Christopher Knight of 'Brady Bunch' fame talks home style in Minneapolis

When Christopher Knight takes the main stage at the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show, he'll be totally at home. That's not just because he's used to the limelight. Knight, who gained fame as Peter Brady on "The Brady Bunch," has some serious design chops.

You could say he grew up in the business. His father was an architect, his mother an artist, and his grandfather worked in the textiles industry. When he was 25, he bought a fixer-upper in the suburbs of Los Angeles and spent a summer remodeling it.

"It was an 1,800-square-foot tract that was rundown and overgrown with weeds," he said. "It needed to be cleaned up."

Knight, now 65, starred in "A Very Brady Renovation," the limited series that became HGTV's most popular show ever.

In the 2019 series, Knight joined his screen siblings at the ranch-style Studio City home shown in the exterior shots for the sitcom, which aired from 1969 to 1974. For the series, the actors join forces to renovate the home to resemble the show's set.

Seven years before that, he founded Christopher Knight Home, a furniture, decor and accessories collection available at major retailers including Target and Amazon.

"Where I come from, in respect to home design, is how to make it more affordable," he said. "That's the driving force."

When furnishing his Southern California home, Knight considers himself something of a minimalist.

"I take into account the style of the home but more so it's about practicality," he said.

But, like most homeowners, he has his challenges.

"I've bought new pieces of furniture that my two cats have shredded into pieces," he said. "How do I furnish taking them into account? This is a conundrum that no one has completely been able to solve yet. They're in my life. They're an important ingredient in my household. And we also have a puppy now that we got last year."

Despite the fact that the child star has gone on to become a multifaceted entrepreneur (he also has a tech company), he knows he'll get asked about his "Brady Bunch" past whenever he appears in public. It's something he's learned to take in stride.

Since the HGTV show aired, "the question I'm getting the most is whether we are friends in real life," Knight said. "We're all very different, but we've lived in each other's lives for 53 years and we've shared this unique experience. So, yes, we're all friends. It makes me smile that this is the No. 1 question."

He also gets asked if he likes pork chops and applesauce, a reference to the episode in which Peter Brady impersonates Humphrey Bogart.

"I like pork chops," he said. But to pair it with applesauce? "I'm not a big fan," he admits. "If I'm gonna have pork chops, I don't want that sweet and sour with it."

Minneapolis Home + Garden Show

What: Featuring hundreds of exhibits and stage appearances by national and local experts.

In addition to Christopher Knight (3 p.m. March 4; 1 p.m. March 5), twin sisters Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb of HGTV's "Unsellable Houses" (4 p.m. March 3; 11 a.m. March 4) will take the stage. Local celebrities include Stephanie Hansen, cookbook author and co-host of the "Weekly Dish" on myTalk107.1.

Other highlights include shed, cabin and landscape design displays. An annual plant sale will be held starting at 5 p.m. on the final day of the show.

When: Noon to 8 p.m. March 1 and 2; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 3 and 4; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 5.

Where: Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 2nd Av. S.

Tickets: General admission $12 online, $14 at the door; $4 ages 6-12, ages 5 and under free. $5 admission after 5 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the box office.

More info: homeandgardenshow.com