The lines have become blurred.  But that’s a good thing.

Tradhome

Looks evolve over time:   fashion does as well as home decor.  Otherwise, we’d still be sporting animal skins as clothing and living in caves.  The direction of traditional home decor has shifted in the last few years. Traditional has become less ‘fussy’ and more clean; less  strictly period ‘Queen Anne’  or ‘Louis French’ …and more relaxed.  The look  is more evolved or collected-looking and its more common to see modern mixed with traditional.  Hence, traditional is actually harder to define or describe.

It’s particularly tricky when we’re trying to figure out the prospective client’s preferences. The joke in the office is that clients always lie.  They say traditional;  they really mean contemporary.  They say modern; they really mean contemporary…   That’s why we always encourage clients to collect pictures of rooms they like.  As they say ‘pictures are worth 1000 words.’

traditional room injected with freshness

So what are the telling signs of the ‘new traditional’ look? For a very fresh perspective check out Traditional Home’s new on-line magazine: Tradhome.  I particularly love the video clip of Charlotte Moss and Jonathon Adler, two design stars.  They really describe this new look very well.  Charlotte, a traditionalist at heart, says tradition lends itself to redefinition; perhaps juxtaposing a Louis commode with a modern painting above it.

Modern accessories juxtaposed over a traditional sideboard

Jonathon, though more of a modernist, loves to use traditional floorplans as a foundation.  They both love to use a fresh modern fabric on an antique chair and Adler suggests using a fresh coat of paint, perhaps pure white, on an antique chair. Recently I’ve seen furniture manufacturers come out with brightly painted french commodes.  They look stunning: modern set in tradition.

Decorative Crafts

Another significant aspect of this ‘new’ look is the use of organic and natural materials both in fabrics and furniture.  Fellow designers just back from High Point report a huge trend towards this.  I first noticed this trend to almost raw furniture a couple years back with Restoration Hardware’s direction in their wood finishes.  Now, many manufacturers have their version of this.  I think its a backlash to this high tech world we live in.  People crave things that look natural and of the earth.

If silk was the fabric for the last decade, then linen is it for the next.  Whether 100% or blends or just polyester copies, every supplier has its version.  We’ve been seeing them for a couple of years in the high end market.  Now they are slowly trickling down everywhere.  Whether its a simple upholstery or plain linen side panels (a.k.a. curtains) linen has a relaxed elegance about it – kind of like Europeans in their linen clothes.  In the higher end of the market you find stunning embroideries on linen.  Some are hand sewn like Oscar de la Renta’s new fabric line for Lee Jofa.  Others are machine made, but both reminiscent of a time long ago when this was a true craft.

Oscar de la Renta for Lee Jofa

AND SPEAKING OF RELAXED ELEGANCE AND TRADITIONS BEING REINVENTED….just finished watching the royal wedding….what a wonderful example…..Kate and William

Evolving traditions….a good thing.

There’s no place like home.

Don’t you find that even after a great vacation it feels so good to turn on to your street and approach your house?  Whether you were on a wonderful European vacation or a short stay at a Caribbean resort, there’s nothing like opening up that front door.  That’s because it’s more than just a building, it’s your home.  And there’s no place like it.

It’s your place to cuddle or nap and your place to eat (even if youorder in); it’s your place to read, watch TV or surf the net;  it’s your place to have people over (some might call it entertaining); and it’s your safe haven that holds a lot of memories.

Like many of us, I’ll never forget September 11, 2001.  We were with our American associates at a mini conference by the Toronto airport.  Needless to say, the conference was cut short and off to ‘home’ we went.  Not only do I remember where I was that day, I’ll never forget how I felt and what I did.  I had this compelling feeling to tidy up our ‘nest’:  fluff pillows, fold throws, put away toys and cook a nice dinner.  Yes, CNN was on in the family room with minute-by-minute updates, but I was getting my safe haven ready for my family to come home to.

