This week, Marianne Canada chats with paradise power couple Sarah and Bryan Baeumler of Renovation Island. The couple talks about persevering, learning from failure, and resilience through their journey renovating a resort in the Bahamas. They talk about how a normal vacation in the Bahamas evolved into leaving their life in Canada and moving their family to the Bahamas to bring a neglected resort back to life. Sarah and Bryan share the unique challenges of renovating and designing in a remote location and how it impacts their decision making. The couple shares the experience of having to close their resort just six weeks after their grand opening due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how to budget and prepare for the unexpected. Charissa Thompson, sports broadcaster and founder of new design studio House and Home, talks about the benefits of virtual design services, how they work, and how to know if they are the right fit for your needs. She shares her everyday sources for design inspiration before talking about her friendship with Erin Andrews and their own podcast, Calm Down.
This week, Marianne Canada chats with paradise power couple Sarah and Bryan Baeumler of Renovation Island. The couple talks about persevering, learning from failure, and resilience through their journey renovating a resort in the Bahamas. They talk about how a normal vacation in the Bahamas evolved into leaving their life in Canada and moving their family to the Bahamas to bring a neglected resort back to life. Sarah and Bryan share the unique challenges of renovating and designing in a remote location and how it impacts their decision making. The couple shares the experience of having to close their resort just six weeks after their grand opening due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how to budget and prepare for the unexpected. Charissa Thompson, sports broadcaster and founder of new design studio House and Home, talks about the benefits of virtual design services, how they work, and how to know if they are the right fit for your needs. She shares her everyday sources for design inspiration before talking about her friendship with Erin Andrews and their own podcast, Calm Down.
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Learn More About House & Home: https://www.houseandhome.design/
Listen to the Calm Down Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1548527210
Find episode transcript here: https://hgtv-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/renovation-island-behind-the-scenes-what-is-virtual-design
MARIANNE CANADA: Hello and welcome to HGTV Obsessed. Your podcasts for all things HGTV. Today, we are going virtual, people. That's right. We are talking all about virtual design, whether you are designing for someone that lives in another state, or whether you are in another country. But before we get started, I want to encourage you all to take a second and hop over to Apple Podcasts to leave us a five star rating and a review. It really helps people find us it. Helps us know what you want to hear about and what your HGTV obsessed with. OK.
I'm assuming you're back. Today, we have paradise power couple Sarah and Bryan Baeumler on to talk about their brand new season of Renovation Island, and how they have managed to renovate an entire resort in the Bahamas despite the challenges with the location, the climate, and a little thing called a global pandemic. Don't know if you've heard of it. The show is so good. I'm beyond obsessed with it. I binge watched it all in one sitting.
Then we have Charissa Thompson, well-known sportscaster founder of an interior design service, House and Home and co-host of the Calm Down Podcast and she's here to talk about the virtual design services her company offers, and how to know if virtual design services are the right fit for you. If you're new here, I'm Marianne, executive producer at hdtv.com, lifestyle expert, and I am so excited for you guys to listen to these conversations today.
I find remote design so appropriate, not just because of the recent pandemic and the pivot to virtual options, but I feel like so many businesses in general are moving in a virtual direction altogether. And I think it's really interesting to listen to how this can benefit you as your design options expand beyond your location. So let's dive right in. We're talking to Sarah and Bryan Baeumler of Renovation Island all about the second season of their show and the challenges of a global pandemic hitting six weeks after you open your brand new resort. I mean, if they can do it, they can do anything. Here's my conversation with the Baeumlers
Sarah and Bryan, welcome to HGTV Obsessed. We're so excited to have you guys here.
SARAH BAEUMLER: Thank you for having us.
MARIANNE CANADA: For anyone-- I don't know how anyone listening who is as obsessed with HGTV as I am, doesn't already know about this show. renovation Island, it went completely viral. Everyone is obsessed with it. My own mother was like, are you talking to them? Can I go-- she wants to go to the resort. Like she is so ready. But for anyone who hasn't watched Renovation Island, can you tell us a little bit more about the show?
SARAH BAEUMLER: Well, you know what? The show really has evolved. It is the story of what has happened for our family. We were vacationing with our family in the Bahamas with the kids. It was a last minute vacation before they went back to school. And we were down traveling in the Bahamas and as crazy as it sounds, we actually happened upon the hotel. We were exploring this tiny little island in all that it had in its glory. And we saw this little sign, this tiny wooden sign that had been painted and it just said for sale.
And we were so excited, so we walked on the property and in minutes we both fell in love with it and that was history. It started from there.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Yeah. It's the it's the story about a journey of a family with four children to get off-- just get off the treadmill, dump the rat race, take a left when everyone says turn right, and just to see what happens.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. I mean, it honestly sounds like a movie. The idea of this family and your kids, leaving behind your home and your businesses in Canada and moving into this resort that, I mean, I think we can all be honest, had seen better days. I think that's it's so inspiring to think about taking that leap. How did your kids react to the decision? Because I could see it going both ways, really.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Taking your kids somewhere different, pulling them out of school, putting them into a new local school. Meeting kids in a different country with a different culture, and just exposing them to that has been, I think, really rewarding for them just to see-- when we got down on the island the first day, they looked down the beach and there were some other local kids playing. They were just like kids and they were off, and they made friends. They learned different things. And I think they realized things are a lot different on the island.
We don't have all the same creature comforts. And I think they realize that as long as we're together we're home.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. I mean, that's-- this episode is all about remote design, whether you are working with a client and designing for them remotely or in your case, literally on a remote island trying to oversee this massive renovation. The first season really focused on the renovation of the hotel and some of the unique challenges you guys were presented. I mean, I'm thinking like when you got the boxes of tile and they were all mismatched, or the tabletops came and they were cracked.
