The designer and Trading Spaces mainstay exercises a practical mindfulness about what she puts into her home.
On screen and in person, Gorder is warm, earthy, soulful.
She talks about home with the emotional focus of a psychologist and the Zen of a spiritual master.
Home is so sacred to me, she says.
Its a character in our lives.
TV and video are still Gorders primary medium, but she also never really stopped designing products.
She has previously launched wallpapers, fabrics, and pillows.
Think of your home as the host of your life, she says.
Your home is the introduction to you.
Its a display case of your life.
Be careful with her.
Genevieve Gorder
Your home is the introduction to you.
Its a display case of your life.
Be careful with her.
Avoid These Three Things at Home
No shoes.Shoes drag in everything, Gorder says.
Take them off at the door, no exceptions.
No schedule.I want you to linger.
Its when theres no real plan that the house really hums.
No harsh lighting.Gorder dislikes recessedoverhead lighting, and especially LEDs.
She doesnt like the way running the heater dries out the air.
(And shes from Minnesota, so she knows cold.)
Put on a sweater, she advises.
She runs humidifiers during particularly dry portions of the year.
If its not moist inside, were sick, she says.
My mom and dad were hippies, Gorder says.
Growing up, our organizing and cleaning wasnt great.
I wish I came fully loaded with good cleaning habits, but creatives dont think like that.
However, I cant live with dirt or too much clutter.
I am my most organized ever when people are coming over.
I love making everything feel good, and that includes cleaning.
Use Entertaining to Keep the House Looking Good
When it comes to entertaining, Genevieve is unflappable.
Her house is often headquarters for holiday celebrations, taco nights, whatever.
Thanksgiving for 55 is no big deal.
Its theater, she says.
Its also an excuse to get the house looking its best.
I am my most organized ever when people are coming over, Gorder says.
I love making everything feel good, and that includes cleaning.
(I live with a teen and a furniture designernot the most organized people.)
Thats when I even get a little bossy.
Iclean everything!I always have ice and drinks, she adds.
I do a signature cocktail, plus prosecco, wine, and something non-alcoholic.
I also make this sour cream dip that everybody wants.
Your job is to have fun, she says.
Youre not here to work.
I need your time and your conversation.
We are here to exchange feelings, have conversations, and to laugh.
That said, Always bring agift for your host, Gorder counsels.
Wine, food, something she wouldnt buy for herself.
A bottle of gin.
A pair of tongs.
Spend a little and give back.
Getting a box of chocolates or a really nice bottle feels good.
We have family dinner as many times a week as possible.
Thats where you get your kids to spill their beans a little bit.
Have Dinner Together
We havefamily dinneras many times a week as possible, Gorder says.
Thats where you get your kids to spill their beans a little bit.
The bedroom is your oxygen mask.
Instead, she likes planting a yard, even a front yard, of wildflowers.
The big green yard is outdated, she says.
Nature is the divine.
Nature is the new luxury.