As I look back on that day, I realize that our job as interior decorators is actually not all fluff and frivolity.  The concept of ‘making’ a home has deep meaning.  Four walls and a roof is a house or apartment.  To make a house a home you need people (at lease one), and some comforts to cover our needs (basic for some, luxurious for others).  Furthermore, our dwellings reflect who we are to some degree (at least as much as our canvas tote or our Louis Vuitton bag and probably more) and they can influence our behaviours and emotions.  So to help someone make their house a home is a great privilege.  We can help them express themselves and help them make their home function better.

In this fast paced world that we find ourselves in, I believe that your home should be where true relaxation begins and all the comforts belong.  Aside from vacation time, we are in it 48-50 weeks a year.  When you walk in that front door, whether after a vacation or after a day at work, you want to be able to smile. 

An interior decorator’s job is to help you create that feeling.  The art of interior decoration can take hours /days/weeks or months to execute depending on the task at hand.  It is really an on-going project.    Sometimes you are working on a whole room;  sometimes just some accessories or sometimes major maintenance or renovation.  Having a decorator help you should ease the burden of making so many decisions.  The process should be an enjoyable one like planning a vacation or a wedding. Yes, it can get hectic.  And the fact that there are so many choices available can actually make it harder.  You may have an idea of what your needs are (furniture to sit on, window coverings for privacy…etc).  You just need someone to help you make the best choices.  You can hide a dress that doesn’t quite fit in the back of a closet, but it’s hard to hide a sofa that doesn’t fit the room properly.  A decorator should help you achieve the proper function and desired feel of the space you love.

So next time someone suggests that decorating your home is frivolous, ask them how much time they spend there.  I think it makes sense to give it some attention,  cause there’s no place like it.

Just ask Dorothy.

Stay tuned for our future post series on “What every home needs” according to Lumar Interiors.  We would love to hear from you.  What makes your home, where true relaxation begins and all the comforts belong?

After 21 years in the decorating business, why start a blog?

Malcolm Gladwell made famous the concept of needing 10,000 hours in a given field to be considered an expert. Well, I’ve done over 40,000 in interior decorating and combined with my business partner, Luisa, we’ve done over 80,000 hours. Not only have we been around the block a few times, we’ve hit many dead ends, and went down a few wrong alleys. We’ve learned a lot.

So, I thought we’d have a ton of ‘stuff’ to share: lessons learned, decorating tips, favourite decorator finds, funny stories about life in the decorating world, and perhaps a little design philosophy while we’re at it. (for the closet philosopher in me). Now that the kids are a little older (15, 18 and 22), they are not so receptive to my dinner time stories recounting my day (as I notice their eyes roll back…); so I need a new audience!

We’ve been blessed with meeting so many different people and visiting many places through our work. Truly, I know I’ve been exposed to more than I ever would have in my previous work. (Did I mention I came from an accounting background and Luisa from social work? Probably explains how we’ve made it this long in this business. But that’s a story for another time.) We’ve met all kinds, seen all kinds and been inspired by many.

Life is full of inspiration! The people, places and things that cross our paths in life touch us and help form us whether we’re aware of it or not. The many clients we’ve had over the years have inspired us to be better at both our work and our personal lives. We’ve learned to appreciate and embrace different styles, different cuisines, and different cultures. Like I constantly remind my kids, ‘what a dull place this world would be if everyone were like me’. (….funny, I never seem to get an argument from them on this point….hmmm) Our work has expanded our personal potential: what a great reward!

As a ‘younger’ lady I always loved to window shop and browse through mountains of magazines. I still have a few copies of Vogue and Glamour magazines from the early 80′s.
I have always loved to look at beautiful things, to spot emerging trends and, really, there has been no better education. So, when I discovered the world of blogs through Canadian House and Home Magazine a few months ago, specifically, the blog Habitually Chic (Ok, so I missed the boat on this trend by a few years), well….I quickly became addicted to a new love. I now follow a dozen different blogs which I will share with you. I hope to get your feedback. I would LOVE to hear about what YOU love!

So to answer the opening question:  we’ve got a few hours under out belt, a few stories to share, tips to give and hopefully, some inspiration to offer. Even if all it does is make you smile that day, then we feel it’s been worth it.

And truthfully, we always said we’d write a book one day about all our experiences and finally get rich….so maybe this is a start.