You can't just run down to the hardware store. So what was the most challenging part of the first season. And then I want to get into the second season, which I had a whole different challenge.
SARAH BAEUMLER: I think, for me from the design perspective, as you had mentioned, there are things that perhaps I had started to take for granted. Just convenience and the ease of whether it be still ordering things online, but if something arrived, or was delayed, or you have the ability, especially in the design world, to go and sit in a chair or touch the material it's made of, and actually have that personal connection to the items. But when you're making decisions on a small remote island and you know by the time it gets shipped perhaps on a truck to a depot in Southern Florida, and then loaded on a boat, and then it takes months before it even arrives to you at some point.
You're past your return date, right? Your three months in. You're hoping it survived on the front of this boat as waves come crashing over and that it looks as you had hoped on this tiny little computer screen with spotty Wi-Fi at best. So I think logistics for me played such an important role. And it was the biggest challenge that perhaps I didn't do enough due diligence beforehand, but just to understand really how things move on and off the island, and what we were going to be presented with.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. And I, mean Bryan, yeah. I'm thinking about the time when all of the concrete was already hardened, or you ran out of propane in the middle of a job. It gave me really a new perspective on how easy we have it even in the toughest renovation.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Yeah. And I think for us as an experience, I think when we first suggested that we film this experience, the feedback was you're crazy. You know, nobody can relate to this. And I said, well, it's pretty aspirational and it would be tough to find somebody that hasn't at some point in their life just thought, I just want to get out of my car and get off the highway, get out of the rat race, move to a beautiful island and do this.
And I think we were the sacrificial lambs to show people that there's a lot that can go wrong. I mean, the benefits outweigh the risks and the challenges for sure. But I don't think I can even choose a single thing that was the most difficult because emotionally, mentally, financially, not to mention sweating every day from the minute you wake up to the minute you go to sleep. Doing physical labor in a place it's hard to get materials.
SARAH BAEUMLER: And having your family there with you. 24 hours a day.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: That's also like, as a dad in the back of my head was I got to keep my family safe. I got to keep my family fed. I got to keep my family together and at the same time, build this place. And Sarah had the same concern, so I think part of that was just the learning curve and the benefit of it was that the change in our perspective. If we went to the fridge one day and the kids said, well, we don't have any milk. And the store up the road doesn't have any milk. Well, there's no milk on the island, there's not going to be any milk until next week.
So you can complain about it all you want. You can be grumpy about it. You can kick rocks down the road all you want, but that is not going to make the boat come any faster. So you learn to say, well, I'll just have a glass of water or a glass of orange juice and we'll move on. Let's go do the next thing. And that metaphorically speaking for everything. When the concrete was hard, it was like, well, we'll-- if we can't find any we'll do something else. And I think my overall stress level came down because you start to realize that here we think we're in control of everything.
If we're out of milk we go get some. If we're out of whatever, until something happens where we're out of control and then nobody knows how to react. So I think an experience like this really teaches you how to react when you realize-- you get to that point where you realize we're just along for the ride and your reaction is the only thing that you can control.
MARIANNE CANADA: That's such a good point. I've never really thought about that way. It seems like it would be the most stressful situation, but when there's nothing you can do about it you just kind of have to let it go.
SARAH BAEUMLER: He was not this calm the first few months into the process.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: It definitely breaks you down and it's funny, you know, I spent the better part of my 20s with a major anxiety disorder. And this I would say was, for anyone that experiences that, this was like the best exposure therapy in the world. Because it just gets to the point where you're like, I can't stress any more than I'm already stressing, so I might as well just not stress. It's amazing.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. I think there's a valuable lesson to be learned there. And that is what makes this such a unique show for HGTV. At the end of every episode, usually everything's tied up in a neat little bow. The project is revealed.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: The reveal.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah you get that reveal and it's like, moving on to the next one. But with Renovation Island, we're right there with you. Like, we are experiencing the highs, and the lows, and the stress. And then, in this most recent season the show covers the very raw and very real reality of the pandemic hitting about six weeks after the resort finally opened. And you talked a little bit, Bryan, about people-- about the concern about people not being able to relate to this project, but this is a situation that the whole world could relate to.
So many people, so many businesses found themselves in this situation. So many people found themselves not sure of their future with their job. What were your first thoughts when the reality of the pandemic hit?
BRYAN BAEUMLER: I don't think I can repeat mine. When it got to the point where the US and Canada started talking about restricting travel, we knew something serious was going on. And we kind of sat down at a meeting and said we're going to stay here on the island for now. We had to close the hotel down. All the guests left and we just said we're going to stay here and see what happens and just watch and see what happens with the world right now. And of course, we had just stocked the hotel for six months of operations full of guests.
So we had lots of food, we had lots of-- the bar was fully stocked. The steaks were in-- the freezer was full of steaks and the fridges were full of vegetables. And we have plenty of toilet paper, so we must panic over that.
SARAH BAEUMLER: Yeah. I think we felt for quite a few weeks that we were sort of in this limbo of trying to make sure that the needs were met, especially when we were starting the closing of the hotel and the guests were leaving. We were sort of going back and forth country to country sort of saying, OK, the US is doing this, Canada is doing this, Bahamas is doing this.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Bahamas shut down all travel. You couldn't travel between islands. There was no international arrivals. You could leave, but you couldn't go island to island.
