It's all starting to sink in for self-taught designer Kim Myles -- She is the winner of the hit HGTV design competition Design Star, she is going to host her own show on HGTV, and her life will never be the same! 

I emailed Kim with some questions about her Design Star experience and plans for her upcoming show.  Here's what she had to say.

1) How does it feel to be joining the HGTV family?
It feels amazing! I'm an avid HGTV viewer, so to be invited to join the ranks of my favorite designers and TV personalities is a dream come true.

2) What can we expect from you new show?
It's my hope that my new show will be a reflection of who I am: fun, adventurous, whimsical, and accessible. I'd love it if HGTV viewers considered my show a 'fun date' with me; they'll have a blast watching, and they'll come away with user-friendly design information each week.

3) Do you keep in touch with the other Design Star contestants?
Absolutely! The unexpected gift of Design Star has been the very real connections and friendships we've all formed with each other. We're all very different, but we share the language of design and we were all in the trenches together. (Nothing bonds you like sharing a sink at 4:30am!)

4) Are there any moments from Design Star that you wish viewers of your upcoming show hadn't seen?
No. I think that people watching from home could relate to my struggles as I navigated the competition. Design 'mistakes' are just as valuable as successes because they're an opportunity for growth. I had no prior professional experience, and my arc on the show reflected a real leap forward in my execution, culminating in my Hawaiian Suite (a result that I'm totally in love with). It's my hope that having a bird's eye view of my process will free people to experiment at home, and become less invested in 'getting it right'. Perfection in your living space couldn't be more boring or impersonal, and as in any creative process, sometimes the 'happy accidents' are the key to bringing a project to life.

5)  Any advice for future Design Star contestants?
YES!! --- Sleep whenever possible (cat naps are your best friends during a process this grueling), trust your gut when making design decisions, and practice kindness on a regular basis. Yes, it's a TV competition and the stakes are incredibly high, but treating your fellow finalists with dignity and respect never fails.

To relive Kim's exciting journey on HGTV Design Star, check out the video recaps  at http://hgtv.com/designstar.

Photos courtesy of HGTV.