For someone who never imagined being on television, interior designer Debra Salmoni has found the perfect role on screen, doing what she does best.

“I meet with contractors and clients, just being myself,” said the Seneca graduate who co-hosts Scott’s Vacation House Rules with HGTV star Scott McGillivray. “It’s such a natural role for me. I ignore the camera completely.”

Before she was offered the role on the hit show, which debuted in 2020, Mrs. Salmoni had no television experience.

“They literally found me on Instagram, interviewed me and hired me, and I was shooting in a week,” she said. “It was the quickest turnaround they’d ever seen.”

To get some tips, Mrs. Salmoni didn’t need to look far. She reached out to her husband, animal trainer Dave Salmoni, who has hosted and produced several documentaries, including Rogue Nature on Discovery Channel as well as After the Attack and Into the Pride on Animal Planet.

“He told me, ‘Don’t get into your head. Just be yourself,’” she said.

It also helps that Mrs. Salmoni and her HGTV co-host, Mr. McGillivray, have become good friends.

“Scott is wonderful, and we connected immediately,” she said. “My energy level matches his, and that’s really important. He really took me under his wing and guided me. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. It’s a light-hearted show.”

Born in Brampton, Ont., Mrs. Salmoni grew up with her father and grandfather working in the construction business. It would not be strange for the family to look at blueprints together or talk about house projects over dinner. She remembers redecorating her room often and taking trips to IKEA whenever she could.

At age 15, Mrs. Salmoni got a job with the furniture and home accessories retailer Bombay Company, where she began offering design services.

“I was able to help customers buy furniture for their houses,” she recalled. “I would tell them what to pair their dining table with and things like that.”

While Mrs. Salmoni had aspired to be an interior designer, she didn’t think it was a realistic career choice. Instead, she opted for what she calls an “educational pivot” at Seneca, graduating from the Business Administration – Marketing advanced diploma program in 2008.

“I knew I wanted to be my own boss,” she explained. “Getting a business diploma was important to me. I needed to know how to run my own business and market myself. And all those case studies we had in class — Starbucks, The Keg — were really interesting.”

Mrs. Salmoni went on to work for an interior design firm for 10 years before striking out on her own four years ago with her own design company, Debra Lillian Design. Once she started co-hosting Scott’s Vacation House Rules, Mrs. Salmoni saw an increased flow of business coming her way.

“I now have seven people working for me, and we have on average 30 to 40 projects going at once,” she said. “Ideally, the business will continue to flourish.”

As for her television hosting duties, “that’s a side hustle,” Mrs. Salmoni said. “Family is No. 1. My husband and I have two young kids and two dogs, and we live in downtown Toronto. I’ll continue to do television as long as it makes sense to me. For now, I’m just going to ride the wave.”