SARAH BAEUMLER: There was no boats coming in. So it was just this sort of, you wake up every morning and you're like, OK, we need to be on top of what's happening with every country. And then we need to kind of just assess our business, and then assess our family.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: And a big part of that as well was looking at-- we have businesses back in Canada and a lot of employees there making sure that things were in place, so that everyone was safe and still working where they could. And in the Bahamas, we had just hired 60, 70 employees to run a hotel. And all of a sudden-- the hotel had been abandoned and closed for 12 years, so the economy and the island had really hit the dirt. And there was so much excitement with all the staff that this is opening, the people are coming. It's amazing. The first group of people is here and then it was like, everybody's leaving and we need to lay off staff.
Because from a business perspective, we had to explain to the staff we need to pull back. We can keep everybody on payroll for two months and then we're done. It's game over. Or we pull back and we try and survive this so we can open when we're on the backside. And that's exactly what's happened, that we've reopened. All the staff are back, travel is coming back, the hotel is full of guests. People are loving it and returning, and so it's really positive and thank goodness.
SARAH BAEUMLER: I know. We're smiling now, but there was a good eight months of not a lot of smiling.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Yeah we're in a global pandemic six weeks after opening a hotel and investing your life savings in it is not-- that's not in the business plan.
MARIANNE CANADA: No, I'd say not. I would say that's no one's goal. And even with all of your experience, it's not something you could ever really prepare for. But what advice would you give maybe someone who is wanting to open their own business for having a contingency plan for unexpected events, obstacles, these stressful moments that you guys have dealt with on camera? I mean, that's the real reality is you can't hide.
SARAH BAEUMLER: Maybe don't bring a camera crew. There's no hiding.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: You pretty much get to experience exactly what we do and I mean, that's the way we've been creating television for the past 10, 15 years is we just-- we're those people that do these crazy things that we just film and that there's the story. I think our advice for other people getting into business now is, we had built into our business plan-- we had 12 months of operation without a single guest on site. You need to have contingencies, whether you're doing a renovation, opening a business, planning a trip-- you need to have contingencies in time and money.
You need to be prepared for the unexpected and you can't just panic and run in circles, and scream, and throw your hands up, and say, the sky is falling when it happens. I remember the day we sat down. We said, there's a global pandemic. We just opened the hotel. We have to refund hundreds of thousands of in deposits. The people aren't coming. We built it and they're not coming, so what do we do now? And it was putting that plan into place, that emergency plan that says, the business is a living, breathing thing that needs to be maintained, that needs to--
There's that contingency fund there that has to keep it alive. We can't just let the hotel go back to ruin. And it's difficult. It's certainly not easy. It's looking into all the government programs that are available to assist you. It's looking to friends and family to assist you, but I think the biggest part is also being prepared for failure. I think going into this we said, what's the worst case scenario. The worst case scenario is we lose our life savings, we have no asset left, the bank takes the property back.
But our kids are still healthy. We're still healthy. I still a few years in me. Sarah's got a few more years left in her. We can pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and move forward. Getting in the business, being an entrepreneur, or doing anything like this-- you learn the most from your failures. And we were prepared fully to fail and fall on our faces here.
SARAH BAEUMLER: And we did a few times, let's be honest.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Yeah, we did.
SARAH BAEUMLER: Because we had some major bumps along the way.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Definitely. But you just persevere, and you redirect your course, and you continue to react, and kind of keep your hands on the wheel. And when you get there. You just keep trying until you succeed.
SARAH BAEUMLER: Well I think in this project, just to add, Bryan said there that he, in terms of redirecting your course. And I think we've learned. We've always had that in the back of our minds, but I think this project in particular was about how we can be fluid. How we can sort of change gears, adapt, whether it be to what material showed up on the island, what the weather brought us.
Whether it be hurricanes or not, we constantly were just adapting and moving forward. And I think we've taken that with us, and I think that's something that this project alone has really shown us the importance of saying, you may have a plan but be prepared. You're going to have to be fluid with that plan.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Yeah. You only really lose when you quit or when you're dead. There is always someone that has it worse than you. There's always someone that has it harder than you. There's always someone that's more successful than you and you just have to keep going, and not accept that you've failed really. We looked at options. Do we sell villas, do we turn this into a timeshare and we turn into fractional ownership? Do we rent it out? What do we? Do we sell all the materials? What do we do?
SARAH BAEUMLER: We went through every scenario.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: We went your everything.
SARAH BAEUMLER: Every single thing.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: And basically we just hunkered down, took a seven month vacation, and waited for the right time to open back up. It's starting to pay off, it's good.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. Well now that hopefully, things are getting safer, things are opening back up, people are traveling again. What future plans do you have for the resort?
SARAH BAEUMLER: I think for us, our plan for the hotel was always to do this opening. Meaning, we weren't going to go in there and renovate the entire place. We wanted to go in and start and sort of see what our guests thought of the place. We fell in love with it. We loved everything about the island and this sort of experience we're hoping to achieve and open the eyes for our guests. But now that we actually have guests there it's wonderful to start to see them enjoying it and to see what they've looked-- what are they're looking for and asking.
And we've already started to add some different things. You'll see this season.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Many activities. Activities and experiences are the big ones. People come down to the islands. I mean, the villas-- Sarah's done a beautiful job making the villas comfortable and beautiful. We've got 18 rooms, six villas right now. The restaurant, spa, the diving program, all that kind of stuff. So we're adding activities and experiences and starting to add to the amount of villas we have as well. And just organically growing it, so when people return there's always something fresh in there.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah, well, how often do you get visitors who are fans of the show and of you both? Because I would think that's got to be part of the draw. I mean, people are obsessed with the show.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: People really loved seeing us go through misery.
