Archives for July 2011

IS IT ALL FOR SHOW?

July 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A Designer Show House is often part fantasy and part reality.  Designers typically pull out all the stops for the homeowner – a person who exists  only in our imagination. 

That’s precisely why taking part in a Designer Show House can be a wonderfully creative endeavor, as well as a marvelous way for the public to gather fresh ideas for their own homes.

Some years ago, I participated in a local American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Show House, featuring the historic Moore Mansion on Seattle’s Capital Hill.

This project was a classic example of how an interior design concept might evolve, and how designers come up with their inspiration.

The home, built in 1901by James Moore, was located, in a tree-lined street close to Volunteer Park, home of the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM).

As it happened, I was assigned the Master Bedroom of this stately old house. It was a large, attractive room with generous proportions. However, it was dominated by a bold, geometrically patterned carpet in shades of chocolate brown and white.

It was the kind of pattern that makes your vision go blurry after a minute or two of looking at it. However, the owner of the house had made it clear that replacing the carpet with something a bit more subtle was not an option.

What do designers do in such a situation?

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SETTING THE STAGE

July 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

“All the world’s a stage”.  Shakespeare

 

Designing an interior is a lot like creating a stage set.  

A few weeks ago, I attended Pacific Northwest Ballet’s rendition of ‘Giselle’ – a truly lovely and engaging performance.

While gazing at the pastoral stage setting – meant to evoke a hot, summer’s day – I was struck by the similarities between stage designs versus home design.

The one is theatrical, strictly for show with the sole purpose of telling a story – with all its nuances and drama.

Yet our homes also tell a story.

The story our homes tell is about the people who live there. These stories may not be as exciting or dramatic as theatre, yet there is still drama – just drama on another level.

With this in mind, let’s explore how our room settings can be a little like a stage set – the only real difference being they house REAL people, not characters in a play.

 

Scene 1:  Your Inner Stylist

When the curtain rises at the theatre, we are instantly clued in to the story that is about to unfold.

This is achieved through a number of devices, but the first thing we usually notice is the stage set, which – when truly successful – elicits a delighted gasp from the audience.

The setting for ‘Giselle’ was clearly traditional. I felt as if I’d been transported back to the 18th century, landing in a pastoral scene straight out of a rococo painting.

Everything – from the set design, costumes and music – reinforced the traditional mood of the ballet.

(Another performance might have resembled a gentleman’s study, with a multitude of books lining the shelves, a sturdy desk front and center, and perhaps a mini bar off to the side – well-stocked to accommodate any guests that might stop by – tthe message conveyed here is one of ease and comfort, in true gentlemanly fashion).

Sometimes there are no props whatsoever – just the dancers and the stage. But as with the ballet, our homes invariably reflect the style that we are most drawn to – whether traditional, modern or somewhere in-between.

 

Scene 2:  Engaging Your Senses

This is where the Magic happens.

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