West Michigan mom to appear on HGTV

MONTAGUE, Mich. — She’s always loved interior design but coming from one small West Michigan town, she never thought she could make a career out of it. That was until she got a call from HGTV to show off some of her work.

Amanda Kiefer was born Amanda Hunt. It’s a name you might recognize in Montague where she was born and raised.

“My family has owned, over several generations, businesses in the area,” she said.

That includes a dealership, tree farm and Hunts Hardware.

“I kind of grew up in the hardware with my dad and my uncle,” she said. “I was one of those kids that was always around tools.”

This, maybe, explains why she’s had passion for interior decorating from the very beginning.

“Growing up, I thought the Better Homes & Garden, the HGTV shows that my mom would watch were amazing, but I didn’t see in our area this huge push for giant renovations,” said Kiefer. “That was a time before social media. So, people didn’t do big renovations like they do now.”

She said she always turns heads with her décor at home, but never thought it could be a career.

“So, in my mind, I thought I love this, but it can be just something I do on the side like a passion project.”

For work, she would turn to another passion – teaching – which would take the family to Florida. Their new family home would become Kiefer’s newest passion project.

“The choices that they made, the tile, and colors and what not were not that great,” she said.

Over the next several years, Kiefer would redecorate the home inside and out.

She told 13 ON YOUR SIDE, “We did a full renovation of the backyard: a pool with a tiki hut, an outdoor kitchen and it was like the oasis of anybody’s south Florida dreams.”

When it was time to make the move back to Michigan to help care for her father, the family put that dream house up for sale.

“HGTV producers saw it and they thought that it would be perfect for their show ‘My Lottery Dream Home.’”

It’s a show featuring buyers who’ve recently come into money and are looking for a new home.

“So, our house is one of the choices on Friday’s show that they go through, and they look at and at the end of the show they decide between our house and two others to see which one they’re going to pick,” said Kiefer.

The opportunity gave her a big boost.

“I knew at that point that I could do this for a career.”

Now, she’s officially a professional interior designer. She owns Hunt Heritage Design & Décor.

“I will tell you what, if nothing else in my life happens, I’m putting HGTV – ‘I was on HGTV’ – on my gravestone.”

Kiefer’s new business will operate out of the same building that housed her dad’s hardware store.

She’s hoping to have it open shortly before the 2025 holiday season, but she’s accepting clients now.

Her Florida home will be featured on HGTV’s “My Lottery Dream Home” on Friday, Jan. 3.