SARAH BAEUMLER: I know. People can relate. Hopefully there's other couples out there that understand there's highs and lows for sure, and parents that have children that understand there are days that are not great for kids as well as for us and on the show.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: We get a lot of guests that arrive that simply want that proximity to Florida. We're a 45 minute flight from Florida. We have our own airport, a five minute golf cart ride from the hotel with customs on the island, so it's very easy to get into. It's a massive island, so there's so much nature to explore. We have the most blue holes of anywhere in the world.
We've got the third longest Great Barrier Reef of anywhere in the world. So the diving-- there's so many beautiful things to see that the South White Dolphins and you name it. The wildlife is incredible. But a lot of people just want to go and experience five star food and just relax on a beach, go for a half hour walk where you won't see another footprint in the sand. We do get people that come over there to watch the show, obviously, and our fans and love to see it. And they-- I think that was a great part of doing this show.
Again, when we first pitched it and people-- I was told, well, people may not watch. They can't relate and it's not accessible. And I said, this is-- when we build our houses or we do episodes on format shows for other homeowners, we don't encourage people just to show up for dinner. But this, you can come and experience this for yourself. You can be part of the show, so to speak. If we happen to be filming when you're there you can literally be part of the show. But you can come and experience that for yourself. So it is really accessible.
SARAH BAEUMLER: I think that's what we've enjoyed as well because it has been home for three years for us and for the kids. And when we reopened the hotel after the pandemic, we are, of course, still living on site and guests would be there and I think they were almost startled to see Bryan myself like, what are you guys doing here? We're like, we're at home. Right now, we're like--
BRYAN BAEUMLER: We don't have anywhere else to go.
SARAH BAEUMLER: We're here. And I think it was an opportunity for them to sort of just chat. And it's also for us to relax and get to know people that want to come to the hotel. We love sharing experiences with like-minded travelers. And there's nothing more than that we enjoy then sitting and sharing a cold beverage by the ocean and just getting to know people. Like, that's who Bryan and I are. We're very relaxed and we're like, we just want to have a beer and shoot the shit. Let's be honest.
So we love that. Like, I love seeing people walking the beach like we do in the mornings. That makes us feel like we've done something that people are enjoying.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: And they realize it's not a set. When Renovation Ink was us operating our business back at home in Canada. And the House of Bryan series, which is coming up with the Renovation Inc is us building our personal homes. And Renovation Island, it is what we're doing and what you see actually happens. So some people come, and they're like, oh, wow, you actually did do this. I'm like, Yeah, I mean, the only deal--
SARAH BAEUMLER: There's no curtain.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: You get to peek behind the curtain a little bit. But then you realize it's not a curtain.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. It's just life. Well, I'm so glad, finally, you're getting to experience a little bit of the fruit of your labors and that your hard work is paying off. Well, I can't wait to watch more Renovation Island. This season is already stressful and fun. And I just can't wait. I'm putting it on my list. I'm going to go visit as soon as we can get down there.
But before you guys go, for everyone that wants to follow along on all your adventures, where can we find you on social media, and where can we watch Renovation Island?
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Well you can follow Sarah, @sarabaeumler at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.
SARAH BAEUMLER: Yup. We're really covered here. Sarah Baeumler, Bryan Baeumler.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Caerula Mar is also on social media. And Renovation Island and Renovation Inc and the House series, everything airs on HGTV, Sunday nights at 8:00/7:00 Central right now, also, I think, on Discovery Plus and 51 other countries around the world. So if you're traveling, you can keep up.
MARIANNE CANADA: There you go.
SARAH BAEUMLER: Full stick of us. [LAUGHS]
BRYAN BAEUMLER: And we just started filming the next season of Renovation Island. You'll see a little bit of everything.
MARIANNE CANADA: My gosh, you guys. I hope you are working and rest, some beach time, some beers on the beach because you guys are definitely very busy. So we'll have to have you back because I feel like we just scraped the surface.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: I feel like we should do the next podcast on the beach deck next to drifts.
SARAH BAEUMLER: Yes, please.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes. Brad, we're going to need to record this on location, or I walk.
BRAD: Perfect.
SARAH BAEUMLER: [LAUGHS]
BRAD: Let's go.
MARIANNE CANADA: It's a deal. Thanks so much guys.
BRYAN BAEUMLER: Thanks for having us.
SARAH BAEUMLER: Nice chatting with you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
BRAD: Marianne, producer Brad here. I have a question. What would your dream resort look like?
MARIANNE CANADA: Ooh.
BRAD: And what makes it relaxing?
MARIANNE CANADA: OK, this is going to make me sound like a monster, and it's not true. I adore my children. I truly love traveling with my kids. It's the great joy of my life. But it's not relaxing to try to track down where I can get Hugo a hot dog, you know?
BRAD: [LAUGHS] No, I totally understand. The same question, sans kids.
MARIANNE CANADA: Sans kids. Well, I'm such a beach person. If I truly want to relax, I just want to be somewhere very beautiful, staring at a beautiful clear ocean. I want about six or seven books. I want delicious food. I want fancy cocktails with lots of ingredients that I would never go to the effort to make for myself. That's what I would want out of a resort, I feel like.
I feel like a lot of travel I would do, I want to be out and exploring and see the places. But if I'm going to a luxury resort, honestly, I want to be somewhere where I never feel compelled to even leave the property. I just want to soak it up.
BRAD: I'm just nodding my head to everything you said, like, yes, yes, check that box.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. So no kids, someone bringing me food, books to read, ocean to stare at.
BRAD: Complex cocktails, yes, please.
MARIANNE CANADA: Complicated cocktails with multiple garnish. Garnish? Garnishes?
BRAD: Garni-shy.
MARIANNE CANADA: Garni-shy-- [LAUGHS] I don't think that's right. And then I want really fancy sheets and a just huge comfortable bed. I don't need a lot, although that is a lot. I feel like I just listed a lot.
