House of Ali offers an unscripted lens into the real world of luxury interiors and Season 2 now airs on Home Network and streams on STACKTV. From a private villa in Costa Rica to a designer dream home in Connecticut, award-winning interior designer, Ali Budd and her team are continuing to make global moves. Million dollar reveals continue to mount as Ali experiences the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Overseeing every detail, Ali wows even the pickiest client with her unfiltered honesty and one-of-a-kind creativity. The series invites viewers to come for the renovation and stay for the reality as House of Ali continues to disrupt the elite world of custom design one tile at a time in Season 2!
We had a chance to chat with Ali recently about work in interior design as well as learning more about the series!
Started from your basement now you’re here! Do you reflect often on those early days and imagine you’d be where you are today?
Ali: I definitely reflect on it, although I probably should more. I’m always so busy moving forward and thinking about what’s next that I don’t stop very often to look at what we’ve already built.
I started the business in my basement because I loved design and wanted to work for myself. I didn’t have some master plan to build a firm of this size, have a television show or be working on projects all over the place. What I did have was a lot of ambition. I’ve always wanted to do more, get better, take on bigger projects and keep pushing myself.
When I do stop and look back, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built. But I also don’t really feel like I’ve arrived. I’m still excited about what’s next, and I think that’s probably a big part of what got me here in the first place.
Was there a turning point in your career that you really felt gave you that push in the direction you hoped for?
Ali: I don’t know if there was one big turning point. I think my career has been a series of small moments where I said yes before I was completely sure I was ready.
Taking on a bigger project than we’d ever done before. Hiring people before I was entirely comfortable with the overhead. Putting myself and my work out there publicly. Saying yes to television. Every one of those things was scary at the time, but they forced me and the business to grow.
I think that’s actually been a huge lesson for me. You don’t always get the confidence first and then take the opportunity. Sometimes you take the opportunity and figure out how to rise to it.
When it comes to designing a home, do you have a few key guiding principles?
Ali: I don’t really believe in rules in design, but I do believe a home should feel like the people who live there. I’m much more interested in creating something personal than creating something that looks like it belongs to a particular designer.
Function is also incredibly important to me. You can have the most beautiful room in the world, but if it doesn’t work for the way you actually live, then I don’t think it’s good design.
And I always want some tension. Something old with something new, something incredibly refined next to something a little weird, something expensive next to something you found for $100. The rooms I love most aren’t perfect. They have personality.
Are there any recent trends in interior design that you would like to see people move on from? Are white kitchens done, yet?
Ali: I don’t really believe anything is “done.” A beautiful white kitchen will always be a beautiful white kitchen. I think the problem is when everybody starts doing the same thing because they’ve been told that’s what good design looks like.
I’m much more interested in people moving away from the idea that their house has to look like whatever they’re seeing over and over again on Instagram or Pinterest. Your home doesn’t need to be “on trend.” In fact, if we’re designing it properly, hopefully we’re creating something you’re still going to love long after the trend has disappeared.
What is your definition of luxury?
Ali: Choice.
I think we’ve traditionally associated luxury with expensive materials or recognizable brands, and obviously beautiful materials and incredible craftsmanship can absolutely be luxurious. But to me, real luxury is having the ability to create something specifically for you.
It’s the perfect chair because it was made for exactly that corner. It’s a kitchen designed around the way your family actually uses it. It’s having the time, space and freedom to live the way you want to live.
Luxury isn’t necessarily about having more. It’s about having things that are considered.
Wow! We love that! When designing with luxury in mind, what advice would you give us?
Ali: Spend on the things you use the most. An incredible bed and beautiful bedding are some of the most luxurious things you can have in your home because you use them every single day. Invest in a well-made, really comfortable sofa that has the right proportions for your space. Drapery will always make a room feel more finished and considered.
To me, luxury isn’t about filling your home with expensive things. It’s about investing in the pieces that affect how you actually live in your home. I’d rather see someone spend more on an amazing mattress, sofa or beautifully made window coverings and save somewhere that has far less impact on their everyday life.
What convinced you to have cameras follow your work and create House of Ali?
Ali: I actually didn’t set out to have a television show. The opportunity came to me, and initially I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it.
I knew that if I did television, I didn’t want to make a traditional design show. I wanted to make something that was truly rooted in my reality and showed the good and the bad. Authenticity is one of the most important things to me, and it needed to be reflected in the show.
Before I agreed to do it, I actually put together a list of non-negotiables about what I would and wouldn’t do, and I still can’t believe they said yes to all of them.
Running a design firm is stressful, funny and chaotic. There are huge personalities, things go wrong, there’s pressure, and there’s an enormous amount of work happening behind the scenes. I wanted people to see all of it, not just the beautiful finished spaces.
I was absolutely terrified to do it, but I also kind of figured, well, fuck it. Let’s try it.
How has this show impacted your work?
Ali: Our international business has grown exponentially, which has been so exciting. It truly is a dream come true to be working on projects in different places around the world.
The second season of House of Ali is here! What are you most excited about?
Ali: Season two feels even more personal. We’re in my house more, my husband is in it more, and we show the house I built in Costa Rica. It’s a bit of a whirlwind, but it’s also a really accurate reflection of what was going on in my life at the time.
I think what I’m most excited about is putting something out into the world that feels true. True to what I do, true to what my life actually looks like, and true to me.
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Thank you Ali for taking the time to share more insight! P.S. We love Costa Rica!