Arts & Entertainment
Colding’s Calling : Danielle Colding The “Design Star”
By Kam Williams Special to The
Skanner News
36
year-old Danielle Colding is an
interior designer with her own
residential and commercial
design firm in New York City. A former pro-
fessional modern dancer, she also has a
bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from
Stanford University as well as an associate’s
degree in Interior Design from the Fashion
Institute of Design and Merchandise on her
resume.
As a self-described problem-solver,
Danielle uses her open, friendly and quirky
personality to connect with her clients. She
characterizes her design style as global chic,
classic modern and edited traditional. Here,
she talks about participating as a contestant
on the new season of Design Star, which
airs Tuesdays at 9 PM (8 PM Central) on
HGTV (House & Garden Network).
Kam Williams: Hi, Danielle, thanks for
the interview.
Danielle Colding: Hi, Kam. It’s my
pleasure.
KW: What interested you in appearing on
Design Star?
DC: My friends convinced me to go,
thinking I’d have a good chance. To tell you
the truth, I wasn’t so sure. I went to the open
call just to see what happened, and it just
snowballed from there. The next step
became the next step and I found myself on
the show.
KW: How has the
competition surprised
you?
DC: The competition
surprised me in that it
was truly a supportive
environment. I was skep-
tical about doing a com-
pletion show because
I’m not into that kind of
drama. But this experi-
ence was the opposite,
sure we had our
moments but for the
most part I made friends
for life and we supported
each other every step of
the way. We felt like we
were experiencing some-
thing
very
special
together.
KW: Has your life
changed since you’ve
become a celebrity?
Danielle
DC: A celebrity? I’m
not there yet. My life has
not changed tremendously other than I have
a sense of confidence in my work that only
this experience of making design decisions
in minutes and living with them can give
you.
KW: Do you ever want your anonymity
back?
DC: That’s something I still wrestle with.
I have just started being
recognized on the
streets of New York, and
it’s a trip. So far, though,
it’s been a lot of fun.
KW: You studied
Anthropology at Stan-
ford. So, why did you
become a professional
dancer after graduating?
DC: I started dancing
at the age of 6. So, it
was something that was
always there on the side.
My mother pushed me
to go an academic route
but was cool about me
studying something that
I loved without the pres-
sure of doing something
that would land me a
career. Cultural Anthro-
pology and my minor in
African and African-
American studies were
Colding
simply areas of study I
was drawn to. Through-
out college, I danced with a choreographer
that I really loved and respected and who
started a company using several dancers
from Stanford. I would spend weekends in
San Francisco and Oakland, rehearsing and
performing. When I graduated he had a spot
for me in his company, so I went for it. It
was a dream come true and an incredible
creative experience.
KW: How did you go from dancing to
interior decorating?
DC: My years as a dancer in San Francis-
co were extremely taxing. I held several
jobs to live there as a dancer. I was a first
grade teacher for two years, taught dance in
Page 6 The Portland Skanner June 13, 2012
public schools, waited tables, was a Pilates
instructor and, of course, rehearsed and per-
formed. By the end of four years I was
spent. I knew I needed some other way to
make a living and my passion for dance
wasn’t carrying me through. So, I literally
went on a trip with a friend and reflected on
all the things I was naturally good at and all
the things that I would love to get up in the
morning to do…. And interior design came
from that. It is truly my passion, and I am
lucky to have been on a path where I’ve
been able to do what I love.
KW: What would you say characterizes
your designing style?
DC: I do not have one design style. I like
so much of so many different styles that I
hate to claim one. My design is very intu-
itive and client-driven, but also there’s an
eclectic approach. I like homes to feel like
they reflect the people who inhabit them…
that every item fits and could tell a story.
That being said, I value a certain level of
elegance and sophistication in all the spaces
I design.
KW: Every reality series has to be edited.
Do you think this one is portraying you fair-
ly?
DC: I do. I think I am coming off the way
I am in person. The tough part is that so lit-
tle of what happened can be shown in a one-
hour show. That is frustrating. There are so
many factors that shape our decision-mak-
ing that the viewers don’t get to see. They
see us making crazy decisions but don’t
know the full story and the amount of pres-
sure we are under.
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