BRAD: It's kind of a lot but no. Everything you said makes perfect sense, especially relaxing with no kids. Totally tracking.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. Well, when we take the podcast on location to Caerula Mar to interview Bryan and Sarah for part two of the podcast, we'll build in a couple extra days just for relaxing. We could talk about caftans and resorts all day, but we have another interview. And it is a great one. We're talking to designer and professional sports broadcaster Charissa Thompson.
And she is chatting with us all about her latest design venture, House & Home. She really walks us through her approach to offering virtual design services. So here's my chat with Charissa.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
MARIANNE CANADA: Charissa, I'm so excited to have you on HGTV Obsessed. Welcome.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Well, I mean, the title is perfect because I'm HGTV obsessed. So it works out well.
MARIANNE CANADA: Well, you're in the right place. Before we dive in, I just want to brag on you a little bit because you're this boss, like professional sport broadcaster. You host the Fox NFL Kickoff. You've covered everything from the Olympics to the World Cup. And that, apparently, is not enough for you because now, you founded your own interior design business, House & Home.
So I really want to dig into the design conversation, obviously. We're here on HGTV. But I do just want to ask, do you have a favorite memory from all your years in sports entertainment? Because I am not a sports girl, so I'm just fascinated by your career.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Well, first of all, thank you for that incredible intro. The check's in the mail for that wonderful resume booster. But I have to say, it's so interesting because yesterday, I was actually doing an interview down in Florida with an individual. His name's Jason Pierre-Paul, a three-time Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl champion who just won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And I'm not kidding. We sat down to do the interview. And he's awesome, great personality, been through a lot in his life. So I was excited to tell his story for NFL Films. And he asked me, oh, what have you been doing down here the last couple of days? I was like, oh, actually, I was staging a house because I started an interior design company. He goes, no way! So do I.
MARIANNE CANADA: What?
CHARISSA THOMPSON: He goes, that's what I do in the off season. I'm not kidding. I said, you shut your mouth right now. I said, this is amazing because this guy is almost 300 pounds. He's 6' 5", full-on grill. All these diamond necklaces, that mine are fake, his are real. I'm like, you are not the poster child for renovations.
You tear it up on the football field, and then you're picking out swatches in your off season for this couch. Him and I spent, a much to the chagrin of our producer, spent the entire interview not talking about all of the hardships he's went through in his life but talking about this renovation that he was doing on this house. It was awesome.
And it was such a really-- I don't know-- poetic moment for me to have my two worlds collide. But yeah, it was awesome to see his enthusiasm for something that clearly, just even the idea of home renovations, makes me excited.
MARIANNE CANADA: One of the many things that's so interesting about you and about your work is you show that people really do contain so many layers. You're not just this incredibly talented sports broadcaster. You've got so much more going on, which is a great segue to your interior design business. So we have a good idea.
I mean, I did some light internet stalking. And I have a good idea of how you got it, how you got where you are in your sports broadcasting career. But when did you get your first taste of interior design?
CHARISSA THOMPSON: I've always loved to do it. I mean, from the time that I-- my first room, I remember, I went to my parents. They're building their house when I was young. I was probably five. No, I would have been like 7 when we moved into that house. And I remember we went to the architect's office.
And my parents were like, OK, which room do you want? You get first pick of whatever room you want. And I was like, I want that one because it has the bay windows. And my dad goes, you know what bay windows are? And I was like, I think it's just always been something-- I mean, I grew up watching HGTV. It was either sports or home renovation.
And then from the time I moved out, my first dormitory, I decorated that. I lost every deposit I've ever had on an apartment because I'm painting the walls, I'm hammering nails. I didn't care if I lost that deposit because I wanted the space to feel like home. And I moved away from home when I was 18 years old. And now at 39, I never went back. My parents are so happy about that.
But every place that I lived, I wanted it to feel just like that, just like home. So my whole inspection and motivation to start House & Home was that not everyone could afford an interior designer. And I remember talking to a lot of people being like, oh, it's so expensive. And I was like, but It doesn't have to be. So very similar to fashion, for me, it's a lot of high-lows.
Buy the target thing, but then spend a decent amount of money on that signature piece or that signature suit. So sort of that combination culminated with House & Home. And I just love making people happy and loving their space.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. It's so important. I-- it shouldn't surprise you-- was very similar growing up. It was always really important to me to really love where I live. And in college, I mean, I was the girl at 19, who was saving my bartending tips to go buy this vintage chair. Everybody is like--
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Amen, sister. The gay bartenders, that's the best gig in college. It was the smartest gig. You got to drink and hang out with your friends, and go home with some money.
MARIANNE CANADA: Exactly.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: I feel you. Mm-hmm.
MARIANNE CANADA: I mean, it sounds like a pretty good gig to be honest.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: I know. [LAUGHS]
MARIANNE CANADA: Oh, yeah. One thing I really want to talk about today because this episode is all about remote design. And we're actually talking to Sarah and Bryan Baeumler. And we're talking to them all about the challenges of designing remotely in that way. But you offer this service with House & Home, which is a virtual design service.
And I think it's just such a great idea, especially for people that are very overwhelmed by the idea of hiring a designer and maybe think that it's too expensive for them. So what you do is whether it's a small room or an entire home, you can design a space without ever seeing it in person. So I would just love for you to talk a bit more about your virtual design offerings and how you tackle that problem. Same in sports.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: There you go. And it was the perfect use of the word, by the way. Well, the virtual aspect-- House & Home wasn't originally intended to be a virtual design service. But then COVID happened.
