Love it, list it, leave it better

For 30 years, interior design students have walked MRU's halls, leaving as designers, decision-makers and visionaries who transform Alberta homes, restaurants and hotels. Amanda Hamilton (BAID, 2005), donor, Alumni Achievement Award recipient and founder of Amanda Hamilton Interior Design, has spent two decades building an illustrious career while giving back to the community where it all began.

Now, Hamilton is bringing her design eye to a new space: television.

Many a designer, or simply lovers of home decoration, remember Love It or List It as a staple of a languid evening on the couch spent judging homeowner choices. In the summer of 2026, Hamilton, armed with two decades of design experience, was named co-host for Love It or List It West, which is being filmed in the Calgary metropolitan area.

"I was driving to the dentist when I found out, and I screamed in my car. Afterwards, as it started to sink in, it almost felt inevitable. It was one of those moments where you think, 'Okay, I feel like this was always supposed to happen.'"

On the heels of the exciting news, Hamilton returned to MRU to revisit the spaces that helped shape her, explore some of campus's newest spaces through the eyes of a designer and reflect on the path from interior design student to business owner, mentor, donor and soon-to-be television host.

Coming full circle

How does it feel being back on campus as a successful alumna, and is there a project that still stands out to you today?

Very nostalgic. It feels like it was just yesterday. I remember walking through the halls; I remember all my professors, some of whom are still here.

My thesis project was a boutique hotel, and I absolutely loved it. It was always the kind of project I hoped I'd eventually get to work on in my career, and this year, we finally landed one.

More than 20 years later, I'm now working on a project that brings me right back to my thesis. I love the complexity of hotels. You're bringing together commercial spaces, restaurants and residential elements through the guest rooms. There are so many different pieces to consider, and that's what makes it so interesting to me.

Lessons beyond the classroom

What lessons have defined your career since graduating from MRU?

I've learned so many lessons along the way. I joke that maybe I should have gotten a business degree. I became an interior designer, and then I learned business.

When I opened my business in 2007, I was really young and had only been out of school for two years. Since then, so many of my defining moments have come from the mistakes I've made. I don't regret any of them because I've learned something from every single one. They've made me a better designer, a better human, a better friend and a better member of the community.

How would you say Mount Royal shaped you as a person?

I did two years at another university, and I didn't know what I really wanted to do at first. Interior design was, I think, the only epiphany I have ever had in my life.

It was really great to come here, get a fantastic education and then go out into the world knowing I still have a family here. The professors and the team still support me, so it really does feel like family. As someone who wasn't originally from Calgary, MRU gave me a sense of belonging and a place I could come home to and stay connected to.

Giving back to the next generation

You chose to establish the Amanda M. Hamilton Interior Design Travel Scholarship for students. What inspired you to give back?

For me, it's about asking: How do I go out into the world and help inform the design community? How do I support students? How do I create opportunities that maybe I didn't have myself?

I've learned so much through travel, experiencing different cultures and different approaches to design, and most importantly, stepping outside of my comfort zone. During one semester at Mount Royal, I studied abroad in Guadalajara. I learned a lot about life, friendship and myself.

I think that's really at the root of the scholarship. It's about providing students with that same kind of opportunity.

How does it feel knowing you've helped a student achieve a dream they've had for a long time?

It feels great. I think being in this industry, you celebrate things and then move on really quickly. I'm not sure I even totally understand how that has impacted somebody.

I don't know if it's so much about legacy. It's about saying, "I'm going to leave the community better than I found it."

From the classroom to the small screen

What are you most excited for viewers to see when the show premieres?

I've actually thought a lot about this. I was talking with Jacqui McFarland, who taught my very first design class at Mount Royal. She's still very involved in the design community and now works with me, which is a pretty amazing full-circle moment. She always jokes, "Would you ever have thought back in 2002, when I sat down with you, that you'd be signing my cheques one day?"

We were talking about how Love It or List It doesn't always feature designers who have formal education and training in the profession as co-hosts. That's what makes this opportunity so exciting to me. Viewers will be getting advice from an educated, experienced interior designer, and Amanda Hamilton Design will be doing all of the renovations.

I hope I can use this platform to elevate the profession and help people better understand the expertise that goes into interior design. Renovations are complex, and there's real value in having a trained professional guide you through that process.

Leaving a lasting impact

Hamilton has supported the next generation of designers through the Amanda M. Hamilton Interior Design Travel Scholarship since 2016 and regularly welcomes MRU interior design students into her studio for hands-on learning and mentorship.

As she prepares to bring her expertise to a national audience on Love It or List It West in 2027, Hamilton remains focused on the community that helped shape her. For her, success is not simply about what comes next, but what she can give back along the way.

"I hope that long-term, when I'm able to look back on my life, I know that I made the design community better, even just a little bit."

Read more about MRU's Interior Design alumni: Dining by Design