I’m Leslie Segrete—designer, decorator, carpenter, seamstress, and trained chef all wrapped up in one very energetic package. I’m crafty and creative, with the skills and resourcefulness to turn simple ideas into livable realities. Whether you’re out to rehab a large space or spruce-up an intimate one, I’ll help you do it in an easy and fun way.
Chances are, you’ve seen my work on television. I’m currently a designer on Travel Channel’s Hotel Impossible, where I revamp and redesign troubled hotels in just four days. I was also the series host and designer on A&E’s $100 Makeover; lead designer on WEtv’s The Ugliest House on the Block; and host for the Emmy-nominated WLIW (PBS) special, Going Green Long Island. For over five years, I had a blast as a carpenter and designer on TLC’s hit series Trading Spaces and While You Were Out, where I helped design, build, and execute close to four hundred rooms. Behind the scenes, I’ve acted as the head of set design for Oxygen Network, art director at The Ricky Lake Show, and as a freelance food and set stylist for Good Morning America. I even earned a degree from the French Culinary Institute to help with this last job!
You’ll find me on the radio and in print, as well. I co-host “The Money Pit,” a nationally syndicated home improvement radio show heard around the nation and on XM Sirius. I contribute tips and articles to our site and co-wrote My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure, an advice manual on everything from lowering your energy bill to boosting your house’s curb appeal. My designs have also appeared in a host of magazines, including Country Home, where I had a monthly column called “Shopgirl” and acted as an editor at large, and House Beautiful, where I was a regularly featured editor in its “Weekend Shopper” column.
And if I’m not buzzing around the media, I’m likely in my home office on Long Island. Here, I’m president of Leslie Segrete Designs, LLC, a design firm that serves private clients in the New York area. I also love to teach small, private upholstery classes for those who want to refurbish their personal heirlooms and flea market finds. Who’s game?
Finally, I support a number of causes that are close to my heart, including the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. In 2014, I worked with forty designers and the home furnishings company Kravet to transform various living spaces in this facility. Having lost my husband to heart disease in 2012, I know, first-hand, how essential it is to feel the kind of assistance and peace that this environment offers families. With every space I design, I hope to make your life a little more beautiful, no matter where you call home.
