Canadian Designer Sarah Richardson

Host of Design Inc., Room Service, and Sarah’s House on HGTV

Jun 6, 2008

Sarah Richardson was interested in interior design but was working in the field of fundraising when a friend offered her the opportunity to work as a set decorator and prop stylist for a home and garden show on TV.

From there she moved on to production designer for the Canadian lifestyle show Savoir Faire. With a lot of hard work and learning the business, Sarah was given her first interior design show Room Service.

Sarah Richardson’s Television Shows

Sarah leads the audience through the design plan and reveals the renovated room at the end of the show. As the show proceeds, she explains why her choice of fabrics, room colors, furniture and accessories all satisfy the needs and wants of the client. Room Service originated in Canada and is now aired in the U.S., Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean plus Central and South America.

Sarah and the staff at her design firm, Sarah Richardson Design in Toronto, reveal the real world of the design business. The show begins with Sarah interviewing the client in order to determine what the client wants for the space. Next, Sarah collaborates with her staff on the overall design. Audiences see the process of shopping, dealing with suppliers and the renovated room. Design Inc. is also aired in the U.S.

The entire season is a chronicle of Sarah renovating a fixer upper house in Toronto. The first show starts with Sarah selecting her house after looking at several locations. Every episode is a progression of renovating room by room. Audiences see Sarah consulting with specialists and trades people and shopping for materials. In the season finale, appraisers give their opinion on the market value of the house to see if Sarah’s efforts have allowed her to make a profit.

Sarah’s House is only aired in Canada on HGTV. Sarah’s House II will be aired in the Fall of 2008. Audiences can look forward to another top to bottom renovation.

Sarah Richardson’s Accomplishments

She was the youngest designer named one of Canada's foremost "stylemakers" by Canadian House and Home Magazine.

Sarah is the contributing design editor for Canadian Home and Country Magazine along with guest columns in the Toronto Globe & Mail and other publications in Canada.

She was named one of “Canada's Top 40 Under 40” for 2007 which was sponsored by The Caldwell Partners. This award is given to a wide range of recipients including scientists, entrepreneurs and doctors.

In addition to her three TV shows, Sarah has owns a design company in Toronto and she has launched her own line of upholstered furniture and outdoor furniture. Her website Sarah Richardson Design features her products such as sofas, chairs, dining sets, head boards and stools.

Because Sarah Richardson narrates all of her shows; Room Service, Design Inc. and Sarah's House have all been approved programs for the visually impaired.

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The copyright of the article Canadian Designer Sarah Richardson in Home & Garden TV is owned by Maureen K. Fleury. Permission to republish Canadian Designer Sarah Richardson in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Dec 8, 2008 11:19 AM

Guest :

I love Room Service but my fave is Design, Inc. which brings7 in all the design issues and discussion. I've said for a long time that there should be a show that covers the design of every room in a single house over the course of a season. Just doing one room doesn't address the real issue of decorating a whole house and tying it together in a cohesive fashion. Letters to HGTV, as expected, were ignored as they moved ever more toward silliness and away from great design. Anyways, my point is that I hope we'll get to see Sarah's house in the USA on FLN..it doesn't sound like a fit for HGTV.

Jan 20, 2009 7:22 AM

Guest :

I LIKE VERY MUCH THE SARA'S DESIGNS BUT IN MY COUNTRY I CANT SEE IT ANYMORE, BECAUSE IN THE CASA CLUB TV WAS THAT I CAN SEE, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPEN THEY DON'T PASS YOUR PROGRAM ANYMORE.PLEASE LET SEE WHERE I CAN WATCH YOUR PROGRAM I LIVE IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

Jun 28, 2009 2:56 PM

Guest :

I am looking for a dvd of a show Sarah did on Room Service entitled Baby Steps.

Jul 16, 2009 8:27 AM

Guest :

Sarah Richarson's shows are the greatest examples of the type and caliper of shows that SHOULD be presented by HGTV,FLN,and Foodnetwork. These networks seem to be moving to the "silliness" concept as oppossed to the educational poptential they have. I love comedy but not here. As an architect I can fully appreciate the multi-talents of Sarah Richardson, from her designs, her shopping skills, her understanding of budgets, her construction skills, etc. Is there anything that she cannot do? She is the greatest. We need to see more of her on a timely basis as opposed to viewing programs that are several years old. But I will view outdated shows of Sarah's before I will watch most of te inferior programing of the present.

Sep 21, 2009 10:31 AM

Guest :

I thought I was the only one that thought HGTV had gone to the comedy network. I love design shows that show the process and how they came up with ideas to reuse old things in a new way. I love all of Sarah's shows and wish HGTV would get back to it's roots, it's not called the real estate network, yet.