in front. It's not annoying and hard like LA.
And I've been doing a ton of DIY projects. So I have ripped up the carpet in a lot of the rooms. I made a really cute gym for myself, which was fully necessary because I spent all of 2020 just drinking wine and eating carbs, which is totally fine. I totally am down with the weight gain, but I just didn't feel good.
So that's been really nice. So it's just been like a really good distraction. And then I got a dog. And it's a great house for a dog because, A, she's a puppy and I don't really care if she goes to the bathroom on the carpet that I'm going to rip out. B, there's a lot of space.
KAT STICKLER: What kind of dog?
ORLANDO SORIA: She's like a Weimaraner pit mix and lab. I got-- she's a rescue dog, so she's a mutt. But she looks to me most like a pit Weimaraner. So she's got that really pretty beige coat with like blue eyes.
And then she has kind of like a pretty face. And I love pit bulls because I've known so many and they're always so sweet. And she definitely has that personality. She's super affectionate. And she's the best. It's been such a blessing.
Before-- I've never had a dog before. So before, I got a dog, I was like, oh, my god, that's going to be so overwhelming to have to take care of the dog. And now, I'm like, I don't even remember what it would feel like to be in this house without the dog here.
Because it's so nice to have that energy and that love. I don't know. It's cool. It's been a really great experience. She's still not like fully potty trained, but I don't really care. I'm slowly getting there.
MIKE STICKLER: Let her live her life.
ORLANDO SORIA: Yeah.
MIKE STICKLER: That's awesome.
KAT STICKLER: That's what we say with our baby. Just pee wherever you want.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah. Just walk around and do whatever you want. Yeah.
KAT STICKLER: We'll wipe it off the floor.
[LAUGHTER]
ORLANDO SORIA: It's hard. Because my house is big so there'll be times where I bring her into a new part of the house that she hasn't been in before, and I don't think that she recognizes the floor as floor or an indoor thing. So whenever I bring her into a new room that she hasn't been in before, she'll pee on the carpet.
And I'll be like, oh, I thought you didn't pee on the carpet anymore. And her little brain is like, wait, that looks like the dirt that's outside. I don't know what-- and it's like, you have to-- it's all positive reinforcement with this type of dog. So I have to just be like, oh, all right. And then when she actually pees outside be like, oh, my god, I can't believe you did that. It's amazing.
KAT STICKLER: I think also I do that with you sometimes like when you--
MIKE STICKLER: Oh, when I don't-- when I pee on the floor?
KAT STICKLER: No. Like when I want you to take out the trash or something and you don't do it, I don't make a big deal. But when you do it, I go ballistic. I'm like, you're amazing. Thank you so much.
MIKE STICKLER: Really?
KAT STICKLER: Yeah, I do.
MIKE STICKLER: This is news.
KAT STICKLER: He does it all the time though. You do this.
ORLANDO SORIA: I'm-- those tricks into training a human.
MIKE STICKLER: I love it.
KAT STICKLER: It works with human psychology. OK. So what is in the works for you in 2021? Are you--
MIKE STICKLER: Or do you have no idea like us?
KAT STICKLER: Yeah.
ORLANDO SORIA: I mean, kind of a little bit of both. So I've been doing these DIY projects around the house and then documenting them. I'm also filming them because I want to start a YouTube but that-- everything is so daunting. People don't realize how hard it is to actually do these DIY projects, document them, edit the content, and then like post it.
So I'm doing a number of projects around my house that I'm documenting for blog, Instagram, and hopefully, YouTube, if I get good at doing that. I am still working with clients remotely, which seems like it would be hard, but it actually is way easier. Because like in LA, if you're trying to drive to client meetings, sometimes that takes up so much time. And it's just nice to be like, I'm doing all of this stuff remotely. I'm saving so much time not being in the car.
So that's something that's been keeping me busy. I have been doing sort of occasional guest things on different HGTV shows. And then, yeah, just kind of like trying to adjust the country living, which, I have to be honest, is a lot. When I lived in LA, I lived in like a little two-bedroom apartment. And I had this like wonderful housekeeper who came and did everything for me.
