Known as a passionate and innovative force for creative change in homeowners’ rooms, Hildi Santo Tomás has a reputation for taking risks — often with big rewards. Her hands-on approach to design has produced some of Trading Spaces’ most memorable rooms, while her celebrated style has earned her a fervent following amongst Trading Spaces viewers.

Professional Background:

Hildi began her design career at an early age, as she spent days rearranging and organizing her sisters’ rooms in North Carolina. Hildi majored in industrial relations and economics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 

After college, she lived in Washington, D.C., where she worked as a stockbroker and financial analyst, and in New York City, where she worked for a financial services firm that catered to Latin American countries. Her part-time hobby of interior design, however, became a full-time obsession. 

Hildi soon returned to Raleigh, N.C., and launched Working Girls, an interior design business and workroom. Seeing the opportunities available, Hildi moved to Atlanta, where she continued her design business and later became a partner at Third Millennium Development Inc., a development, building and design firm. 

Hildi’s career in television began after she was recommended for the pilot of Trading Spaces and was cast as one of the original designers of the Emmy-nominated television show. She was also a designer on the Trading Spaces spin-off, Trading Spaces:Family. Hildi not only designs and creates her own rooms on Trading Spaces, but she also devises new episode concepts for the show. 

Hildi has appeared on numerous national and regional morning television shows as well as satellite media tours heard throughout the country. She has been featured in many national magazines and newspapers, including several national Hispanic magazines. 

Hildi’s career involves public speaking appearances and demonstrations on a range of topics, from home projects and entertaining to cultural issues. 

Personal History: 

Hildi was born in Raleigh, N.C., the middle daughter of Cuban-born parents. She is fluent in Spanish and French. Hildi has a passion for exploring other cultures and has traveled extensively around the world. She enjoys photography, cooking and using her creative skills in a variety of projects. 

Design Style:

Simple elegance. Hildi’s designs are often inspired by her frequent trips abroad, and her rooms usually feature fabrics from locales around the globe, including Paris, India, Egypt and Finland. Known for sometimes choosing unusual design materials, Hildi hopes that her more daring designs will serve as inspiration points for viewers afraid to take chances in their homes. 

Quotable Hildi: 

“My hope is that my designs and creativity will serve as points of inspiration for viewers — that they take my ideas, develop them and personalize them. Do not necessarily do it the way I did. Take my idea and develop it in your own way.”