Not only is he one-third of a dynamic design team, he has his own TV show and travels around the world for inspiration….Here is this month’s Industry Insider.

Name and official job title: Anwar Mekhayech, partner at The Design Agency (previously Precipice Studios) and co-host of HGTV’s Designer Guys.

How long have you been designing? Tell me a little bit about your education, background and experience: Well as a designer at heart for ever I grew up in the restaurant business which I was involved in until 2005, studied Mechanical Engineering Design and started my own design firm (Precipice Studios) with partners Matt Davis & Allen Chan in 1998.

In 2004 we were approached to take over the existing design make-over show The Designer Guys on HGTV and we filmed three double seasons of 78 episodes that currently airs in over 8 countries around the Globe.

When invited to the 10 year anniversary of the Toronto Interior Design show (IDS08) as part of the feature exhibit we rebranded our company as “The Design Agency” also in celebration of our ten year anniversary.

How would you describe your personal interior design style?: I would have to say that it would be a sense of eclectic modernism with influences from culture & travelling. A strong love for materials, specifically natural elements. Bold colours, tailored lines, subtle layers and functionality with personality are key to my style. Taking in as much of the design world as possible and interpreting it for our client is really what we do, added with innovations & technology.

Your favorite day to day digs?: A pair of jeans, white v-neck tshirt and a blazer with a cool pair of kicks from Opening Ceremony.

Describe a perfect day: That’s impossible, I am tough to please and have a vivid imagination! Based on past experience I would have to say staying at my dad’s place in Paris, waking early for a café and croissant at the corner patisserie, driving thru the French country side with the roof down to the ocean to hang on the beach and eat seafood by the sea. Back in the city riding around on bicycles for a late afternoon drink, catching a show during fashion week, having a late dinner and then staying up late with friends!

What are some of the mistaken assumptions people make about your job?: Being on TV is glamorous; time-lines & contractors are things we can control, all clients are lovely and my time is free.

Are there any projects you’ve done that you look back at and regret?: None yet, knock on wood. I regret sometimes not taking as many risks as I would like to. Projects are only as strong as you are willing to take them, given your ability to motivate the client.

What can you not live without?: Nothing. I can love a lot of things but I need none of them. I suppose love & companionship.

What has been your favorite project to date and why?: Each project has excited me in its own way and you can see some of my touches in all the work we do. Probably sPaHa modern bistro at the University of Toronto since it was also my own place and our first real project that launched the company. That and our latest featured project, the LIGHTHOUSE at the IDS08, I guess since in both cases I was the client. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Cat or dog person?: Cat.

What are you reading now?: “Positively 4^th Street - the lives & times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina & Richard Farina”, as well as “The complete MBA for Dummies” and a lot of magazines.

What does a person coming into the field need to know?: We have a lot of interns that work with us at one point or another and I truly think a degree is necessary but getting right into the world of design by traveling and exploring design on a day to day basis and how we all interact with objects and spaces around us is key. Understanding balance and the environment and being responsible for what we create and use to create is paramount to good design. Traveling and meeting people is an endless resource, while finding what it is in design that makes you passionate will only strengthen your ambition. Listen, think and speak and don’t be afraid to take risks: there are no right answers, only good decisions.

Sunny Shum, Your Industry Insider