And here, I have this gigantic house that I have to clean myself. There is no trash service, so I have to take all of my trash to the dump, including all of this stupid carpet and every sort of construction thing that I'm removing from the house. So that's a lot. I have piles of wood in my yard that I have to cut, and chop, and organize to build fires in the fireplace.
There's a lot that goes into living in the country. And I'm doing it all myself in addition to doing design work, creating content, trying to raise a puppy, and trying to stay sane, and also hosting people from time to time. So I look at what I'm doing and I'm like, oh, it doesn't seem like I'm that busy. But maintaining this house has been kind of a lot and while also doing these like DIY renovations.
So the plan basically is that just to get the most content possible. I want to go through the house. And also because I don't really want like workers in my house right now because it's a weird time to have strangers in your house, I'm kind of going through room by room and doing really approachable, inexpensive makeovers in each room. And then hopefully, sometimes when things clear up this coming year, I want to start actual renovation, so like doing the kitchen, doing the bathrooms, like replacing the flooring.
The house is like a '90s gigantic box with like no personality. And I'm hoping to make it feel a lot more like just historic and formal. So the renovation that I want to do is pretty involved and I think we'll take a while. But for now, I'm trying to make it cute in a really approachable inexpensive way.
KAT STICKLER: I want to go in with you. I just want to help you.
ORLANDO SORIA: Come on up. I'm all alone, and there's like four empty bedrooms.
MIKE STICKLER: I don't know--
KAT STICKLER: We'll do. We'll bring the baby too. We'll make it extra hot into this new home.
ORLANDO SORIA: There's space. You're welcome. I have a gym. I have a forest. I have a propane tank.
[LAUGHTER]
MIKE STICKLER: Boom.
KAT STICKLER: I have a dumpster down the road.
ORLANDO SORIA: Totally.
MIKE STICKLER: I love it.
KAT STICKLER: OK. So well, Orlando, before you go, we want you to tackle a little challenge. We do it every podcast. It's called Defend the Trend.
ORLANDO SORIA: Ooh.
KAT STICKLER: And so we ask our HGTV stars and experts for their opinion on a design trend. So you're just going to let me know if you love it or you're just like, no, that's a fleeting thing. It'll be gone.
MIKE STICKLER: Is it here? Is it is it gone?
KAT STICKLER: So this one's tough because I think every designer has a different opinion on them. Accent walls. We've seen accent walls come and go and come back again. And in fact, you just did a gorgeous wallpaper accent wall in the guest room of your new house. Did you post a picture of that one on your blog?
ORLANDO SORIA: Yeah.
KAT STICKLER: OK. Because I saw that, and I'm like I'm going to--
ORLANDO SORIA: You're like, did I imagine that?
KAT STICKLER: I'm like, am I making this up in my head. OK. So what is your opinion on this?
ORLANDO SORIA: OK. So I actually have kind of a complex opinion. My first instinct is, no. I'm not a big accent wall person. And when I say that, the kind of accent wall that I'm talking about is when you just paint a random wall in your house a different color. And the reason I don't like that, there's a few reasons.
Firstly, oftentimes, where walls meet or where the walls meet the ceiling, is not a perfect line. So if you create a delineation between two planes with color, sometimes it can emphasize sort of imperfections in the architecture of your house. And it feels sometimes like it's a little arbitrary. Places where I think accent walls are really successful are when there is some sort of recess and a wall or there's some sort of tremor molding that sort of creates a delineation between the two walls or the walls and the ceiling.
However, I just broke my own rule by doing an accent wall behind my parents bed in their guest bedroom because I found this really beautiful mural wallpaper. And for some reason, a mural feels different than just a solid color to me. So in general, I'm not really that big on design rule. Like I can say that I probably would err on the side of not being an accent wall person, but there's always like an exception to a rule.
I would say go to tips would be, look for spaces that sort of architecturally look like they want to be accented in a different color, whether there's like a recess in the wall or there's some sort of-- it's a different material, like maybe it's like shiplap on one wall or something. If there's some reason for it to be a different color, I think I could get on board with that.
