John Gidding
Encyclopedia
John Gidding is an American
architect
, television actor and former fashion model.
, Turkey
to an American father and a Turkish mother. He lived in Turkey until moving to the United States for college after attending Leysin American School
in Leysin
, Switzerland. He graduated from Yale University
in 1999 with a BA in architecture, then the Harvard Graduate School of Design
with a Masters in architecture. At Yale he sang a cappella
with The Yale Society of Orpheus and Bacchus, and choral music with the Yale Glee Club
, and at Harvard he sang with the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum
. He was voted one of "Yale's 50 Most Beautiful People" in 1999 by Rumpus Magazine
, one of "Boston's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors" by The Improper Bostonian
in 2002, one of "Atlanta's 50 Most Beautiful People" by Jezebel Magazine and as one of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles's "Emerging Talent: Twenty Under 40" in 2008.
Gidding started modeling
in 2000 as a graduate student, performing runway shows for Armani
, Gucci
, and Hugo Boss
before being represented by Wilhelmina Models
in New York City. Before entering the design profession, Gidding was the spokesmodel for Jhane Barnes in 2004 and 2005. He's also been on the covers of numerous romance novel
s.
Gidding moved to New York City where he started John Gidding Design, Inc. after working for two years as a landscape architect for Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
. He is openly gay.
Gidding's start in television was with the ABC Family
TV show Knock First
, where he and three other designers took turns making over
teenagers' bedrooms. Designed to Sell
, (Giddings' previous show from 2006 to 2011) was canceled in early 2011 but still airs repeats on HGTV, and Knock First is still running in syndication internationally.
He is currently best known for being the architect/designer on Curb Appeal
:The Block where his team spends $20,000 on improvements to the exterior landscaping of chosen homeowners. Less expensive touch ups are done for 2 or 3 nearby neighbors' homes to improve overall neighborhood property values.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, television actor and former fashion model.
Biography
Gidding was born in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
to an American father and a Turkish mother. He lived in Turkey until moving to the United States for college after attending Leysin American School
Leysin American School
Leysin American School is a co-educational independent boarding school focusing on university preparation for grades 8-12 . It is located in the alpine resort village of Leysin, Vaud, Switzerland, 90 minutes east of Geneva...
in Leysin
Leysin
Leysin is a municipality of the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Aigle.-History:Leysin is first mentioned around 1231-32 as Leissins. In 1352 it was mentioned as Leisins.-Geography:...
, Switzerland. He graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1999 with a BA in architecture, then the Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design is a graduate school at Harvard University offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning and Design.-History:...
with a Masters in architecture. At Yale he sang a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
with The Yale Society of Orpheus and Bacchus, and choral music with the Yale Glee Club
Yale Glee Club
The Yale Glee Club is a mixed chorus of men and women, consisting of students of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1861, it is the third oldest collegiate chorus in the United States after the Harvard Glee Club, founded in 1858, and the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club,...
, and at Harvard he sang with the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum
Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum
The Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum is a mixed chorus at Harvard University, composed of roughly 60 voices, drawing from both the undergraduate and graduate student populations...
. He was voted one of "Yale's 50 Most Beautiful People" in 1999 by Rumpus Magazine
Rumpus Magazine
Rumpus is a tabloid publication produced six times a year by students at Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut. Visually resembling the New York Post, Rumpus is a controversial, humorous publication with content ranging from campus gossip to investigative reporting.-History:Rumpus was first...
, one of "Boston's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors" by The Improper Bostonian
The Improper Bostonian
The Improper Bostonian is a glossy lifestyle guide for the city of Boston. The magazine comes out bi-weekly and reports on the area trends in a young and entertaining way.The magazine is a staple of the city, being free to people inside the city, and $14.95 a year for people who live outside Boston...
in 2002, one of "Atlanta's 50 Most Beautiful People" by Jezebel Magazine and as one of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles's "Emerging Talent: Twenty Under 40" in 2008.
Gidding started modeling
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
in 2000 as a graduate student, performing runway shows for Armani
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a...
, Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
, and Hugo Boss
Hugo Boss
Hugo Ferdinand Boss was the founder of clothing company Hugo Boss.-Early life:Boss was born in Metzingen, Germany. After completing his apprenticeship and one year of employment, he founded his own company in Metzingen in 1923.-Support of Nazism:Boss joined the Nazi Party in 1931, two years before...
before being represented by Wilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models
Wilhelmina Models is a modeling agency founded in 1967 by the model Wilhelmina Cooper and her husband Bruce Cooper in Manhattan Starting in 2010, Wilhelmina Models started a sub-brand called "Digital Empire Modeling" for new digital-era modeling talents....
in New York City. Before entering the design profession, Gidding was the spokesmodel for Jhane Barnes in 2004 and 2005. He's also been on the covers of numerous romance novel
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
s.
Gidding moved to New York City where he started John Gidding Design, Inc. after working for two years as a landscape architect for Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
Michael Van Valkenburgh
Michael R. Van Valkenburgh is an American landscape architect and educator. He has worked on a wide variety of projects in the United States, Canada, Korea, and France including public parks, college campuses, sculpture gardens, city courtyards, corporate landscapes, and private gardens-Early...
. He is openly gay.
Gidding's start in television was with the ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
TV show Knock First
Knock First
Knock First is a reality television series in which an adolescent is chosen for a total room makeover by the Knock First crew. The first series aired starting in the fall of 2003 on ABC Family....
, where he and three other designers took turns making over
Makeover
A makeover is a term applied to changing one's appearance, sometimes through cosmetics. Makeovers can range from something as simple as a new haircut, to the use of cosmetic surgery, to the extreme of the implantation of dental veneers, eye-color-changing contact lenses, and the use of...
teenagers' bedrooms. Designed to Sell
Designed to Sell
Designed to Sell is an HGTV American reality television show hosted by Clive Pearse, Shane Tallant, Michael Johnson, and Rachel Reenstra, and produced by Pie Town Productions and Edelman Productions . Each 30-minute episode focuses on the fixing up and renovation of a home that is about to go on...
, (Giddings' previous show from 2006 to 2011) was canceled in early 2011 but still airs repeats on HGTV, and Knock First is still running in syndication internationally.
He is currently best known for being the architect/designer on Curb Appeal
Curb Appeal
Curb Appeal is a half-hour TV series that has aired on HGTV in the United States from 2002 to the present, exploring how a house's outside "curb appeal" will be updated. Various hosts over the years , talk the viewer through the planned improvements...
:The Block where his team spends $20,000 on improvements to the exterior landscaping of chosen homeowners. Less expensive touch ups are done for 2 or 3 nearby neighbors' homes to improve overall neighborhood property values.