And I was like, you know what, this is actually an incredible opportunity for me to design people's homes, apartments, whatever, from a distance while they're sitting there, while all they have is time and really hone that aspect of it for a couple of reasons. A, my reach can be much broader that I don't have to be there. It's also more affordable for them, which is why we have such a discounted service at House & Home because it's a collaboration.
The onus has been on the client to take the measurements, to take those pictures, to do some of the things that normally I would do from A to Z if I was on site or on property. So it becomes a lot more collaborative, right? And then therefore, we can offer the discounted services. But in addition, it's technology like what we're doing right now.
And as we've seen through COVID, so many jobs have now been able to be removed from an office building and to be done from the comfort of your home. So with technology, with FaceTime, with all these incredible different technological advances that we have, I don't ever have to step foot in it.
Now, of course, I would love to because I have this thing about once I see everything coming together, I'm like I want to stage it perfectly. And I'm like, OK, move that picture frame over there, or put that-- you know, like all the final details. But this is the most awesome way for me to have the greatest reach with also allowing people to afford the service because we're doing it together.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. That's the one thing that would give me pause is the lack of control. I could just picture being on Zoom with someone and be like, OK, I'm going to need you to move that vase over--
CHARISSA THOMPSON: [LAUGHS]
MARIANNE CANADA: --like 3 more inches. And turn it just-- I mean, my poor husband has to deal with that everyday.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Oh, my husband's given up. That's why he's in the other room. He's like, OK, whatever.
MARIANNE CANADA: He's like, do your thing. So how does someone know-- if they've never worked with an interior designer period, how does someone know if virtual design is right for them?
CHARISSA THOMPSON: It's a great question. I think, just like anything, if you've never been to a restaurant before, you look at the menu, and you say, oh, those are items that I like. Or oh, that's in an area that I like to visit. And then you go to the restaurant, and you hope it's an enjoyable experience.
For us at House & Home, we say, hey, here's our menu. Here's some pictures of projects that we've done before. Allow them to vet out, see if it's something that's aligned with their taste or their desires, which is another unique thing about a House & Home, honestly, is that we aren't just one kind of design. If you're modern or you're mid-century modern or you're shabby chic or boho, whatever you are, we will adjust to your desires and your wants.
And we have a great number of designers that we like staff. And we know my taste might not be somebody else's. So we have a designer that would fit that. But bringing it back to the original question, that idea of you take a little bit of a leap of faith. But also, we'll give you enough information to ensure that this is something that you're comfortable with.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes. I've learned over the years of working for HGTV that those of us that work in this space and work in this industry, I think we take for granted that most people have a baseline knowledge of interior design. And the reality is most people have almost no knowledge.
So if you're rattling off mid-century modern or boho or even the names of colors, they're just like a blank. So I think that makes a lot of sense that people really need that visual.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Yeah. I always say, I don't know how to cook. It's never been something I'm interested in. So when someone says to-- I don't know, like a shallot or something. I'm like, huh? I have no idea what that means. Or to mince something, I'm like, what?
So luckily, that's why we all have specialty traits so that we're able to provide something or make up for-- I don't want to refer to it as a deficiency but maybe an area that someone's not an expert in. Then we can come in, and assist them in that.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. Well, no one can literally know everything, unless you're Martha Stewart. But I guarantee you, even Martha Stewart has something that she doesn't do. She probably has someone do her taxes.
[LAUGHING]
[INAUDIBLE] I don't really do that.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: I hope so. Yeah, I don't either. Get that. I know what I'm good at, and I know what I'm not.
MARIANNE CANADA: But honestly, wouldn't it be amazing if Martha's like, no, actually.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: I do my taxes. Yes, she's very hands on with everything.
MARIANNE CANADA: She is. She is. Oh, my gosh. So Charissa, I wanted to give you a scenario that I feel like a lot of people have dealt with, especially in the past year and a half. Let's say someone is looking to overhaul a room that was previously a guest room or some kind of multipurpose room. And now it needs to be a guest room and a home office.
Where should someone start if they want to pursue a virtual design service? You mentioned that some of the work does fall on the shoulders of the homeowner or of the people that own the space. So if I were doing this, what would I need to have prepared? What do I need to bring to the table?
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Yeah. So you call me, and you say, I want to turn my guest room into a home office. But I still want to have it function as a guest room when we need it. Well, to me, the first thing that pops in my head is utilization of space, right? A bed occupies the majority of the room in the space. So how can we get rid of the bed but still keep it?
My first thought goes to, OK, a Murphy bed or a bed that can be pulled down from the wall. Take this bed, take away the real estate that it occupies in this bedroom. Because then also, too, when you're on your Zoom calls or things like that, you're not having a bed in the background like I do right here.
MARIANNE CANADA: [LAUGHS]
CHARISSA THOMPSON: So it looks like an office. And I did this actually in one of my rooms in my home where I wanted it to function as a dressing room because I had no closet space in my existing bedroom. And so I took a Murphy bed, put it up against the wall, and then I just built out cabinetry around it.
So what I would do is that would be my first thing. Bring in that style of bed, so it can act as a guest room. And then bring in your desk and set up the room as an office. But oh, whoops, there's a bed when you need it. So that's just the first thing for me. And the challenge of that isn't really a challenge when you think about there's options to hide beds now.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes. I know, that's so smart because a bed really does have a huge footprint. And there is something to be said for being on a Zoom, like being super professional, and then knowing that in the background, you're like, there's my bed.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: I think that's so weird, and I'm not kidding. And I'm OK with it right now because I know we're not taking enough with the video of this. But I work on this show. I cannot tell you how many people I see do interviews. And I'm like, it's almost like, hey, there's the toilet in the background. It's where you go to the bathroom. That's where you sleep. I think it's odd.
