A funny thing happened on the way to becoming a designer.
I presented this week to one of my favorite clients – favorite for lots of reasons, among them their trust in the design process and me and their patience with both.
Their project is sizable – it is a massive renovation the bulk of which is almost complete. We are now inching away from the architecture, the structure, the fixtures and the finishes and are getting our hands dirty with the furnishing details – rugs, furniture, fabric.
There was so much to consider in this project. Personal tastes and preferences aside, there were several acquired pieces, each affectionately catalogued that would be making the transition into the new space. This is always helpful – to be very clear from the onset with who ever you are working with what exactly has to be considered and included in the new design. The challenge lay in taking pieces from varied design periods and materials that conflicted with one another and making them part of a new whole. It was finding a way to tie everything neatly that provided my biggest hurdle.
My layout and design carefully considered each piece along with their desire to deliver a mild mid-century edge which served as a bridge between the more traditional heirloom pieces they had collected and some of the more modern elements they love. The living, dining and den space is open so the colour scheme was controlled playing off the cement and slate tones in the Jan Kath rugs with pops of varied shades of rich plum and aubergine (purple – I like making colour sound delicious) as accents.
The result – a ‘too designed’ interior. In my effort to marry the eclecticism of their collected pieces with some newer soft seating and accessories, it all became a bit controlled and contrived. The client was really gracious in their delivery of this judgment on my work – gentle and careful. Measured. And I wish I didn’t understand this and could defend my choices but the truth is it was too thoughtful and too styled.
Sigh.
So important to dial back a bit, edit and allow for a less perfect space. It just needs to be less done in order to look like a balanced design. Insert head scratch here.
How? Allow for the unexpected.
The well-designed interior strikes a fine balance. It marries function with a pleasing esthetic, practicality of purpose while being easy on the eyes. Neither should be compromised. But you would be amazed at what can work together. Trust that. Get your big musts in place – your antiques and favorite pieces, old and new – and then start to fold in elements that can bring your room together. Rugs are fantastic foundation pieces – and can completely transform a room. Lighting can be equally transformative. And fabric – toss cushions and drapery are like punctuation – necessary and expressive.
And it is always better to add than subtract. I get wanting it done but there is a risk that the space will feel too controlled. It just doesn’t’ allow for the accident and it doesn’t leave room for the find.
I am pleased to note I am ever closer to completing this renovation project and I equally pleased to report amazing things happen when you try a little less.
So that funny thing that happened on the way to being a designer? That you kinda wanna-not.