Design Star's David on His New Show Color Splash and Taking Off His Shirt

Originally Published February 27, 2006

Oprah might have found her "cutie pie" decorator in Nate Berkus, but I know exactly who the "cutie pie" designer is. David Bromstad. No doubt about it.

Bromstad won his way into viewers' hearts as he worked his way through HGTV's Design Star and ultimately won. The prize? His own show on HGTV which will premiere on Sunday, March 18 at 10 p.m., with the title Color Splash.

While viewers, females especially, may have fallen in love with David through Design Star, according to the HGTV message boards, they have some hesitations.
General issues:

• Will David's hosting coach seen on Making of an HGTV Design Star change the David that viewers voted for?
  
• Will a sidekick take the spotlight away from David's charismatic personality?
  
• Why is the show called Color Splash when David's forte was children's rooms?
  
• And, most importantly, will David take his shirt off?
  

First things first, David understands why viewers have these questions. He told me, "I do feel like I have a lot to prove to America."

With that in mind, here's what David has to say about the viewers' worries.

David completely agreed with the viewers about the hosting coach. David knows that viewers voted for him, and not some robotic ghost of himself. "I don't want them to mold me into this host that walks and talks. I don't want to not look like me. It's kind of phony," David said. Believe me, it's the David we know and love who will be hosting Color Splash

I can also promise that a sidekick won't take away from David, as long as the sidekick remains Danielle Hirsch. In fact, Danielle complements David so well that she only enhances his personality. I can wholeheartedly say that the two make an incredibly vivacious team. Danielle told me when the two met they "established a great connection and had a friendship from the beginning." She added that she can't believe what they do is considered work.

When David seemed pleasantly surprised on Making of an HGTV Design Star about having a sidekick, he wasn't acting. "I thought it was great because [on Design Star] Alice and I played off each other. It takes the pressure off of me for the first season. I think it would have been a little lonely."

"David and I met for a reason: to conquer the design world... one laugh at a time!" Danielle added.

David quickly chimed in, "Even though we're laughing a lot. It's not a giggly show at all. It's really relaxing."

Don't worry though. Color Splash won't be putting you to sleep either.
"Yet some of the show is really fast paced... like a triple shot latte," David joked.

Danielle mentioned that she is conscious of some of the comments message board posters have said about her. So conscious in fact that Danielle asked me to respond to one poster in particular, "B in LA." Danielle said, "I promise to be less giggly. I do let David shine on the show. It is his show. I'm his support group. And, I'm losing my valley girl accent."

It seems like the pressure David's feeling to succeed is affecting Danielle as well. She commented, "I feed off David's pressure. I know what he's feeling, and it comes in waves and then monsoons," she laughed.

Relaxing or hyper inducing, this show will not be focusing on kids' rooms, something that David's website proves his skill in. Instead David's show will focus on his magnificent use of color. "It is a color show really focusing on tips about how to use color. It's not giving design tips," David said. He added that there are two reasons why kids' rooms are out of the picture. "First, kids' rooms do horribly on TV. Second, the kids' rooms I do are mostly fantasy. On this show I want everything to be relatable. I refuse to do kids' rooms not in my way, which is one over the top fantasy."

All in all, David said that even if he wasn't the host of Color Splash, "I would watch it." Danielle added, "The pilot is amazing. It's the best show on HGTV."

Better than Design Star? Well, this is David's own show. And David said, "All the coaching in the world can't train you for reality TV." Yet David has fond memories of the experience, especially his co-finalist, Alice. "Alice. God bless her. Such a cutie. She's great and talented," David said. Danielle piped in, "You had your work cut out for you. But we still knew you'd win."

Yet David said that Design Star did not prepare him for Color Splash. "I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was Design Star. The camera people and production crew on [Color Splash] have lives!" David said, referring to the fact that the crew on Design Star was around 24/7.

And what about whether or not David will be taking off his shirt in Color Splash? Gotta save the best for last, right? Well, David started by saying, "Production doesn't want me to take my shirt off..." But, since he of course does not want to disappoint his lady fans, he added, "You only get so many sunny days in San Francisco." And so when those sunny days appeared, you can bet that David's shirt disappeared.

Lastly, David said he wants to hear from his fans. "I want people to be honest. I want feedback. Do you love it or hate it? Do you want more color or more design. Are the tips we're giving informative and relatable? That's who matters. The public."

Make sure to tune in to HGTV for the premiere of Color Splash on Sunday, March 18 at 10 p.m.