#2: Design TV Secrets With HGTV’s Sabrina Soto

If you’ve ever binge-watched HGTV and thought, “How do they make a whole house
look that good in 30 minutes… and why does my living room still look like a
before shot?”, you’re not alone. That’s exactly why the Young House Love
episode #2: Design TV Secrets With HGTV’s Sabrina Soto is so
fun: it peels back the curtain on what really happens behind those glossy
“after” reveals and what it’s like to design while cameras, producers, and
deadlines swirl around you.

In this guide, we’ll unpack the biggest design TV secrets Sabrina shares,
connect them with her real-life design philosophy, and translate all of that
into practical, doable tips for your own home no camera crew required. Think
of this as your friendly, no-judgment director’s commentary for your house.

Meet Sabrina Soto: The Woman Behind the Makeovers

Before she was spilling design TV secrets on the
Young House Love Has A Podcast, Sabrina Soto had already spent years
turning chaotic “before” spaces into calm, character-filled “afters.” She’s
known for hosting (or appearing on) shows like The High/Low Project,
Get It Sold, Design Star, and more, and for a signature
style that mixes splurge-worthy pieces with surprisingly affordable finds.

Her path into design wasn’t a scripted TV origin story either. She grew up
helping her mother with a home-staging and decorating business, learning how
to make ordinary rooms look irresistible on a budget. That early experience
shows up in her TV work and in her projects today: she’s all about real-life
solutions, not just magazine spreads you’re afraid to sit down in.

On the podcast, you hear that same down-to-earth energy. Sabrina talks about
what she loves, what she hates, and even what made her cry over nearly a
decade of filming design television and it’s oddly reassuring. Even pros
have “why did we choose that sofa” moments.

Design TV Reality Check: What You Don’t See on Camera

One of the most fascinating parts of the Young House Love episode is how
Sabrina gently demolishes the myth that TV makeovers are effortless,
overnight miracles. Spoiler: they’re not. But the behind-the-scenes chaos can
actually teach you a lot about designing your own home.

1. Makeovers Happen on Fast-Forward

TV timelines are famously compressed. A project that looks like it takes a
long weekend on screen might actually span weeks of planning, scheduling,
ordering, and troubleshooting. Furniture is back-ordered. A tile shipment
arrives broken. A paint color that looked dreamy at noon turns weirdly purple
at 6 p.m.

The takeaway for your house: stop comparing your pace to a 30-minute episode.
Give yourself permission to move slowly, especially if you’re juggling work,
kids, pets, and a budget that isn’t backed by a network. Your home is not
behind… it’s just not edited for TV.

2. The Camera Sees Everything (So the Details Matter)

On design shows, cameras are merciless. They pick up crooked artwork, badly
scaled rugs, cable clutter, and that one lamp that’s just… off. That’s why
pros obsess over details like sightlines, scale, and lighting. A room needs
to look good from every angle, not just the one you Instagram.

Translate that to your home by doing a quick “camera check.” Stand in the
doorway and look straight ahead. Sit on the sofa and see what’s in your line
of sight. Walk through the space like you’re filming a room tour. You’ll
start to notice things that feel a little off a too-small rug, a lonely
plant in the corner, a bare wall behind the TV and those small fixes can
make the whole room feel more intentional.

3. Budgets Are Real… But Creative

Sabrina is well-known for her high/low approach: pairing affordable finds
with a few standout pieces. On TV, this might mean a splurge on a custom
sofa, balanced with budget-friendly curtains, pillows, and thrifted
accessories that get elevated with a coat of paint.

At home, think of your budget like a season pass, not a one-episode binge.
Splurge on the things you touch and use daily a comfortable sofa, a good
mattress, quality dining chairs and save on decor that’s easy to swap like
pillows, rugs, and art prints. It’s a very “Sabrina on HGTV” move: realistic,
stylish, and sustainable over time.

Mom Life, Style Shifts, and Designing for Real People

One of the sweetest threads in the Young House Love episode is how motherhood
has changed Sabrina’s style and priorities. Design TV might reward dramatic
reveals, but real life rewards washable slipcovers, rounded corners, and
storage that can swallow a week’s worth of LEGOs.

