America’s new interior design star may reside a few miles to the south, but she’s close enough for St. Joseph to stake a claim.

Fans voted Jennifer Bertrand of Olathe, Kan., the winner of HGTV’s reality show “Design Star” on Sunday night. Ms. Bertrand is the daughter of Terry Oldham, director of the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art in St. Joseph.

Ms. Bertrand edged co-finalist Matt Locke in a fan vote.

During the finale, the contestants talked about the fame the show brought them. Ms. Bertrand still remembers the first time a fan recognized her — in the toilet paper aisle. She’d better get used to the notoriety. As the winner, Ms. Bertrand gets to host her own design show that will premiere on HGTV in January.

The “Jennifer laugh” became a hot topic for fans as the episodes rolled on. On Sunday, the producers compiled a montage of Ms. Bertrand’s most comical moments from the past months and played them end-to-end. As the clip played on, Ms. Bertrand couldn’t help but add to the laugh track. “You either love it or you hate it,” she said.

This season of “Design Star” — the third, with a fourth already in the works — brought nine designers to Nashville, where they competed in various challenges throughout the summer. For the final challenge, Ms. Bertrand and Mr. Locke renovated homes for Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans.

The show brought Ms. Bertrand to tears on more than one occasion. The high of making the final two wiped the tears away. Upon hearing her name called as the winner, Ms. Bertrand’s face was filled with a smile and her hair with confetti. She did not have time for words after she heard the result, but summed up her experience on the show beforehand.

“We have made lifelong friends, so this is the best experience ever,” Ms. Bertrand said.

Ms. Bertrand currently runs Bertrand Design with her husband, Chris, in Olathe, Kan.

Voting for the winner began after the final challenge last Sunday and closed on Wednesday.

Business reporter Clinton Thomas can be reached at clintonthomas@npgco.com.