HGTV Star, named HGTV Design Star for the first seven seasons, was an American reality competition show that premiered on July 23, 2006, on the cable television network HGTV. Clive Pearse served as host for Seasons 1-4, then judge Vern Yip served as host for Season 5, replacing Clive Pearse. HGTV'D host Tanika Ray served as host for Season 6 and Design Star Season 1 winner David Bromstad join the show as a mentor. Bromstad later return not only as mentor but as host, replacing Tanika Ray, for the remainder of the show including Design Star: All Stars, even though Tanika Ray announce as host for Season 7. Vern Yip (Deserving Design), Genevieve Gorder (Dear Genevieve), and Sabrina Soto (The High/Low Project) currently serve as the show's three judges. Candice Olson ("Divine Design", "Candice Tells All") served as a judge for seasons 4 and 5; starting with season 6, a third rotating judge was brought in to fill the spot left by Olson. Previous judges include Cynthia Rowley, a designer of fashion and home accessories; and Martha McCully, Executive Editor of InStyle magazine.

The contestants compete for their own design show on HGTV, which follows the format of The Next Food Network Star on sister channel Food Network. Each week, the judges decide whom to eliminate; and, in Seasons 1-4, Clive Pearse would tell the contestant(s) who had been eliminated, "Your show has been cancelled...please exit the studio."

Each week, the remaining contestants participate in an interior design challenge such as designing a living space with a specific purpose (bedroom, livingroom, garage) or creating a space in an empty room, using unconventional items from a pet store, mechanics store, or a discount store. The designers are given a specified amount of time and cash to create their designs, sometimes working alone and sometimes in teams.

The series was cancelled after eight seasons. On November 2, 2020, it was announced that a spin-off titled Design Star: Next Gen will premiere in 2021.