Often when designing the rooms in our own homes, we are unsure how we can achieve the effects we see on glossy magazine pages — or on home reno TV shows. It can be a challenge, to say the least. So we sat down with three of the most talented interior designers out there — Debbie Travis, Candice Olson and Sarah Richardson — and asked them to tell us about their favourite projects to date.
Our trio of designers talked to us about inspiration, functionality and design challenges. And each interviewee focused on something slightly different and used the smallest of details to create the most dramatic effects. Be it colour, lighting or fabric choices, you need a space that is comfortable and livable, something that accommodates your needs but also achieves a balanced design aesthetic. Although much comes down to personal taste, it is always fun to get out of your comfort zone. You never know what might work until you try.
From left: Debbie Travis’s pistachio-hued bedroom banishes the blahs; Candice Olson adds modern touches to a classic kitchen; Sarah Richardson returns to basics with primary colours in this factory-turned-loft
Debbie Travis finds inspiration for a GTA home abroad
Debbie Travis designed this funky bedroom (pictured in the top right corner) for CBC’s All Four One in the fall. Inspired by the Firmdale group of hotels in London and New York, Travis focused on a mixture of fabric and colours and using it to drive the design of the room.
The oversized headboard, an obvious focal point, also serves as a piece of art. “It makes it grand, it makes it important, it makes it comfortable,” says Travis. The walls can be used to impact the sense of space. “One of the things people often have a problem with in small rooms is how to make them less boxy,” says Travis. “The way to do that is chop up the walls a bit.” The white wall behind the headboard is paintable embossed wall covering, which makes the room appear to extend further than it does, while a dark wall would have closed off the room. The pistachio accent walls add cheerfulness and a pop of colour, but to do this on all walls would have made it overwhelming. Mouldings serve to cover inconsistencies, finish the room and make it easier to paint. The chestnut flooring grounds the space, without making it appear too dark.
Although there is a great deal of detail incorporated, the overall effect is subtle. Travis has managed to juxtapose different patterns and fabrics that don’t match but hold together seamlessly and elegantly. This is a shift from earlier design sensibility: “In the ’80s and ’90s everyone was matching,” she says. “Modern today isn’t necessarily just sleek smooth furniture. Modern today is mixing stuff.” The principles for putting together patterns: “As opposite as you possibly can,” says Travis. Two different stripes would have clashed — but to complement the red undertones in the stripes with pistachio green walls works. Words of advice from Travis? Use hotels as your inspiration for new trends and design elements.
Candice Olson balances classic elements and modern touches
The aim with this mid-century modern house (pictured centre right) was twofold. “In that era, the idea of cooking and the preparation of meals was a solo experience,” says designer Candice Olson of W Network’s Candice Tells All (8 p.m. EST, Thursdays). “This kitchen was no different. It was completely separate from any of the other spaces.” They wanted to create a more open concept communal design but maintain the vintage of the home.
This was easier said than done. “When you open up your kitchen to the world, you open up all the sins that happen in a kitchen,” says Olson, who planted what she refers to as visual bunkers, including an 11- to 12-foot-long kitchen island. This way the “shrapnel” of meal preparation is hidden from view.
Olson positioned lighting to bring out the wood tones in the cabinetry and avoid having them appear too dark or flat. Feature lighting, such as the pendants that drop down over the island, create intimacy (and in this case a certain rhythm). The artichoke light fixture above the dining room is also a nice focal point. “I think people underestimate the power of lighting across the board,” says Olson, who feels that this could make or break the design of a room.
Lifestyle and usage are key factors in making design choices. This family entertained heavily for both business and personal reasons, so they needed the sleek elegant open concept format, coupled with storage for all the paraphernalia and room for the original appliances. “Modern kitchens are a whole lot harder to design because there is this element of precision,” says Olson. Crooked ceilings and flaws are much harder to hide, and clutter must be kept to a minimum. A custom panel wine fridge, dishwasher and the fridge are all integrated seamlessly into the kitchen and, along with careful storage planning, give the space subtlety but also accommodate how they use the room.
Sarah Richardson puts the country back into city living
Sarah Richardson designed this baseball- factory-turned-loft for her new TV series Sarah 101 (9 p.m. EST, Tuesdays, HGTV Canada). Richardson notes that designing a space for a single guy is a challenge because you want something that’s cool but not too masculine (as it could evolve into a space shared by two people). “I think the common challenge for guys decorating is if a girl enters the picture and everything he did before ends up going out the door,” says Richardson. The trick is to balance the various elements in the room (pictured below right): masculine and feminine, traditional and contemporary, light and dark, and hard and soft. The floral dragon Schumacher fabric on the head and foot of the bed balances the distressed leather side rails. Rugs and window coverings add softness to offset the grittiness of concrete flooring and sandblasted beams. “It’s a line that can be difficult to tread for a novice,” she says, “but when you can bring it together, it’s what ends up creating interest in the room.”
Richardson quotes William Morris’s approach to functionality: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” The Persian rug adds softness and aesthetic appeal yet has to be a certain size so your feet land on it — instead of the bare floor. The blue vintage stools add character but serve as surface areas for bags or clothes. The side tables have personality, but need to have enough space to store water, books and other common nightstand items.
As a self-proclaimed lover of colour, Richardson always starts with the fabric. “I allow a room to grow out of that,” she says of the patterns she picks. Colour can drive the energy in a space, and her one piece of counsel for clients is not to be afraid of it. The most important thing, of course, is to have fun with the design.