Money may be too tight these days to fund major home renovations, but Summer Baltzer contends that it’s exactly during fiscal crunches that low-end repairs are most important to complete.

Baltzer, a designer/general contractor who’s host of HGTV’s “Design on a Dime” and TLC’s “Unhinged,” spoke during a recent phone interview about some of the frugal fix-up tips she’ll offer next weekend at the Buffalo Home and Garden Show. One of the first places to start, she said, is the bedroom.

“We always to tend to decorate our public spaces first. The bedroom tends to be saved for last. You tend to have cardboard boxes and totes for side tables,” she said. “But ultimately, you do want that to be a haven for yourself.”

But achieving nocturnal nirvana need not mean you have to be all apologies about how much you spend. Quality art can be found at flea markets, consignment shops or homemade, she said — such as framed postcards and magazines she displays. Everything should start with a fresh coat of paint, but Baltzer urged discretion in picking a color — avoid brighter tones such as red, she said, because of their stimulating effects.

“You need a relaxing, resting sort of color,” she said. “Even if you have to have totes as tables, just drape an old shower curtain over it.”

Such frugality is the crux of her work on television, for private clients and the roughly 12 home shows she does nationwide each year, at which Baltzer presents what she described as “pretty much like design 101.” A basic education about design is helpful, she said, because more Americans have been forced to spend more time at home late because of finances.

“”Now that housing prices are all over the place ... people are nervous about putting money into their houses,” said Baltzer, who will address Buffalo show-goers at noon and 4 p.m. Saturday and March 7. “But it’s easy to go back and paint the cabinetry and put in new knobs or complete that tile project. People are spending less on vacations, so if they’re home more they want to have things look better.”

Improved aesthetics have been Baltzer’s career focus since her youth. She graduated from California State University-Northridge with a degree in family environmental sciences and began her own residential interior design business. She also designed and decorated sets for Los Angeles-area theater productions until HGTV executives discovered her and offered her a spot as a designer on “Design on a Dime,” which gives the team a day and $1,000 to redo people’s living spaces.

She also recently began work on “Unhinged,” a TLC show that sees Baltzer and her family help out families who had substandard work completed by contractors. On top of that, she does design work privately and has a 5-year-old son at home, and she makes time for one home show appearance a month. Plus, she wants to pursue an advanced design degree so that she can become a college professor.

Despite the hectic schedule and frequent climate changes — a recent stop in Des Moines, Iowa, found this life-long California resident with nearly frostbitten fingers and ears — Baltzer is happy to have the opportunities that are in front of her.

“When I first started, I thought it would be lucky to work for a design firm and be creative a few hours a day,” she said. “That fact that I get to do it all the time is truly a blessing. I’m not a cubicle type of person.”

Elsewhere at the home show:

• Christopher Straub of “Project Runway” will do presentations at 1 and 3 p.m. March 7 that will feature the unveiling of a new dress he created and a question-and-answer session.

• Western New York native Jarod Miller, an animal trainer who’s host of “Animal Exploration” and has made frequent talk show appearances, will host a pet fashion show at 2 p.m. March 13.

• The featured home will be a “Villa in Tuscany” that was crafted by eight local designers, including Jennifer Rase of Defined Aesthetics in Wheatfield, who worked on the living room.



IF YOU GO

• WHAT: Buffalo Home and Garden Show

• WHEN: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. March 5-6 and March 12-13; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 7 and March 14

• WHERE: Buffalo Convention Center, Convention Center Plaza, Buffalo

• MORE INFORMATION: Call 855-5555 or visit buffalohomeshow.com