February 13, 2025

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Home » New HGTV Star Galey Alix Opens Up About Heartbreak and the Restorative Pleasure of Speedy Residence Renovations
New HGTV Star Galey Alix Opens Up About Heartbreak and the Restorative Pleasure of Speedy Residence Renovations

New HGTV Star Galey Alix Opens Up About Heartbreak and the Restorative Pleasure of Speedy Residence Renovations

For a lot of householders, the toughest a part of DIY initiatives is discovering the free time to do them—however HGTV’s latest present proves simply how little time you want.

On “Residence in a Heartbeat With Galey Alix,” Wall Road government Galey Alix works a full-time finance job and moonlights as a designer, serving to householders pull off bold initiatives in only one weekend. In her phrases, she hopes to show “that it’s attainable to pursue your ardour outdoors of your day job.”

Wanting to find out how she will get all of it executed, we chatted with Alix about how she meets such tight renovation deadlines, the seems to be she loves most, plus rather more which may encourage you to dabble in a bit of extra DIY initiatives than you’ve ever dared to earlier than.

New HGTV Star Galey Alix Opens Up About Heartbreak and the Restorative Pleasure of Speedy Residence Renovations
“Residence in a Heartbeat” designer Galey Alix

(HGTV)

How did you get into residence design?

It’s a wild story. I had been adorning a home for the primary time. It was going to be my perpetually residence with my then fiancé. I used to be making all these movies of me adorning these areas, [and] I posted them to social media. Proper earlier than our wedding ceremony, I used to be battling a psychological well being difficulty and he left me, and I used to be pressured to maneuver out of that residence.

As an alternative of staying on social media, I logged out utterly and I left these movies up probably not considering a lot of it.

I checked into remedy, and after I checked out a number of months later, I logged into social media anticipating to see messages from family and friends. As an alternative, I had hundreds of messages from strangers saying, “Hey, I noticed this video of you adorning this basement, or this workplace, or a storage. Are you able to try this in my home?”

I simply began saying “Sure” and doing my day job in finance through the week. On the weekend, I might go meet complete strangers and, free of charge, I might assist them with their houses.

Seeing that I might make different individuals glad made me glad once more. An enormous a part of my restoration was designing for strangers.

Galey Alix has millions of followers on social media who look to her for design inspiration.
Alix has tens of millions of followers on social media who look to her for design inspiration.

(HGTV)

What’s it about your signature fashion that resonates with followers?

The authenticity of what I’m doing and the way I do it. I’m very clear about how onerous that is, about how each undertaking humbles me. I make errors always, however it’s how I study. To share that brazenly—particularly to tens of millions of individuals—it creates a secure area.

I don’t have anybody fashion. I let the area communicate to me about who the house owner is, what their fashion is, and what the performance wants are. I simply sort of take heed to the partitions, and so they inform me what to do. No two rooms I’ve ever executed—and I’ve executed a whole bunch—are the identical fashion.

What’s your technique for finishing home initiatives in a single weekend?

Anytime you’re making an attempt to do one thing fairly massive in a really quick, condensed period of time, you must get environment friendly. I’m always arising with methods to save lots of time. For instance, I by no means use measuring tapes. I hold a Sharpie marker tucked in my sports activities bra. I’ll mark on my spandex or my leg.

It’s a must to be environment friendly, and you must be hyperorganized so that you don’t must exit and do a bunch of retailer runs. It is advisable have all the things able to go. As quickly as I’m going to a web site, I click on “in inventory gadgets” in order that no matter I’m looking out, it’s solely exhibiting me issues that ship shortly.

Galey Alix arranges leaves for a pressed foliage project.
Alix arranges leaves for a pressed-foliage undertaking.

(HGTV)

How can householders stretch their renovation finances?

There are specific issues you should purchase secondhand and it’ll just about be brand-new. Take into consideration chandeliers: If anyone buys a chandelier and so they hold it of their home, they most likely solely touched it as soon as once they had been placing it on after which once they introduced it to a secondhand retailer. It’s not like a chair that persons are sitting in and utilizing. It was up on a ceiling someplace, and now you’re getting it for one-fourth of the price.

What’s a simple DIY undertaking you advocate?

Dried foliage in some kind of vase. The rationale I find it irresistible is since you’re not utilizing plastic [and] it’s free. You possibly can actually simply exit into nature, you possibly can look in your yard. You’ll all the time be capable to discover branches which have simply fallen.

To me, these are the prettiest artworks. They’re distinctive as a result of no two branches are alike, so that you don’t have that very same faux, plastic fiddleleaf tree that everybody sees in your house.

As a dog lover herself, Galey Alix designs with pets in mind.
As a canine lover herself, Alix designs with pets in thoughts.

(HGTV)

You’re keen on canines. What pet-friendly design options do you recommend?

For couches, I discovered that leather-based works nice as a result of even when they slobber, leather-based is really easy to scrub. That’s been a saving grace for me with two very huge, slobbery canines.

The opposite factor is all the things you placed on the flooring—from rugs to dry mats—you wish to make sure that they’re washable. I take advantage of carpet tiles that you just put collectively in squares, and it seems to be like one strong rug. You possibly can’t even see the place the seams are, however then if one among my canines has an accident, I can simply take up that one sq. and both change it with one among my backups or wash it within the sink. That has been a lifesaver for me.

Is there a design you’ve executed up to now that makes you cringe?

5 years in the past, earlier than I began designing, I went to HomeGoods and I purchased a bunch of plastic desk mats, like 40 of them, and I put them up within the storage closet to cowl the wall as a result of I didn’t learn about wallpaper but. That is in my home the place I’ve my vacuum and my pet food. I nonetheless have these place mats caught to the entire partitions. It’s actually ugly, and it’s one thing that I snigger at as a result of now I’m a wallpaper machine.

Galey Alix cuts into drywall during a weekend renovation.
Alix cuts into drywall throughout a weekend renovation.

(HGTV)

What’s your favourite design characteristic in your personal residence?

My kitchen. I simply completed it [and] I’m so pleased with it. I did this German smear on the wall, and I feel I used 12 baggage of grout.

Galey Alix records a creative video of her renovation work to post on social media.
Alix data a video of her renovation work to publish on social media.

(HGTV)

We take all the things to an excessive, proper? All the things was so excellent, and now the pendulum is swinging and now all the things is making an attempt to be additional relatable so that they’re being additional messy. Clear is calm for me, so I don’t care if it’s relatable or not, I hold a really clear, calm, minimalist residence, and that’s what I create for my shoppers.

My favourite development is making an area really feel customized. If you are able to do issues like mixing metals, not being so matchy-matchy, and doing an all-white kitchen, it has a greater probability of standing the check of time and never getting outdated actually shortly as a result of it doesn’t appear like one thing all people else has executed. The extra customized you’re, the extra longevity your design has.

“Residence in a Heartbeat With Galey Alix” airs Wednesday nights on HGTV and streams on discovery+.