For HGTV viewers, Mary Welch Fox Stasik is no longer a new name. The Knoxville native is the host of the network's brand new show Breaking Bland.

In addition, she is a theatre artist and a certified interior designer, with her interior design degree from Colorado State University.

Interestingly, since she was 19 years old, it was her dream to become a designer and star in an HGTV show. Due to that, her parents, who supported her aspirations, took her to their designer friend at a young age to help her gather information on the steps she needed to achieve her dreams.

Her Designing Start

Speaking with WBIR-TV earlier this month, Stasik opened up on how her parents backed her faraway dream and gave the diva her first designing start.

"My dad let me redo my room here in Knoxville," she said, revealing her first designing stint was her own bedroom.

She further said that one of her mom's friends was an interior designer who helped her sit down and put things in order. "...how you would do a bed, how you would do drapes, how you would do all the things and I'm like that's so cool," she added.

Stasik also switched her majors to interior design, as she was formerly studying biology in school. At one point, she even felt that the transition from biology to design was intense. Actually, for her, designing was way harder than biology.

Afterward, she moved to New York to complete her degree in interior design and seek opportunities as an interior designer.

Marriage, Challenge, and HGTV Call

While residing in New York, Stasik found the love of her life, Ryan Stasik, the man with whom she is currently married. Her husband is a rock star who plays bass for Umphrey's McGee.

The couple later moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and welcomed two children, both daughters, Micky Simone Stasik and Amelia West.

There, she also assigned herself a challenge — make a name as an interior designer — which she did, starting by renovating her own new, but shabby, house. 

"I had to get my name out there in a way that I wanted to and the only way I was going to able to do that was to renovate my own house," Stasik told WBIR-TV.

After the renovation, the house caught the eye of neighbors and a local production company, RIVR Media. Her beautiful new house documented her work, turning it into a pilot and eventually a show.

Her growing popularity also made noise around the HGTV headquarters, who finally gave her a call to cast her a host in the network's new show.

'Breaking Bland'

Hosted by Stasik, Breaking Bland is a reality series on HGTV that premiered its first season, starting on August 4, 2021.

In the series, the interior designer helps homeowners achieve their dream home by making them feel comfortable to take risks and introducing some much-need flare with her one-of-a-kind designs.

"Designer Mary Welch Stasik breaks design boundaries and encourages clients to eschew traditional looks in order to create a truly personalized space," the show's synopsis read.

The seven-episode series premiered with back-to-back episodes at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.