The Transformation Of David Bromstad

If you have watched HGTV over the past decade, chances are you've come across the charismatic David Bromstad. Best-known as the popular longtime host of "My Lottery Dream Home," one of HGTV's most popular series, Bromstad is also known for his artistic talents and creative use of color. Explaining his personal style to HGTV, he said he "blends styles that incorporate realism and fantasy," which undoubtedly shows in his work and personal style, including his colorful array of outfits which he wears to meet with homebuyers on "My Lottery Dream Home."

Though he lives in Orlando, Florida, Bromstad is originally a Midwesterner, raised in Minnesota. From there, he embraced his artistic talents and attended art school, soon landing work with one of the world's largest and best-known companies before eventually coming to HGTV. Fans of Bromstad have also witnessed his personal transformation over the years, all while staying true to himself. Despite his fame, Bromstad is the fun designer and host we all wish could be our friend to go house-hunting with.

David Bromstad graduated from Wayzata High School in 1992. From there, he studied at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. His dream at the time, according to the Star Tribune, was to become an animator. However, as he told the outlet, he disliked the increasing use of technology implemented in the field of animation. As Bromstad described in a 2021 exclusive interview with The List, his primary purpose for attending Ringling College was to work for The Walt Disney Company. His choices were either Ringling College or California Institute of the Arts, the latter of which he said was too expensive for his family to afford. "And so I applied to that one school and that one school alone, got in, and Disney pulled directly from their illustrators," he described. "And so that's what my major was, but I realized about six months into my college education that I didn't want to do animation."

Since his graduation from Ringling College, Bromstad has remained in Florida, living both in Miami and Orlando. While he visits family in Minnesota as often as he can, it seems that the Florida lifestyle suits the emerging artist better than the Midwest. 

David Bromstad may have decided against working in animation, but he still went to work for The Walt Disney Company, first in visual merchandising, after graduating from Ringling College of Art and Design. However, he didn't stay in visual merchandising for long. In a 2018 interview with Spectrum News 13 in Orlando, Florida, Bromstad recounted his career at Disney, saying, "After that, my boss was like, 'You're too talented. I can tell you're bored.' So I took my full-time job and all my benefits and went to an art, kind of like sculpting place ... And then I became a private artist for them." He also did artwork for Universal Studios, as he shared in the interview.

Bromstad's tenure with Disney only lasted about a year and a half before he began doing contracting work with the company instead, according to a 2011 interview with Ryan G. Van Cleave. This, he said, sure kept him busy. "There wasn't a store that I didn't have some of my own art or sculpture in," he said at the time. However, after 9/11, Bromstad, like many contractors, was out of a job. However, he still has love for all things Disney — you may have noticed he's collected a number of Disney-themed tattoos, such as a sizable Mickey Mouse tattoo on his arm, over the years. He also visits Walt Disney World as often as he can.

After his various artistic roles and contracts with theme parks in Orlando, Florida, David Bromstad found himself designing children's spaces in model homes for an area homebuilder, where he used precision combined with fun and color, elements he previously practiced at his Disney gig. He blended his creativity and optimistic nature to start a company dedicated to creating fun, fantasy-themed bedrooms for kids. "The big lesson from designing so many kids' rooms? The wow factor," Bromstad said in a 2011 interview. "A kid wants to run into their bed-room and yell 'This is the coolest bed I've ever seen!'"

It was only a matter of time before the rest of the world saw the talent Bromstad possessed. His experience designing kids' bedrooms and working for Disney was perfect for HGTV. He successfully auditioned for "Design Star," which premiered in 2006, and became the winner of the show's first season, landing his own show, "Color Splash," as a result. The opportunity was a learning experience for him. "The big lesson I took away from that experience was to just be myself," he said in the same interview. "Being gay wasn't a great idea to present on TV at that time. But I had to be me. And that ultimately is what made all the difference. I learned to trust my gut and not second-guess myself."  Being his true, authentic self also became his ticket to a long-term gig with HGTV.

While David Bromstad's career expanded into network television, he never truly left his visual artistic roots. This culminated in an exhibition in December 2011 called "Body, Money, Death," which was featured at Miami's famous Art Basel. For the exhibition, Bromstad reportedly created 21 brand-new pieces in just under a month. "It was incredibly time-consuming, the hardest thing I've ever done," he siad in a magazine interview with Ryan G. Van Cleave.

