Genevieve Gorder’s House Rules—Treat Your Home with Care

As a Trading Spaces stan from way back, I jumped at the chance to interview Genevieve Gorder, one of the original six designers on the OG home makeover TV show. We spoke over Zoom one December morning, with her curled up on the sofa in her black-painted living room, which she says is everybody’s favorite room in the NYC townhouse she shares with her teenage daughter and husband.

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. “It’s a character in our lives.”

This self-described “extroverted hip-hop kid from Minneapolis” studied international relations, sociology, and anthropology in college, eventually getting a graphic design degree and moving to New York City to work in product design before Trading Spaces came calling. The hit show debuted in 2000 and ran for ten seasons, including two seasons of a reboot that started in 2018. 

TV and video are still Gorder’s primary medium, but she also never really stopped designing products. In addition to her latest show, At Home with Genevieve, streaming for free on Crackle, her latest productions are a line of washable rugs through My Magic Carpet on Amazon and a line of jewelry with Manya. She has previously launched wallpapers, fabrics, and pillows.

Genevieve Gorder’s House Rules

The common theme in Gorder’s approach to home is all about being intentional—about what you keep in your home, how you decorate it, how you think about it and treat it, and what you do in it. “Think of your home as the host of your life,” she says. “Your home is the introduction to you. It’s 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. It’s when there’s no real plan that the house really hums.” 

No harsh lighting. Gorder dislikes recessed overhead lighting, and especially LEDs. She always makes sure there are multiple layers of light in every room and changes her lighting schemes as the weather and season call for. For example, during the winter when days are short, she relies on candlelight, both real and electric or battery-operated, to light up her house and set the mood.

Go Easy on the Climate Control

Gorder also tries to use her HVAC system as little as possible. She doesn’t like the way running the heater dries out the air. (And she’s from Minnesota, so she knows cold.) “You’re cold? Put on a sweater,” she advises. She runs humidifiers during particularly dry portions of the year. “If it’s not moist inside, we’re sick,” she says.

Pick Up After Yourself

Genevieve has an unwritten rule that everybody living in the house should contribute to keeping it clean, including taking out the trash.

“My mom and dad were hippies,” Gorder says. “Growing up, our organizing and cleaning wasn’t great. I wish I came fully loaded with good cleaning habits, but creatives don’t think like that. However, I can’t live with dirt or too much clutter. I need order.”

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. “It’s theater,” she says. It’s 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 designer—not the most organized people.) That’s when I even get a little bossy. I clean 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.”

Always Bring a Gift for the Host

Gorder loves to take care of people through cooking for and hosting them, so please don’t stress out about trying to help her in the kitchen. “Your job is to have fun,” she says. “You’re 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 a gift for your host,” Gorder counsels. “Wine, food, something she wouldn’t 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.”

Have Dinner Together

“We have family dinner as many times a week as possible,” Gorder says. “That’s where you get your kids to spill their beans a little bit. That’s sacred time.”

Don’t Neglect Your Own Bedroom

When it comes to decorating, some people figure the private spaces can wait because so few people see them, but Gorder disagrees, wholeheartedly. She thinks the primary bedroom is where you should start: “You know that saying, put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. The bedroom is your oxygen mask.” 

Rethink Your Yard

Gorder thinks it’s high time we redefine what makes a beautiful yard, and it shouldn’t be all about an expanse of grass.

“We don’t have the right environment for turf lawns,” she says, referring to the amount of water and maintenance they require. 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.”