Known for her sunny smile and sharp eye, Taniya Nayak’s approachable take on interior design has won over everyone from rock stars to first time homebuyers. Taniya’s knack for bringing rich textures and unexpected finishes together with practical, real-life functionality has made her a go-to expert for decorating programs on major networks including HGTV and Food Network. She is currently a featured designer on Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible and recently hosted HGTV’s Urban Oasis 2013 in Boston. In 2012, Taniya launched her first collection of home products, Taniya Nayak Lighting, available exclusively via Wayfair.com.

Taniya has served as host and designer for a variety of HGTV mainstays like Designed to Sell, Billion Dollar Block, Showdown, Bang for Your Buck, and throughout HGTV.com. Taniya can also be seen on Robert Irvine’s Food Network series, Restaurant: Impossible, where she utilizes her design prowess and professional experience to rescue and transform suffering restaurants. Married to Brian O’Donnell, a successful restaurateur in Boston, Taniya’s personal life as both an interior designer and a restaurant industry insider is the perfect parallel to her multifaceted design role in the television realm. With knockout shows on both the Food Network and HGTV, Taniya has quickly become a respected and prominent figure in television’s interior design world.

In 2005, Taniya started her own design firm, Taniya Nayak Design LLC. Having designed for a wide range of ages and spaces and budgets, she focuses on creating affordable yet inspirational spaces that capture her clients’ individual personalities while maintaining comfort and function. To this day, Taniya is at the forefront her design firm and has developed an impressive range of clientele, from television celebrities to famous musicians. Taniya’s designs can be seen in several Boston hotspots including Back Bay Harry’s, Abby Lane, Petit Robert Central, 88 Wharf, Lola’s Cantina, Whiskey Republic, Dublin Rose, and Blue Inc. with celebrity chef Jason Santos from FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen.

Born in India and raised in Boston, Taniya’s design style is strongly influenced by her creative family, especially her father, a talented architect. Shortly after attending Boston Architectural College for her masters in Interior Design, Taniya’s design style and upbeat personality landed her first television gig on ABC Family’s Knock First. Taniya was one of four designers and co-hosts of the hit show, geared toward hip, ambitious teens. She then made the move to HGTV as a designer on the edgy series FreeStyle, encouraging homeowners to get imaginative with items they already owned.

Her signature approach of embracing vibrant colors and patterns made Taniya the perfect fit for the first show of her own, Destination Design, which premiered in March 2010. The show followed Taniya creating spaces based on couples’ vacation inspirations from Turks & Caicos to Austin, Texas. Taniya hosted a spin-off of House Hunters, HGTV’s most successful series on-air, called House Hunters on Vacation. Placing the continued success of the House Hunters brand in Taniya’s hands, House Hunters on Vacation illuminates Taniya’s travel and design expertise as she helps individuals, couples and families find the perfect place to stay while on vacation from luxury condos to beautiful villas.

Taniya’s helpful decorating tips have been featured in People, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, The Boston Globe, Family Circle, The Washington Post, Ladies Home Journal, and many more. Taniya has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, ABC’s Good Morning America & The View, NBC’s Today, CBS’ The Early Show & The Talk, Rachael Ray, and The Nate Berkus Show.

In 2004, Taniya was ranked in the top 10 of INDIA New England’s Business Women of the Year, and in April 2011, Taniya was honored with an Excellence in Design award from ASID New England.