And no offense, I also understand that not everyone can maybe position their blurred lighting or whatever to get rid of the bed. But at House & Home, we can help you get that bed out of the background, and give you a more professional look since so many offices will now remain at home.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes. And speaking of, you just transformed your garage into your office headquarters for House & Home. So I have to ask, how hard is it to start a design project where you're the client?
CHARISSA THOMPSON: It's a great question. As I always say to our clients, measure twice, and cut once. I didn't take my own advice with some areas of the garage because I was just trusting. And I should have-- this is a word of advice. Always walk the space with your contractor because again, you can hand them over plans, and that is their recipe, as I like to call it.
They go into the kitchen, and they're reading off 2 cups of flours or whatever. Well, maybe your version of 2 cups is not really what you wanted. You wanted 2 teaspoons, and it's not translated the right way. So always walk the area with your contractor.
And for House & Home, for us when it's virtual and we are doing something with design plans and it involves construction and renovation, it's so important for us to also be on the phone with the contractor because it's not the client's responsibility to remember to put that outlet in the cabinet for the printer or the coffee maker or those kinds of things.
And then once that cabinet is installed, now we're like, oh, we needed the electrical there. So really walking the space ahead of time is very important. And those are some learns that I had, which, again, every sort of hurdle that I've encountered then becomes an opportunity for me with the client to have them avoid making some of the mistakes that I maybe will make or have made in the past.
So yeah, the House & Home headquarters was a really fun project because now, it's just an extension of what is something I love. But also, I can do it from home and just be a little bit removed from the house and not feel like I'm just working at my dining room table.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yes. It's so important to feel like you have your own space, especially if you're trying to get your own business off the ground.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Yeah.
MARIANNE CANADA: I want to talk to you a little bit about design inspiration because this is just always near and dear to my heart. What resources do you gravitate towards for design inspo? Are you a Pinterest girl? Are you a magazine tear sheet kind of person?
CHARISSA THOMPSON: I'm an everything person. This is my view right here. The New York skyline then becomes my inspiration. I had a restaurant. I mean, my phone is full of just random screenshots and pictures of everyday life is an inspiration for me. I love the old school tear out pictures. I still put them in a scrapbook.
I do that because when I'm feeling stuck and each client is different, right? Each client's needs and wants is different. And so I'm like, hmm, I'm kind of having a hard time with this. Then I'll go back to that and just be fueled by the old school way of doing things. But yeah. Clients are super savvy now, too. They'll come prepared, and they'll have a Pinterest board.
They'll have their inspo pictures. It's actually part of our services that we want to ensure that we aren't wasting their time. So we actually have them come to us with at least five to seven inspirational pictures because it helps us do our job.
Going back to the analogy about the hairdresser, show me what you want to look like. Show me what you want your space to look like, your dream scenario. And then we can work backwards from that. So yeah, I find inspiration everywhere.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. Pinterest is such a blessing and a curse, isn't it? Because at the same time--
CHARISSA THOMPSON: That's a black hole. You ain't coming out.
MARIANNE CANADA: And you want to be creative and original. And sometimes, you get down this black hole in Pinterest. And you're like, there's nothing left that can be done. It's all been done. It's all right there. So yeah, I always say it's a blessing. A blessing and a curse because sometimes, it can just be a real time suck.
Well, Charissa, on top of-- let's see-- your broadcasting and your design accomplishments, you also have your own podcast that you co-host with Erin Andrews. Everyone, it's called Calm Down with Erin and Charissa. And I have really enjoyed listening to some. At first, I was like, no, they're both sportscasters. And I don't know anything about sports.
I've listened to some of the episodes. I love it. I love your friendship. You guys are not afraid to really get personal, but you also have some really fun guests. So for anyone who hasn't listened, what is Calm Down with Erin and Charissa about?
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Oh, you're sweet. Thank you for asking. Yeah. Erin and I wanted to start this podcast. Yes, we happen to do the same job and have been friends because we met in the industry. But we really didn't want it to be a sports podcast. As the season starts for us, which we're predominantly football now, of course, there'll be stories from her traveling on the road and me in studio.
And we love the NFL, so that will naturally come into the conversation. So anyone that actually started listening and wanted to hear about sports, they're probably wildly disappointed. So like, these two are talking about IVF. But yeah, I mean, Erin and I's professional careers have run very parallel but so have our personal careers.
I got married very early, but then I was single for a long time. And then we're both married now and learning to cook. And there's a lot of different things that we're late to the game on because we put so much of our professional career ahead of our personal life. So it's really great to have a best friend that you can just talk to. And all of a sudden, it's like, oh, there goes an hour, which we would have probably just done on the phone regardless.
So anyone that wants to have a self-deprecating, unabashed conversation and it's very-- it'll go off the rails quickly. And all of a sudden, you'll feel dizzy listening to it because we cover a lot of different stuff but hopefully, in the best, most authentic way.
MARIANNE CANADA: But yes, what I love about your podcast is it really just reminds me of sitting down with one of my best friends. It just feels like this authentic conversation between friends. But you do have some fun guests. So I do want to ask, what have your favorite guests been so far?
I know it's hard to. It's like picking a favorite child. And what's like your pie in the sky dream guest? Because I'm just going to say, again, once more for my vision board, minus Dolly Parton. [LAUGHS]
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Dolly Parton?
MARIANNE CANADA: That is my dream. That is my dream.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Amazing. That's everyone's dream as somebody who loves Steel Magnolias. Erin and I both have an affinity for Dolly in that movie. She is just--
MARIANNE CANADA: I have-- oh, my god. No, look. I have the antelope cake.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Oh, come on.