And if there's not a reason, I might consider just like painting a large shape on that wall. So maybe you paint an arc or you paint like-- it's a rectangle but it comes in like four inches from the side so that you can make sure that you get like that perfect crisp line instead of sometimes when it's wavy when the wall isn't perfectly even.
KAT STICKLER: You just sound like--
MIKE STICKLER: That was--
KAT STICKLER: --you're so smart.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah. That was the best, complex answer I've ever heard. [LAUGHS]
KAT STICKLER: And you speak very well.
ORLANDO SORIA: It's a very complex issue.
KAT STICKLER: You're good. You're going to have a great YouTube channel. I would watch you, and I would subscribe.
MIKE STICKLER: And we have friends we know who would watch too.
KAT STICKLER: Oh, yeah.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah.
ORLANDO SORIA: Tell your friends about my non-existent YouTube channel.
MIKE STICKLER: We will. Orlando, it was seriously so great talking with you today. We had a great time.
KAT STICKLER: I could just keep on talking to you. I love you so much. I don't know why.
MIKE STICKLER: Very relaxing guy.
ORLANDO SORIA: It would be wonderful meeting you in California.
MIKE STICKLER: Let's do it.
KAT STICKLER: Oh, my god, I really want to. You're going to be like, wait, they showed up. They're at my door. What the heck?
ORLANDO SORIA: I won't be sad if you show up.
MIKE STICKLER: Oh, I love it. So where can everyone find you and see more of your work?
ORLANDO SORIA: Just use your human fingers to log on to Orlandosoria.com. You can follow me @MrOrlandoSoria. And you can watch me on HGTV's Build Me Up, which is now very accessible on the Discovery Plus app.
MIKE STICKLER: Boom.
KAT STICKLER: How many followers do you have on Instagram? I'm just curious.
ORLANDO SORIA: I have 180 something.
MIKE STICKLER: Million?
ORLANDO SORIA: Thousand. 180 million.
KAT STICKLER: Look, does Kim Kardashian even have that money?
MIKE STICKLER: Hey, I wouldn't put it that--
ORLANDO SORIA: Have you seen how crazy if I randomly had more followers than Kim Kardashian. Just as like, a random HGTV host is the most famous person in the entire world.
[LAUGHTER]
KAT STICKLER: He lives in the middle of nowhere, and he's about to start a YouTube channel.
ORLANDO SORIA: He designed [AUDIO OUT] who lives in the woods alone with this beautiful, beautiful dog and his $5.7 trillion Instagram followers.
MIKE STICKLER: The Prince of Abu Dhabi flies him out regularly to redo his house.
KAT STICKLER: The most mysterious Instagramer we've ever had on the app.
ORLANDO SORIA: Pinot Noir for breakfast.
[LAUGHTER]
I would love that. Let's make that-- let's-- I'm going to believe that into being for this year. And also, I have a very good feeling about this year. I hope you guys do too. I think it's going to be a year of healing, and progress, and forward movement.
MIKE STICKLER: Huge, huge year.
KAT STICKLER: I had a great feeling the year I got pregnant, and I had a great feeling this year. So great things happen when I have a good feeling so I'm sure with you too.
MIKE STICKLER: Boom.
ORLANDO SORIA: We can believe it into being.
KAT STICKLER: Yeah.
MIKE STICKLER: I love it. Cool. Well, thank you for joining us.
ORLANDO SORIA: Thanks for having me. Thanks for being HGTV Obsessed.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MIKE STICKLER: Orlando, what a nice guy.
KAT STICKLER: I loved him.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah.
KAT STICKLER: He was great.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah. I feel like we would all get along really, really well.
KAT STICKLER: You know what, I just love saying his name.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah.
KAT STICKLER: Orlando.
MIKE STICKLER: Orlando.
KAT STICKLER: I'm never going to say I'm in Orlando anymore.
MIKE STICKLER: No.
KAT STICKLER: I'm in Orlando going to Disneyland.
MIKE STICKLER: Hey, guys, do you want to go to Orlando this weekend?
