Amy Devers (born July 2, 1971) is an American furniture designer, carpenter, television personality and design blogger.[1] She currently is the host (with Alan Luxmore) and design expert on A&E's Fix This Yard, the host of Victory Garden’s edibleFEAST on PBS, and a design and carpentry expert on OWN’s Home Made Simple.[2][3][4] In the past she has hosted design oriented programs such as Freeform Furniture on DIY, Designer People on Ovation, and was a carpenter on TLC’s Trading Spaces.[5][6][7][8]

Amy Devers
Amy Devers in London filming Designer People.
Born
Amy Devers

(1971-07-02) July 2, 1971 (age 53)
Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States
Occupation(s)TV host and design expert
Known forAmerican furniture designer and television personality.

Early life and education

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Devers grew up in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where she attended Ypsilanti High School. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York with a two-year degree in fashion buying and merchandising before deciding to pursue furniture design.[4] She studied furniture design at San Diego State University and graduated with a BA in 1997.[9] After a spell working as a machine shop foreman, Devers attended graduate school at Rhode Island School of Design, where she earned her MFA in Furniture Design in 2001.[10]

Career

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Television

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Devers began her television career in 2003 as a home-improvement expert on the DIY Network series DIY to the Rescue, which she co-hosted with Karl Champley.[11][12][13] The series ran for 9 seasons and included specials at the Grand Ole Opry[14] and a post-Hurricane Katrina rebuild special in collaboration with Dr. Phil.[15]

She hosted Freeform Furniture on DIY, a series which featured Devers demonstrating how to build her original modern furniture designs using diverse materials and techniques.[16] In 2007, she hosted DIY's interactive series, Blog Cabin.[17][18] In 2008 she joined the cast of TLC’s Trading Spaces as a carpenter.[7] In 2009 Ovation premiered a second season of Designer People with Devers as the new host.[19]

In 2010 A&E launched Fix This Yard, a landscape makeover series, with Alan Luxmore and Devers as co-hosts and design experts.[20][21] She makes regular appearances as a design and carpentry expert on OWN's Home Made Simple.[4][22] On PBS, Devers is the host of Victory Garden’s edibleFEAST, a documentary series that highlights local and sustainable food stories.[23]

Podcast

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Devers hosts a podcast titled Clever with Jamie Derringer of Design Milk in which they interview designers and artists about their life and work.[24] Clever hosted a live podcast and conversation series as part of WantedDesign Manhattan in 2019.[25]

Art and Design

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She runs a design and build studio out of Los Angeles called Amy Devers Art/Design.[9] In 2012 she participated alongside Tanya Aguiñiga in Natalie Chanin's chair restoration project as a part of MakeShift conference.[26]

Author

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As an author, Devers has served as an advice columnist for ReadyMade Magazine and Modern Ink Magazine.[27][28][29] She is the co-author of DIY to the Rescue 50 Home Improvement Projects published by Lark Books in 2006.[30] This book is a compilation of projects from the hit DIY TV series with step-by-step instructions and photos.

Educator

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Devers is faculty in the Furniture Design department at the Rhode Island School of Design.[31]

References

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  1. ^ Dahl, Timothy (11 May 2013). "Amy Devers - Artist, Designer, TV Host". Charles & Hudson. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  2. ^ Geraghty, Coleen L. (September 20, 2011). "Green With Envy Amy Devers, '97, a diva of home and yard decor, wields a mean power saw". San Diego State University Newscenter. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  3. ^ "Victory Garden presents edibleFEAST: Episode 1". www.ediblefeast.com. edible FEAST. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Elliott, Krystal (October 8, 2013). "Ypsilanti: Native Amy Devers appears on OWN remodeling program". www.heritage.com. Ypsilanti Courier. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  5. ^ "Devers Makes Design Entertaining". www.risd.edu. Rhode Island School of Design. October 25, 2010. Archived from the original on 2014-08-09. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  6. ^ "Amy Devers". www.imdb.com. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Paige Davis Back on Trading Spaces!". okmagazine.com. OK Magazine. January 25, 2008. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  8. ^ Whitman, Christine (2013-10-17). "Furniture designer is no lazy girl". The Daily Aztec. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  9. ^ a b Codices, Alumni (October 16, 2013). "Amy Devers: How to Craft a Career". www.thedailyaztec.com. The Daily Aztec. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  10. ^ Latour, Francie (2011). "Doing It Differently in a DIY World". RISD XYZ Rhode Island School of Design's Alumni Magazine (Spring/Summer 2011): 14–21. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  11. ^ "Ypsilanti native rescues do-it-yourself-disasters". Ludington Daily News. November 15, 2003. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  12. ^ Grimes, William (July 20, 2008). "If I Had a Hammer, I Wouldn't Watch TV". The New York Times. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  13. ^ Hanashiro, Robert (October 13, 2004). "Sexy TV carpenters". USA Today. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  14. ^ "DIY to the Rescue: Grand Ole Opry Special". www.imdb.com. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  15. ^ Stampone, David (November 30, 2006). "Of SoftLightes and Limelight". San Diego Reader. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  16. ^ "Freeform Furniture". diynetwork.com. DIY Network. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  17. ^ "Amy Devers bio". www.diynetwork.com. DIY Network. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  18. ^ "Blog Cabin is the groundbreaking multimedia experience based on a very simple idea: You Design It, We Build It, You Could Win It!". DIY Network. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  19. ^ Brzoznowski, Kristin. "Ovation in Co-Pro Deal for More Designer People". worldscreen.com. World Screen. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  20. ^ Gorman, Bill. "A&E's "Fix This Yard" and "Sell This House" Premiere April 3". tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  21. ^ "Fix This Yard". www.aetv.com. A&E Networks. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  22. ^ "Home Made Simple". www.oprah.com. OWN TV. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  23. ^ "New Series – Victory Garden's Edible Feast". www.kcpt.org. KCPT. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  24. ^ Kirby, Nathalie (2019-12-20). "11 Design Podcasts to Listen to As You Tackle Home Projects". House Beautiful. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  25. ^ "Join the Conversation Series at WantedDesign 2019". Design Milk. 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  26. ^ Wagner, Andrew (2012-05-23). "Pull Up a Chair, Then Fix It". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
  27. ^ "Hands On with Amy Devers | ReadyMade Magazine". Amy Devers. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  28. ^ "ReadyMade Magazine Archives". Amy Devers. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  29. ^ "Lifestyled...To New Beginnings | Modern Ink Magazine". Amy Devers. 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  30. ^ "DIY to the Rescue 50 Home Improvement Projects". Amy Devers. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
  31. ^ "Amy Devers | Faculty | Furniture Design | RISD". www.risd.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
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