David Bromstad's Very Good Year

David Bromstad’s HGTV show, Color Splash, not only got renewed, but is bigger, brighter and yes, more colorful than ever, thanks to a new production company and a sizable budget boost. He's become a regular on HGTV, appearing frequently on other shows like Bang for Your Buck and Summer Showdown. He's also vlogging his gently snarky insights on the current season of the show that gave him his start, HGTV's reality competition show Design Star.

David Bromstad

Most importantly to him, his show just moved to his hometown of Miami after three years in San Francisco. "I am so thrilled to be home," he told AfterElton.com. "You have no idea how wonderful it is to wake up every morning with my partner and my dog. And I love, love, love Miami. It's not just home, it's one of the most exciting design centers in the world."

That excitement, coupled with the extra money for production, has given Color Splash: Miami some sizzle that's not coming from the tropical climate. "Miami is almost a character in the show now," he said. "We go to clubs, restaurants, hotels for inspiration – all the iconic Miami locations that are so fab. And I get to bring in local artisans and craftspeople and really showcase the incredible things going on Miami."

All of that, he said, "is what you get when you take a designer who is really passionate about his home town." But many of those things are as new to Bromstad as to his viewers. He'd only lived in Miami a short time when he won Design Star and moved to San Francisco. "I haven't had time to go to all these inspiration sites before, or to explore Miami," he said. "I actually know San Francisco more than I know Miami. It's just so fabulous, so inspiring, so unique. It's the American Riviera."

One of David's redesigns

In the first six seasons of Color Splash, Bromstad would show up at the house slated for a makeover and then unveil his design. Now, he meets with the clients at an inspirational location – a club, restaurant, hotel, any public place – and then comes up with a custom design for their home.

It's "a different kind of challenge," he said, "Taking what the homeowners want, and the inspiration location, and what the network is expecting, and combining them." He laughed. "I feel like I'm a design psychiatrist. But I love it!"

So, his show's a hit, his love life's never been better, he's living in his dream city, and he even has a devoted dog. Is there a reason everyone in America shouldn't just hate David Bromstad?

"Okay," he admitted, "there's been some stress." He laughs. "A lot of stress. Too too too much stress. For three weeks, my eye wouldn't stop twitching. And I've lost weight, which my fans haven't hesitated to let me know. Hello, people, telling someone they're too skinny is just as rude as saying they're too fat."

Ironically, the thing Bromstad loves best about being home – living full-time with his partner – was one of the biggest sources of stress at first.