Roger Hazard

DIY Guru of Sell This House Brings

Unique Talent to Austin

By Tim Sapp

Roger Hazard, producer of A&E’s Emmy-nominated Sell This House, made a career out of selling homes. Now he’s establishing a new home in Austin and building a full-service design firm that should thrill local homeowners.

Moving from New York, Hazard sees an opportunity to tap into what he calls Austin’s “unique energy,” with his venture, Design Hazards. While so many have found reasons for pessimism, the noted designer revels in the enthusiasm of Austinites.
“The people here don’t have that negativity that you see other places,” Hazard explains. “There is a lot of optimism. People here are so active, trying to make their city better. Everybody seems to be working on multiple projects.”

Austin has a reputation as a cultural capital, and the new resident is buying in. Without the support from a local arts community, a creative mind like Roger Hazard’s might feel starved. “I am very impressed with the local artisans,” he praises. “I think Austin has, per capita, more talented artistic people than anywhere else, even New York. Being around that just drives the creativity in others. It was really important.”

Hazard brought “staging” to mainstream practice, reshaping how homeowners prepared their interiors for market. While his distinctive style will surely make in imprint on the decor of his new city, the television personality already sees a lot of attention to design in Austin. In fact, the burly Texas native thinks he can describe a specific characteristic for Austin’s look; a manly one.

“Austin has a very masculine aesthetic. There is nothing froofy about it, with a lot of iron and native stone. We are still in the heart of Texas, after all. Combine that with expensive fabrics and materials, and it’s a city that really seems to respond to design.”