KAT STICKLER: I don't know if you've ever been.
MIKE STICKLER: Do you remember when I took you to Orlando? It was horrible. Remember that?
KAT STICKLER: Oh, my gosh, you guys.
MIKE STICKLER: It was such a-- yeah, I took her on the worst date.
KAT STICKLER: The worst date of my life.
MIKE STICKLER: I try to plan things sometimes and then they just don't execute.
KAT STICKLER: He took me on a train. Imagine me walking in heels, which I'm already bad at, on a rickety train. Oh, wait this is my favorite part. He brought chess, the game of chess, for us to play on a moving train where the pieces won't stay on the train. I was like, this guy.
Literally, it was like a 2 and 1/2 hour train ride. We could have driven there in like 40 minutes. Anyways. So I love saying his name, as I was saying.
MIKE STICKLER: Is that your only takeaway from the episode?
KAT STICKLER: No. How many people can say they actually grew up in a National Park?
MIKE STICKLER: Five.
KAT STICKLER: Yeah.
MIKE STICKLER: About five people.
KAT STICKLER: How did you know that?
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah. OK, anyways. I can't believe that he grew up there, and his parents were like the dentist of the whole town, the teacher the whole-- like the whole town.
KAT STICKLER: The whole town?
MIKE STICKLER: Could you imagine being that the dentist for Tampa?
KAT STICKLER: I feel like that's what country songs are made of. (SINGING) I broke up with the girl next door. She's also--
MIKE STICKLER: The dentist.
KAT STICKLER: --the dentist.
[LAUGHTER]
MIKE STICKLER: OK. Anyways, I personally, I really, really liked how he loved-- he takes pride in helping people with their transitions in life, whether they're going through tough times.
KAT STICKLER: I feel like I was thinking about when he said that, what if back in time when we found out I was pregnant, like he helped us with the home design? I don't know. I feel like with COVID, it's more important now than ever to be in a space that you identify with and you don't feel all groggy and sad that you're in this space.
MIKE STICKLER: Our space was hard. Yeah.
KAT STICKLER: One of our producer/editors, right now, I'm looking at him on Zoom-- he has a whole wall of like-- I mean, it's beautiful. Are they laminated? They're framed?
BRAD: You can call me a nerd. It's fine. It's comic books. [GIGGLES]
MIKE STICKLER: What? You didn't want to call them comic books? Did you not know what they were?
KAT STICKLER: I thought it was a video game. I didn't really know. So Brad has comic books all up and down the wall, and it's very nice. I just think-- and even you were in your stream room and you have records all back here, a mini fridge.
MIKE STICKLER: And I feel so good when I'm in here.
BRAD: I feel alive when I'm in my space.
MIKE STICKLER: Yes, thank you. I feel so good when I'm in-- like I live-- can I just stay in here all day?
KAT STICKLER: Sure. You kind of do anyways.
[LAUGHTER]
MIKE STICKLER: Oh god. All right, cool. Well, I think we should get on to the next section. You know what time it is?
KAT STICKLER: Any time you ask me that I know it's time for HGTV to the Rescue.
MIKE STICKLER: Let's go. Hit it.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
KAT STICKLER: Our favorite segment of the week where legit HGTV stars answer your burning questions about renovating, design, or real estate.
MIKE STICKLER: Today we have the amazing Clinton Kelly from Self-Made Mansions on HGTV. He is answering a question from Holly. Holly asked, "Hi, Clinton. Huge fan here. So I recently got a promotion and can finally afford to upgrade my post-college collection of furniture that I like to think of as a thrift store inside an IKEA chic. Where should I start? I really want some investment pieces that I'll have forever, but I'm a little paralyzed. Thank you."
CLINTON KELLY: All right. Well, that's a pretty big decision to make. Because there's so much furniture to buy. And furniture comes in and out of style, so it's hard to say what you're going to want to buy now so that you can have it in your life five years from now or 10 years from now. But there are a couple of things I think that would help you feel like you're adulting a little bit more.