Becoming a mom nudged her to design spaces that are kid-friendly without
looking like a daycare. That means:

• Durable fabrics (think performance upholstery and washable throws).
• Hidden storage ottomans, baskets, and built-ins that hide toys fast.
• Flexible layouts that can handle movie nights, forts, and adult
  conversation.

It’s a reminder that “good design” doesn’t mean a house frozen in time. Your
rooms should evolve as your life does whether that’s kids, pets, partners,
roommates, or just a new season of your life where you suddenly care deeply
about organized pantries.

What Home Shopping TV Teaches About Design (Yes, Really)

In the episode, Sabrina also talks about what it’s like behind the scenes of
the Home Shopping Network. It may sound like the opposite of slow, thoughtful
design, but it comes with its own powerful lessons.

1. You Need a Clear Story for Every Product

When you’re on live TV selling a piece of furniture or decor, you have only a
few minutes to explain what it is, why it matters, and how it fits into
someone’s life. Sabrina has to communicate not just “this looks pretty,” but
“this solves a problem.”

Apply this to your home: every major purchase should have a job description.
Your rug anchors the seating area. Your console table organizes keys, mail,
and chargers. Your wall hooks keep jackets off the dining chairs. If an item
doesn’t earn its keep, it becomes clutter, not decor.

2. People Respond to Emotion, Not Just Style Names

On TV, it’s not enough to say “this lamp is mid-century modern.” Viewers want
to know how it will make their home feel: cozier, brighter, more welcoming.
Sabrina often talks about homes having energy and how design can support your
mood, routines, and relationships.

When you’re making design decisions, ask: “How do I want this room to feel?”
Calm? Energizing? Playful? That single question is more helpful than any
design quiz or trend list. It gives you a filter for choosing colors,
textures, and layouts that actually match your life.

Stealable Design TV Secrets You Can Use Right Now

You might not have a production crew, but you can absolutely steal some of
Sabrina’s go-to strategies for your own spaces. Here are a few “design TV
secrets” you can put to work this weekend.

Secret #1: Start With a Clear, Simple Goal

Every makeover episode has a “hook”: update a dated living room, create a
kid-friendly family space, turn a blank guest room into a multifunctional
retreat. Without a clear goal, even the most beautiful pieces can feel
random.

Choose one main sentence for your room: “I want this bedroom to feel like a
calm hotel,” or “I want my living room to be great for movie nights and
hosting friends.” Tape that sentence to the wall if you have to. When you’re
tempted by a random decor buy, ask whether it supports your goal or just
distracts from it.

Secret #2: Design in Layers, Not All at Once

TV makeovers look like everything happened at the same time, but in reality,
designers often work in deliberate layers: layout, big furniture, rugs,
lighting, then accessories and styling. Sabrina is a big fan of this layered
approach it keeps you from going all-in on accessories before the bones of
the room are right.

Try this order at home:

1. Fix the layout (decide where the sofa, bed, or dining table truly belongs).
2. Add or replace the largest pieces (sofa, bed, media console).
3. Choose a rug that anchors the main zone (front legs of furniture on it).
4. Layer in lighting overhead, table, and floor lamps.
5. Finish with art, plants, and textiles that tell your story.

You’ll be amazed how much calmer the process feels when you’re not trying to
decide on throw pillow colors before you’ve even picked a rug.

Secret #3: Clutter Is a Design Problem, Not a Moral Failing

Sabrina is outspoken about how clutter directly affects how your home feels.
On camera, clutter reads as chaos. In real life, it just feels like visual
noise you can’t turn off. She often talks about keeping key areas like the
kitchen counters, bedroom surfaces, and workspaces as clutter-free as
possible so your brain can relax.

Instead of deciding you’re “just messy,” give clutter a design solution:
baskets by the sofa for toys, lidded bins in the entryway for shoes,
drawer-dividers in the kitchen, and a small tray to corral everyday items
like keys and sunglasses. You’re not failing; your systems just need backup.