As part of the exhibition, Bromstad featured various works, including artwork, handmade dolls, and custom furniture, at South Beach's Z Ocean Hotel. "Everything in this show has my sense of humor and my style, but I also wanted to show another layer that viewers don't always get to see on HGTV," Bromstad said in a statement reported by the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "I want my fans, both old and new, to walk into this exhibition and smile and be entertained. And maybe giggle a bit." Aside from having a positive reception, Bromstad also reportedly donated proceeds from his sold works to the Bakehouse Art Complex, a local art foundation that supports emerging artists.

In addition to hosting his own HGTV series called "Color Splash," David Bromstad became a consultant for "Design Star." However, Bromstad's biggest gig with HGTV yet came nearly a decade after his original "Design Star" win when he landed a hosting role on a new show called "My Lottery Dream Home." The concept of the show centers on lottery winners across the country who have decided to put some of their winnings toward purchasing their dream home, no matter how big or small. Bromstad works with real estate agents in each region to find possible options and then takes the lottery winners house shopping. 

What has made this house-hunting show stand out from others on HGTV is Bromstad and his down-to-earth personality. Running for almost a decade, "My Lottery Dream Home" also showcases Bromstad's own transformation through the years. When the Star Tribune asked him in 2019 about his success at HGTV and why the network and shows like "My Lottery Dream Home" have endured, Bromstad explained, "I think people watch HGTV because it's a happy network. It's positive; you can keep it on. You know nothing is going to be bad for your kids. It's a positive light, it's a rainbow, it's a sea of fabulous. And no one else can touch us when it comes to that." 

While 2015 was a transformative year for David Bromstad from a career standpoint, it was a difficult one for him personally. That same year, Bromstad broke up with his longtime partner, Jeffrey Glasko. According to In Touch Weekly, Bromstad and Glasko had been together since 2004. In a dramatic twist, Glasko later sued Bromstad, citing emotional and financial damages that reportedly developed after Bromstad became famous from his 2006 HGTV "Design Star" win. At the end of 2015, Glasko filed a lawsuit in a Miami-Dade County court, which alleged, per In Touch, "On or about 2010, [Da­vid] began using funds shared with [Jeffrey] to pay for illicit drugs and prostitutes resulting in a loss of trust and confidence." Not only did Bromstad deny the claims, but a Miami-Dade County judge ruled against Glasko, and the case was dismissed.

Despite the personal and legal drama from the fallout of this relationship, Bromstad hasn't appeared to take a professional hit nor has the experience deterred him from finding a future partner, so what is his relationship status? "I would love to have kids myself, but I need a boyfriend first," Bromstad told the Star Tribune in 2019. "Being single has served its purpose. I'm ready to settle down and have that regular life — or as regular as my life can be." 

After moving to Florida for college, David Bromstad resided in Miami for a number of years. However, in 2020, Bromstad decided to relocate to the Orlando area. "Right now I'm in an apartment," Bromstad explained to the Orlando Sentinel in January of that year. "I'm so busy finding everyone their dream home, I'm neglecting my own. I'm always on the road. We'll get here eventually."

Then, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic hit a short time later, effectively postponing Bromstad's house shopping, but the delay helped give him the time he needed to determine exactly what he wanted in his own dream home and where he wanted to put down those roots. "I have it narrowed down to one street in College Park," he told the Orlando Sentinel. "I want a crappy house so I can fix it up and build on to it and customize it for myself." Another reason why Bromstad wanted to live in the Orlando area is that his parents retired and moved from Minnesota to a nearby Central Florida community called The Villages, as he told the outlet.

In 2021, David Bromstad found his own dream home: a five-bedroom, four-bathroom Tudor-style house near Orlando, Florida. With the amount of traveling he does for work, Bromstad nixed his original idea of getting a complete fixer-upper. "I really wanted something that was move-in ready; that I didn't have to do a lot of work," he told HGTV. "Of course, I'm going to put my spin on it. It could have been brand new and I'm still going to tear some things down or paint things or, you know, do something structural."

A bonus is that viewers were able to see Bromstad go through the difficult process of selecting a home and within a certain budget, just like the average homebuyer as well as his lottery-winning clients on "My Lottery Dream Home." This process was televised for a special spinoff of "My Lottery Dream Home" called "My Lottery Dream Home: David's Dream Home," which premiered in July 2021. Just as homebuyers tour several potential options on the show, Bromstad did the same, enlisting a friend to help him with the process. 

Though Bromstad is happy with his choice, he's not sure it will be his "forever dream home." "It's my dream right now," he told the network. "It's such a special and unique place, and every time people come in, the vibe here is so cool and chill. It's a great entertainer's home ... So, I'm just living for the moment."