DIY After Disaster | Michelle Villemaire | TEDxShoreline Drive

After the January 2025 Palisades Fire left her home standing but uninhabitable, interior designer Michelle Villemaire began redesigning her own life. In this TEDxShoreline Drive talk, she shares DIY principles she used while displaced and rebuilding: taking inventory of a space, mocking it up before committing, and editing repeatedly. The talk follows her path from a smoke-damaged house to a pageant stage, and her view that the same tools that make a room livable can help turn disaster into post-traumatic growth.

• Rebuilding after the January 2025 Palisades Fire
• DIY principles: take inventory, mock it before you lock it, edit
• Displacement and post-traumatic growth
• Speaker background as designer, TV host and pageant titleholder

When the January 2025 Palisades Fire left her home standing but uninhabitable, interior designer Michelle Villemaire did what designers do: she started redesigning, only this time it was her life. In this funny, honest talk she shares the DIY principles that got her through displacement and rebuilding: take inventory of the space, mock it before you lock it, and edit, edit, edit. Along the way she goes from a smoke-damaged house to a pageant stage and finds that the same tools that make a room livable can turn disaster into post-traumatic growth. Michelle Villemaire is a TEDx speaker, interior designer, television host, and immersive storyteller whose work blends creativity, resilience, and transformation. A survivor of the Pacific Palisades fire and a Mrs. Asia USA Universe titleholder, Michelle brings a unique perspective to storytelling, design, and overcoming adversity. Her television credits include serving as a designer on *Tia Mowry’s Weekend Refresh* on Tastemade, becoming a Hallmark Channel *Home & Family* DIY Star finalist, and appearing as a guest expert on all things DIY. Her work has been featured on *The TODAY Show*, *Sweet June*, and *Architectural Digest*. Multiracial and multicultural, Michelle attended an international school in Saudi Arabia, speaks three languages, and has traveled to more than 30 countries. A mother of two daughters, a wife, and a sister to all, Michelle continues to inspire others through her creativity, cultural experiences, and personal journey of perseverance. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx