Debbie Travis (born June 27, 1960 in
Blackburn,
Lancashire,
England) is a
British-
Canadian television personality, self-taught
interior decorator, and former
fashion model. She is best known as the host of ''
Debbie Travis' Facelift'' and ''Debbie Travis' Painted House''. The shows were based out of
Montreal,
Quebec and Facelift was produced for
Home & Garden Television Canada.
Early career
Travis grew up in
Rochdale,
Lancashire/
Greater Manchester. After a 6-year adult-modelling career, she worked in television as a freelance editor and producer. Travis met her future husband Hans Rosenstein, a television distributor, in 1985 during a visit to a television buyers' market in
Cannes. They married soon after and moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
After redecorating her old
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literature ...
house using
paint
Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...
effects, Travis formed a small decorating business which quickly grew to include commissions from large
department stores
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appea ...
, auditoriums,
theatres, and grand reception halls. Her work attracted media attention, and Travis opened a small studio and hired a partner to teach workshops to both professional decorators and homeowners. She later produced an instructional video entitled ''Decorative Paint Finishes Made Easy'', and later produced three additional, more advanced instructional videos, available in both French and English.
Television
Hosting
Travis hosted ''Debbie Travis' Painted House'' from 1995 to 2002, airing on the Women's Television Network (later
W Network). Travis was awarded two
Gemini Awards
The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States a ...
for the series.
In 2006, Travis hosted ''
From The Ground Up with Debbie Travis'' on
Global TV for two seasons. In 2010, Travis hosted the series ''
All for One'' on
CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...
.
In December 2010, Travis hosted the
CBC show ''Corrie Crazy: Canada Loves Coronation Street'', exploring Canadians' love of the British TV series
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
.
Production
Travis and Hans Rosenstein are partners in the production company Whalley-Abbey Media, which has produced all the Debbie Travis-branded television shows. She is also a partner and executive producer along with Kit Redmond and Hans Rosenstein for RTR Media in Toronto. She has served as an executive producer for all Whalley-Abbey and RTR Media productions, including
Buy Me,
Property Shop,
Income Property and Maxed Out.
Print media
Travis is also known for her weekly syndicated column which appears in many newspapers and is titled ''Debbie Travis House to Home'', to which readers often write in to have their decorating questions answered.
Travis has authored 9 books on decorating and painting techniques, as well as an autobiographical book on parenting.
Products
In 2005, Travis launched her own paint and home products line available from
Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is a Canadian retail company which operates in the automotive, hardware, sports, leisure and housewares sectors. Its Canadian operations include: Canadian Tire (including Canadian Tire Petroleum gas stations a ...
and continues as president of the branding company, Debbie Travis Branding, Inc., located in Toronto. A fine wine collection bearing her name was released in 2016.
Bibliography
* ''Debbie Travis' Painted House: Quick and Easy Painted Finishes for Walls, Floors, and Furniture Using Water-Based Paints'' (1997);
* ''Debbie Travis' Decorating Solutions: More Than 65 Paint and Plaster Finishes for Every Room in Your Home'' (1999);
* ''Debbie Travis' Weekend Projects: More Than 55 One-of-a-Kind Designs You Can Make in Under Two Days'' (2000);
* ''Debbie Travis' Painted House Living and Dining Rooms: 60 Stylish Projects to Transform Your Home'' (2001);
* ''Debbie Travis' Painted House: More than 35 Quick and Easy Finishes for Walls, Floors, and Furniture'' (2002);
* ''Debbie Travis' Painted House Kids' Rooms: More than 80 Innovative Projects from Cradle to College'' (2002);
* ''Debbie Travis' Painted House Bedrooms: More Than 40 Inspiring Projects for Your Personal Sanctuary'' (2002);
* ''Debbie Travis' Painted House Kitchens and Baths: More than 50 Innovative Projects for an Exciting New Look at Any Budget'' (2003);
* ''Debbie Travis' Facelift: Solutions to Revitalize Your Home'' (2005);
* ''Not Guilty: My Guide to Working Hard, Raising Kids and Laughing through the Chaos'' (2009);
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Travis, Debbie
Female models from Quebec
Canadian interior designers
English female models
English emigrants to Canada
English interior designers
Participants in Canadian reality television series
People from Blackburn
Models from Montreal
People from Rochdale
1960 births
Living people