48
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AUTUMN
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EARLY WINTER
2015
Designing should be about the
peoplewho inhabit the space—
it should function for their
particular needs and
reflect their style.
Whilemakingavisit
toaTorontoBeaches home, thatwas ina stateof semi-demolishment, Iwas
asked to come upwith a colour palette –on the spot –while the trades (painters, floor refinishers etc.)
stoodwaiting for direction. Feelingmuch like theOracle in theMatrix, I asked the client if he collected
something, anything. Hewas apatronof thewater colour artist ToniOnley. Fifteenminutes after he
hadbrought out his favouritepaintingwehad thewall colour, the trimandcabinetrycoloursand the
floor stainchosen. Designing shouldbeabout thepeoplewho inhabit the space; it should function for
theirparticular needsand reflect their style.
Another family roomdesignbeganwitha tribalmaskcollection thathad takenseveralAfrican trips tocol-
lect.And soon Iamhoping tocurateaclient’spassion forbearsand theirdozensof soap
stone sculptures. Rather thanbeing scatteredaround thehomewilly-nilly I seeanumber
of themdisplayedona long, narrow, liveedgewood ledgeabovea sectional – softly lit
fromabove–adramatic focal point.Collectionspresent somuchbetterwhenkept together.
Oneof thebest seminars I’veattendedwas presentedbyKravet –oneof thepremier fabric houses in
theworld.Marianne Resman flew in fromManhattanwhere she is VP of product development for
Ralph Lauren. She spoke about how his stylistas scoured theglobe for the next bigbang, the back
bone for thenext trend. Itmight startwithapaisley shawl plucked fromaParisian fleamarket or a roll
of antiquewall paper fromCoventryGardens. It couldbea nativeblanket, apieceof Ikat fabric from
Bali,a teapot fromTibet–astartingpoint that sends the restof theirdesign teams trekking througharchives
or creatingnewuses forobjects suchasa simpleantler.
Did ImentionRalph isat the topofmy listofgreatdesign-
ers? His ability to take a formal piece of furniture and
cover itwithsomethingasbasicasdenim,making it func-
tional and casual, is brilliant. He is alsoamaster at dis-
playing collections of ‘things’ - including his own native
Indianblanketsat hisDoubleRL ranch inColorado. This
stockpilehasbeen translated into fabriccollections such
as ‘Corral Canyon’ so the rest of us can enjoy the geo-
metricsandcoloursof thisnativeart form -whichcan look
amazinglymodern.
Juxtaposing vintage andmodern or formal and casual
creates theeclecticbut canalsopersonalizeanenviron-
ment. The trick is toaddadashof one style toamajority
of another.
A homewith verymodern lines and organicmaterials
(readnatural stonesand lotsof stainedwood) feelscom-
fortablewith quilts hungon thewalls. Each of the quilts
we recently installedat aclient’shousehasa ‘travel’ story,ahistoryand inan instant theirnewhousebe-
cameahome full of goodmemories.
Are your travel photos still onmemory sticks? Why?Why not ona floating shelf, perhaps 4 inchdeep
with small lip to the front so you can lean picture frames of various sizes alongawall? By using ready
made frameswitheasy-to-openbacks youcan switchup thephotosatwill. Keep the frames toone style
andcolour inup to three sizesandwithmats. Iwill oftenbuyhighqualitypostcardsalong theway– the
photography isalwaysbetter thanmineand theyareeasily transported.
Buddha said ‘It isbetter to travelwell than toarrive’.But it isnice to re-visit the journeyonceyouarehome
again–and remember to ‘keep it together’.
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SharonAllan is an Interior Decor Specialist and owner of VanAllanDesigns, Collingwood.
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