When it comes to real estate in Canada, Jodi Gilmour is undoubtedly an expert. Not only does she manage one of Canada's largest RE/MAX franchises, she also hosts a property series show, sponsors a professional women's group and appears at various speaking engagements. Through her work in selling and staging homes, she has learned to lay out and decorate a space to increase the sale price of a home or simply improve the homeowner's quality of life.

Despite her busy schedule, we got the chance to chat with this real estate maven on her favourite room to decorate and her advice on the best home renovations for resale.


Photography courtesy of HGTV

1 If you could shadow any designer for a day, who would it be?
Jodi Gilmour It always looks like they're having fun at Marc Jacobs.

2 Where do you look for an obscure source of inspiration?
JG My mother's scarf collection.

3 Favourite restaurant?
JG Chiado. We love them so much we had them relocate to a Spanish-inspired villa 100 kms away for the night of our wedding.

4 What’s your favourite room to decorate?
JG I poured my heart into my two baby boys' nurseries, and I can't wait to make changes as they grow.

5 What’s your current paint colour obsession?
JG The perfect "greige", Urban Jungle OR-489 from the new Origins of Benjamin Moore line.

6 If one song could be the soundtrack to your life, what would it be?
JG Inspired by the television show Ally McBeal, some friends and I chose 'theme songs' circa 2001. My parents were getting divorced at the time and Good Mother by Jann Arden helped me appreciate my mum and dad as individuals and kept my "feet on ground, heart in hand, facing forward, [and being myself]."

7 What’s the one store you could spend hours browsing?
JG Heather Reisman's got my number! When I need to check out of the world and into myself, I hit the nearest Indigo and leave my phone in the car so no one can interrupt my Jodi time.

Photography courtesy of HGTV

8 London, Paris or New York?
JG I believe in love, so Paris it is!

9 If money were no object, what one thing would you buy?
JG Time, if money could buy it. Failing that, a '50s bungalow on the water and I'd do the most amazing reno job!

10 What do you consider to be the most iconic design piece of the past century?
JG The iPad.

11 Favourite movie?
JG Amelie (Le Fabuleux Destin de Amelie Poulin).

12 What’s your favourite movie interior?
JG Carrie's walk-in closet in Sex and the City.

13 What do you think is the easiest way to update a room?
JG A quick coat of paint.

14 Best coffee table book?
JG Frank Lloyd Wright: Complete Works, Vol.1, 1885-1916. Admittedly, my coffee table (a velvet ottoman) is currently being used as a change table for two of the cutest bums in town.

Photography courtesy of HGTV

15 What’s your favourite way to spend a lazy Sunday?
JG Snuggling with my boys while their dad serves up his signature banana chip pancakes!

16 Do you like to be the entertainer or be entertained?
JG I like to share to spotlight. I have some pretty amazing people in my life. Two ears, one mouth.

17 What do you think is the best renovation you can do to your home?
JG For resale, adding a bedroom or bathroom will change how your listing is viewed. For personal enjoyment, however, a kitchen renovation is best - it's the heart of the home.

18 What is your favourite space that you’ve designed?
JG My master bathroom. We splurged on a stand-alone tub (Stark for Duravit) - my husband and I have the best talks in that tub. Meanwhile, we saved on an oversized print that I only saw once at IKEA. I've never seen it since, not in any of the hundreds of homes I've shown.

19 What’s the biggest design faux pas?
JG Matching. Or, as I said on a recent radio show, "going too matchy-matchy poo-poo". For real. I said that... live! Ugh!

20 Marilyn, Audrey or Jackie?
JG Jackie. Hands down.