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Divine Do-Overs

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By CLOE CABRERA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 26, 2008

TAMPA - The 1950s multicolored stone fireplace looked shabby and outdated. It also was the focal point of the room.

Kimberly Fixcen wanted to spruce it up for her parents, so she looked for divine inspiration from her favorite celebrity designer, Candice Olson, star of HGTV's "Divine Design."

"I asked, 'What would Candice do?'" said Fixcen, 44, of St. Petersburg. "She can take something and make it so creative, yet functional. She gives off this energy that you can do anything. I knew I couldn't do a major renovation, but I could make it aesthetically more pleasing."

Fixcen replaced the fire screen, updated the fixtures and painted the whole thing in a yellow and gold faux finish to match the adjacent living room wall.

The makeover drew raves. "My parents still talk about it," said Fixcen, who attends design school. "It the fireplace turned out so well, I put it in my portfolio."

Last week, Fixcen got to see the woman she calls her "goddess" in person. Her niece, Jessica Riedel, surprised her with tickets to see Olson, who was in Tampa to promote her popular series and furniture line.

The pair were among 800 fans who packed a tent outside the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay to hear the television host offer tips on how to turn dull spaces into exciting rooms.

During her colorful talk, Olson, 42, spoke about focal points, contrast, how to deal with clutter and other decorating dilemmas. She also showed dramatic before-and-after room makeovers and took part in a post-presentation book signing.

Dressed in sleek, sophisticated separates that reflected her design style, the 6-foot blond Canadian also gave fans a glimpse behind the scenes of her makeover show.

"I've been a fan forever. I get all sorts of ideas from it," said Carole Ewell, 53, of St. Petersburg, who bought a $15 ticket to the show as a Christmas gift to herself. "I like things that look good and are functional and comfortable. I also like the diversity of the projects and the people on her show."

All Work Is Done In Canada

"Divine Design" is in its sixth season, capturing Olson in action as she works her creative magic on outdated, wood-paneled basements and dens; dysfunctional kitchens; and abominable bathrooms, turning them into colorful, practical, comfortable spaces. The show is produced by W Network in Canada as well as HGTV in the United States.

"We only do 26 shows a year," Olson said. "But because we're a real design show, it takes time. Shooting and design takes 10 months of the year to do 26 shows. When they the network said they wanted 52 or 130 shows, my head spun around."

She and her crew don't travel for the show. They all have children and businesses in Toronto.

"We try to make it look like we could be shooting anywhere," she said. "Toronto is architecturally and culturally diverse enough to do that."

Kitchens are the epicenter of many homes and the most requested makeover room, Olson said.

The clients pay Olson for her makeovers. The most expensive show to date was $120,000 and included a new kitchen and expansion.

Fortunately for her, Olson doesn't have to sift through all the appeals from fans who want her help. A researcher narrows down the applications to about 30, from which Olson chooses 26 for the season. The goal is to find a good variety in rooms as well as budgets. The networks have final approval.

"We do have it down to a science after 100 shows," she quipped. "But every one of these bloody kitchens ages me 10 years. For the show I've done 20 kitchens now, so that's a little aging."

Chico And The Men

Olson takes no credit for selecting her testosterone-charged crew. The network held open auditions and chose Andrew Downward, Lorne Hogan, Terry Edward Briceland, Edmond Joseph and Paul Daly.

Olson did, however, bring electrician Chico Garcia onboard.

Garcia, whom she has known for more than 15 years, happens to be the crew member most fans ask about.

"I really wanted an electrician because I do so much with lighting," she said. "They wanted an electrician who had character and personality. Chico's got it all, along with the tattoos and the long hair. When I asked him if he wanted to be on the show, he said, 'Sure, as long as it doesn't air in east L.A.'"

Former Volleyball Athlete

Olson studied science at the University of Calgary, considering a medical career, and minored in fine arts. An athlete, she also traveled the globe playing volleyball for the Canadian National Team. Then, on a whim, she sent her portfolio to the highly competitive School of Interior Design at Ryerson University in Toronto.

Television came calling after she published some articles about a house she was restoring. A local television producer asked Olson to lead a tour of the finished house for a broadcast. The segment was so well-received, she was given a weekly segment that lasted nine years.

When the W Network in Canada suggested a flagship design show, Olson was hesitant.

"I just draw pretty pictures," she said. "The trades make it come to life. I wanted a real design show where I would have a real rapport with my trades."

After a year, HGTV picked up the show.

Olson has since helped solve 143 on-air decorating dilemmas, with no negative reactions.

"There are months that go into the background of making up a room" for the show, said Olson, who still does all of her sketching by hand. "The viewer only sees a few minutes of it, but it takes a long time and it's a very involved process. It's going to be a perfect reflection of their lives."

Simple Furniture Designs With Flair

For her furniture line, Olson says she sticks to the basics, drawing inspiration from couture lines, her 15-year career in residential and commercial design and even her on-air projects.

Olson's furniture collection, sold at Norwalk - The Furniture Idea, includes slimmed-down silhouettes dressed up with pleating and fringe, nail heads and tufting, even faux fur and leather. She wraps a wing-inspired occasional chair in luxurious damask. An Oscar sofa gets a dose of Hollywood glamour in gold, embroidered silk.

Olson likes to name her pieces after people, such as the Pyper sofa named for her daughter and the Dean "Martin" chair. Prices start at $599. Olson also has a line of fabric, lighting, carpets, lamps and wallpaper.

"I take an old design and make it current by paring it down," she said. "I use new materials and interesting textures to make it feel more current. These are pieces that are going to work in modern or traditional interiors."

Feeling Right At Home

When Olson fans Jeff Baker and Steve Wessels built their South Tampa home last year, recessed lighting and sumptuous fabrics were important parts of their decor. They decorated their upstairs theater room with her furniture line.

"Her designs are upscale, but they're comfortable," said Baker 41. "What she does on her show isn't trendy. They are good, authentic pieces that will last. That's what you want in your home."

Home for Olson is a simple, 1950s side-split in Toronto that she shares with her husband, Jurij, a builder, and daughter, Pyper, 4, and son, Beck, 2.

Despite her aptitude at making over other people's spaces, Olson grimaces at the thought of taking on the least favorite room in her own house: the family room.

"It's got a stone tile floor, one sofa and nothing else," she said. "Not until our kids are out of their 'I must write on everything and eat everything that isn't nailed down' phase will I even attempt to do anything with it. I'm lucky to make sure toilet paper is in the house."

Reporter Cloe Cabrera can be reached at (813) 259-7656 or ccabrera@tampatrib.com.

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