MARIANNE CANADA: Right here.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: That's amazing. Oh, wait, the armadillo.
MARIANNE CANADA: Oh, the armadillo, yes, yes.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: I got you. I got you.
MARIANNE CANADA: Steel Magnolias, yeah.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: The groomsmen cake-- Jackson's groomsmen cake. Yeah, that's so funny. What a great movie. That's timeless, yeah. My dream guest? Oh, gosh. I'm so business savvy. I'm not business savvy. I'm really trying to get more in that business brain. I think, I operate creatively, hence, design. But I'm very fascinated by the other side now as a business owner in this capacity to the branding, the marketing, like all of that side.
So anyone from Shark Tank, Whitney Herd, who started Bumble, and has been incredibly successful with their IPO with that and to the tune of $1 billion to the net worth of that company-- I'm just in awe that somebody can have an idea, and it can grow into a worldwide phenomenon. And I just love the story of that or how that comes to be.
So anybody in business-- Kevin Hart was our first guest, which was--
MARIANNE CANADA: I know. Way to start.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Yeah. It was-- no, definitely not all downhill after that. But he was an awesome way to kick it off. No, really, need to explain why he's so wonderful. But he's another perfect example of a guy that wears so many different hats and doesn't apologize for it. I've interviewed someone like The Rock a lot of different times in my editor job at Extra.
And seeing individuals like that, who literally use up all 24 hours in a day, it's motivating, and it's inspiring. And yes, of course, we all need a break here and there. As my dad likes to say, you got to recharge your battery. Your cell phone needs to be plugged into the wall every now and then. But I really admire people that use opportunities and make the most of it.
So Heather McMahan is another awesome guest we have. She's a comedian. She is so funny.
MARIANNE CANADA: Love her.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: I mean, she's just great. And she's got an incredibly successful podcast in her own right. And she's a perfect example of what Erin and I love and gravitate towards which is self-deprecating, fun people who don't take themselves too seriously but also work hard.
MARIANNE CANADA: Oh, that episode was rowdy. That is a really good one to check out if you want to check out-- [LAUGHS] Charissa's podcast.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: They could not say what was happening there because this is HGTV. But it was an adult conversation. Yes.
MARIANNE CANADA: That's a good one to check out. Oh, man, well, Charissa, this has just been delightful. I'm so excited to finally get to talk to you. Before you go, where can we find you on social media? Where can we learn about your virtual design services and listen to your podcast?
CHARISSA THOMPSON: You're so sweet. Thank you. So houseandhome.design-- you spell out the "and--" is our Instagram account. And then that's also our website-- so houseandhome.design. And then I have my other Instagram account, just my name Charissa J. Thompson. Very short Instagram handle. I think, I was like, I'm 100. So I was on Instagram when it first started. And I was like, I guess, I'll just put my name. Like oh, my God.
MARIANNE CANADA: That's mine. Mine is my whole name.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: OK, there we go. OK.
MARIANNE CANADA: Marianne Canada. It's so many letters. It's exhausting.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Anyways, so yeah. So that's where that is. But yes, please check us out. And then the Calm Down podcast. And we air episodes every Thursday on iHeart. And check us out. Thank you for the time. I so appreciate it.
MARIANNE CANADA: Thank you. I hope you come back again soon. Maybe next time--
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Any time.
MARIANNE CANADA: Maybe next time, you can just-- I don't know-- explain soccer to me, for example. I don't understand any of it. [LAUGHS]
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Well, we'll start with-- it's a very simple lesson. In the states, it's called soccer. Everywhere else, it's called football. And it's not called grass, it's called the pitch. It's very confusing because there's also a pitch in baseball. We'll break it all down next time. I promise.
MARIANNE CANADA: Great. Can't wait.
CHARISSA THOMPSON: Thank you.
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MARIANNE CANADA: OK, can we just be honest? I really want to go on air in Charissa's podcast, Calm Down. But I have no idea what I would talk about. I just feel like they are like sports experts, like capital S, capital E sports experts. And I would be over here like, do you want to talk about the color of paint on my wall? It's blue.
BRAD: So I think I know the answer to this. But are you into sports at all?
MARIANNE CANADA: Well, I like the Olympics, you know. I enjoy the Olympics. I enjoy every two years for a couple of weeks, like really getting immersed in these sports that I know very little about. But no, I'm really not. I'm just not a sports person. I don't begrudge other people enjoying it. I'm not here to yuk anyone else's yum. But it's just not-- in the words of the great Tabitha Brown, it is not my ministry.
BRAD: [LAUGHS] You know, you just got to go on the podcast and talk about how gardening is a sport.
MARIANNE CANADA: Well, now, OK. I feel like you're trolling me, but it takes athleticism. Gardening all day, you need to be in shape, and you need to know things.
BRAD: No troll.
MARIANNE CANADA: [LAUGHS] OK.
BRAD: That's the whole thing. You should just go on a podcast, and talk about how gardening is a legit sport. How it's competitive, that's a whole podcast right there.
MARIANNE CANADA: Yeah. Gardening is my cardio. I feel like that t-shirt already exists somewhere or at least like a decorative mug or something. Oh, man. Well, we hope you all enjoy this episode, all about virtual design with our lovely guest Sarah and Bryan Baeumler and of course, Charissa Thompson.
You can catch Renovation Island, now streaming on Discovery Plus and on HGTV, Sundays at 8:00 PM. As usual, you can learn more about all of our guests by checking out our show notes at hgtv.com/podcast. And I know I said it at the top, but I'm just going to say it again. If you love today's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to rate and review HGTV Obsessed.
Don't forget to follow HGTV Obsessed wherever you listen to podcasts, so you never miss an episode. And I will see you next Thursday.
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