Secret #4: Style Should Be Personal, Not Just “On Trend”

Design TV is full of trends patterned cement tile, brass everything,
shiplap as far as the eye can see. But Sabrina comes back again and again to
the idea that your home should feel like you. She’s big on layering in
personal touches: family photos, travel mementos, heirlooms, and meaningful
art.

At home, that means it’s okay if your favorite color isn’t “in” right now or
if you’d rather display a framed kids’ drawing than a trendy abstract print.
The rooms you remember both on TV and in real life usually have a story,
not just a shopping list.

Borrowing the Young House Love Mindset

The magic of the Young House Love Has A Podcast episode isn’t just
Sabrina’s TV stories; it’s also the Petersiks’ approach to home. They’re very
open about design fails, second tries, budget constraints, and projects that
evolve over years, not days.

Combine that DIY, experiment-friendly attitude with Sabrina’s professional
know-how and you get a powerful message: your home is a long-term creative
project, not a test you pass or fail. You’re allowed to repaint, rearrange,
regret a rug, and try again. If design TV has a best-kept secret, it might be
that the “after” is always a snapshot the house keeps changing even after
the cameras leave.

500-Word Experience: What I Learned from “Design TV Secrets”

Spend enough time listening to designers like Sabrina Soto talk about their
work and you start to see your own home differently. Suddenly, that crooked
photo over the sofa feels less like a small annoyance and more like a missed
opportunity for a better “shot.” The episode with Young House Love isn’t just
entertaining; it’s weirdly perspective-shifting.

One of the biggest personal takeaways is how much intention matters. When
Sabrina describes the pressure of design TV tight deadlines, big reveals,
emotional homeowners she never makes it sound glamorous so much as
purposeful. Every decision has to earn its place because there’s no time (or
budget) for filler. That mindset is surprisingly helpful for regular people.
You don’t need a TV crew to ask, “Does this piece of furniture make the room
better, or is it just taking up space because I already own it?”

Another insight that sticks is just how human the whole process is. We tend
to imagine TV designers as endlessly confident, but Sabrina openly admits
there are choices she has second-guessed, moments that made her cry, and
installs that did not go according to plan. Hearing that from someone with
nine-plus years in design television is comforting. If she can have off days
and still show up, surely we can forgive ourselves for that questionable
accent wall.

The motherhood angle is also powerful. When Sabrina talks about how becoming
a parent recalibrated her priorities, you can almost feel the shift: sharp
coffee tables start looking less chic and more like hazards, and white linen
sofas suddenly feel like a dare. But instead of giving up on style, she looks
for smarter materials, kinder layouts, and spaces that welcome the chaos of
family life without feeling chaotic. That’s an experience so many people
share, whether it’s kids, pets, or caring for aging parents your home has
to flex with you.

There’s also something deeply relatable about the Home Shopping Network
stories. It’s easy to roll your eyes at live product pitches until you
realize that what Sabrina is really doing is explaining how a piece fits into
someone’s life, fast. That’s actually a skill most of us could use. Instead
of asking “Is this chair cute?” we can ask “Will this chair make my mornings
better? Will anyone actually sit here to read, work, or talk?” That small
shift from aesthetics to experience changes the way you shop and the way
you decorate.

Finally, hearing Sabrina and the Young House Love crew laugh about mishaps,
awkward moments, and behind-the-scenes realities makes design feel lighter.
So much of home content online can feel like a perfection contest. This
episode is the opposite: it’s proof that even the people whose job is to
create camera-ready rooms still wrestle with the same stuff you do clutter,
budget limits, weird corners, second thoughts. The difference isn’t that they
never mess up; it’s that they keep tweaking, refining, and approaching design
with curiosity instead of shame.

If you walk away from #2: Design TV Secrets With HGTV’s Sabrina
Soto with one big lesson, let it be this: your home doesn’t have to
look like a final reveal to be worth loving. Treat it like an ongoing
episode, full of edits, bloopers, and tiny wins. That might be the most
powerful TV secret of all.