Background and career
Genevieve Gorder (born July 26, 1974) is an American television host and interior designer. She was one of the Designers on Trading Spaces, She hosted Bravo's Best Room Wins. Previously, she hosted Stay Here on Netflix, Genevieve's Renovation, "White House Christmas," and Dear Genevieve on HGTV and judged HGTV's Design Star.
Gorder is the oldest of three children and the only daughter. Her mother is Diana Drake, and her father is Jon Gorder. She attended Minneapolis South High School, where she played soccer and the violin. From 1992 to 1994, Gorder attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, majoring in international affairs, but decided to change her career path after taking a graphic design course. In 1994, she obtained an internship at MTV in New York City. After completing the internship, MTV offered Gorder a permanent job, which she accepted. She permanently relocated to New York and graduated with a B.F.A. in design from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.
From 2006 to 2013, Gorder was married to Canadian actor Tyler Harcott, with whom she has a daughter, Bebelle. In September 2018, Gorder married Christian Dunbar, an interior designer and furniture builder.
Before being known as a designer, Gorder appeared as a commentator on the MTV series Sex in the 90s. During her tenure at design company Duffy & Partners (now Duffy) in New York City from 1998 to 2000, Gorder designed the bottle for Tanqueray No. 10 gin.
Gorder was one of the original designers on TLC's hit series Trading Spaces, which premiered in 2000. Gorder appeared in Seasons 1-4, 6, and 9. She gained recognition from the show and quickly became known for her soulful designs and her habit of working barefoot. She parodied her lack of footwear in a series of Swiffer sweeper commercials that started running on television and in periodicals in 2003. In addition to her role on Trading Spaces, Gorder was a designer for a spinoff show, Trading Spaces: Family.
In 2005, Gorder made-over several small American towns for TLC's Town Haul, which she also hosted.