Like if you spent money on a great quality sofa, I think that that would be helpful because great sofas that have really good bones can be reupholstered over and over and over again. So it actually end up saving you money in the long run if you buy a great classic sofa, and instead of buying another sofa five years from now, you can do re-upholstered the one that you bought.
A beautiful headboard or some sort of bed situation is going to make you feel like an adult as well. When we're kids and we're fresh out of college, we're living on futons or beds that we got from our parents' house, like a twin bed or something. Buy yourself a nice, big, glamorous bed, maybe a king or queen size, with the beautiful headboard. I think that would be a great investment for you.
And then a dining table. Yeah, it's time to upgrade from the folding table. Buy yourself a beautiful, hardwood dining table that you'll have forever and ever and ever. So I would say those are the first three things that I would buy. Those are your basics in every room.
MIKE STICKLER: So no more eating on the floor is what you're saying.
KAT STICKLER: Yeah.
CLINTON KELLY: I mean, that is still fun. To get Chinese food on the floor, like, come on, we all love that. I love lying down, sort of half lying and eating. I'll tell you what I do. I have a pull out couch in my media room. And I basically just use it as a bed to watch TV for a long time. So with that, the whole world is putting some food right here on your chest. And if it does make it to your mouth, that's the best thing.
MIKE STICKLER: Nothing better in the world. That's awesome.
KAT STICKLER: You're on to something.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Ooh, that was a really good answer.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah. Thanks, Clinton, so much. I feel like--
KAT STICKLER: He's good.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah, right.
KAT STICKLER: He's good. Ooh. I always think this is going to stump someone and then they're like just boom, hit out of the park.
MIKE STICKLER: I feel like buying grown up furniture is so intimidating. I really do actually feel that a lot.
KAT STICKLER: Remember when we bought our first-- this is the only piece of furniture we talk about-- that one painting we bought, we couldn't fit it in the car. So we're just like lugging it around in the parking lot like we got to go back to the store.
MIKE STICKLER: And it was so expensive.
KAT STICKLER: It wasn't that expensive. We just hadn't really bought anything.
MIKE STICKLER: Oh, my gosh.
KAT STICKLER: We had a lot of fun meeting Orlando Soria and hearing all about his life, and work, and house, and puppy. I find his story extremely fascinating.
MIKE STICKLER: He lives in the mountains. I mean, that's so cool.
KAT STICKLER: It makes me want to go visit Yosemite one day. I googled it, and if Google does it justice, I mean, it was gorgeous.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah.
KAT STICKLER: I was like, wow, I feel like I'm really there. No need to visit. So head over to HGTV.com/podcast to check out the show notes and watch his makeover of Olympian Gus Kenworthy's home. You guys will not regret it. These pictures are beautiful, stunning. I have no idea how he makes the space transform like that.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah.
KAT STICKLER: I mean, I feel like, I did that with a baby.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah.
KAT STICKLER: Take that Orlando.
MIKE STICKLER: OK. OK. And also you can watch his HGTV show Build Me Up on Discovery Plus. Also huge thank you to Clinton Kelly for answering today's HGTV to the Rescue question. His show, Self-Made Mansions, can also be seen on HGTV and Discovery Plus. If you want to ask HGTV stars your own question, hit us up on the HGTV Instagram account. Just look for a post on Thursdays.
KAT STICKLER: And as usual, if you like what you're listening to right this very second, please hop over to Apple Podcasts to rate and review HGTV Obsessed. And don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode. You can do it on Apple. You can do it on Spotify. You can do it on Stitcher or wherever you listen. We always read these notes and reviews, and I really appreciate them. I feel like it's like little notes of love.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah.
KAT STICKLER: A love notes from you to me.
MIKE STICKLER: And it helps us to keep improving, you know.
KAT STICKLER: Yes.
MIKE STICKLER: Yeah.
KAT STICKLER: And head on over to HGTV.com/podcast for the show notes on today's episode.
MIKE STICKLER: Lastly, if you want even more of us, follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube at Mike and Kat. And we'll see you next week.
KAT STICKLER: Bye, guys.
MIKE STICKLER: Bye.
[MUSIC PLAYING]