Alykhan Velji – 20 Compelling Calgarians

Faith drives superstar TV designer

Gina Teel – Calgary Herald – Friday, January 01, 2010

A lot has changed in Alykhan Velji’s life as a result of his rocket ride to fame as an interior design and TV star, his grounding in faith and family being the exception.

An Ismaili Muslim, Velji, 29, said faith and family remain the driving forces in his life.

“My faith is very important to me,” said Velji, who accompanies his family to worship every Friday, the Holy Day of his faith.

Velji said he tries to see his family as often as possible because “they are the ones that ground me.”

“When I’m at home, I’m at home. They don’t care about the TV show . . . it’s, ‘you’d better come to church on Friday.’ ”

The well-known interior designer’s career took off in 2003 after he placed in the final three on HGTV’s Designer Superstar Challenge.

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