With the spectacular late summer weather we've enjoyed these past few weeks, it's hard to believe that fall is already here. Batten down the hatches - it's time to turn our attention to the inside of our homes and address those interior projects we put on the back burner last spring.
For me, the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday looms as a deadline for purchasing window coverings and furniture for our recently restored Queen Anne home. (Truth be told, the renovation was finished nearly a year ago, but I was too tired to hang anything other than paper shades from Home Depot. For a mere $2.98, and armed with a sharp utility knife, you, too, can cover your windows in about three minutes. But mark my words: on Thanksgiving Day, we will have actual working draperies, and a comfortable place for our guests to sit!)
Fortunately, my determination to see this project to an end aligns perfectly with the upcoming Seattle Interior Show, which returns for its second year at the Convention Center on Oct. 16-19. Plenty of inspiration to be had there, all under one roof. Sixteen designer showcase "Room Galleries," a "Marketplace Bazaar" with more than 150 interior design exhibitors and four days of design seminars conducted by industry experts await. (I'll be front row and center at the one titled: "Achieving the Perfect Window Covering"!)
Perhaps one of the most valuable features at the Show is called "Meet the Designer," the opportunity for a 20-minute personal consultation with an ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) registered designer. If you bring your floor plans, clippings, fabric and color swatches (and stand in line), you can pick the brain of a talented designer for free.
As participating ASID designer Tami Bozorgnia-Cline, principal and senior designer of the Queen Anne-based firm Interior Works (phone 285-6560) notes, "We can address the basic questions people have in 20 minutes, and get them going in the right direction. But this is a great chance for someone to meet us, review our work and determine if we might be of greater service to their entire project." Working with a designer is really about establishing a good personal relationship, and "Meet the Designer" gives someone interested in good interior design a chance to select someone they feel comfortable with. Bozorgnia-Cline and her senior design associate, Karen Skadan, will be available throughout the four-day event, along with many of their industry colleagues.
So what's new in interior design? What are the current trends, and how are people decorating their homes? I asked these questions of several design professionals who are all excellent resources here in Queen Anne and Magnolia.
Surprisingly, their input varied a great deal and overlapped some, but the one thing they agreed upon is that if there is a trend in home design, it is away from one. Now more than ever, people are practicing what Seattle Homes and Lifestyles Editor Fred Albert calls "fearless decorating." Do what makes you feel comfortable, and express your own design personality. There is no wrong, only what works for your lifestyle and incorporates your loved possessions.
We've been told time and again of the increased tendency for "nesting" and love of home and hearth since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Borzorgnia-Cline and Skadan see it stronger than ever with their clients, in addition to a desire to bring tradition and family history into the design scheme. "Often, people want to bring their collections out again, and see those family photographs," notes Skadan.
Although they are not "signature designers" ("We don't have 'one look'," says Borzorgnia-Cline; "we like it when you can walk in a room and not know who did the work"), and they incorporate furniture styles from contemporary to antique, their interiors most often reflect what they term "classic contemporary." This blends time-honored furniture styling and high-quality construction with updated treatments for windows, accessories and artwork.
"It's all in the details," noted Skadan. "We begin by looking at the 'bones' of a room, and respect the architecture and detailing of the home. We always observe the basic elements of good design, including balance, proportion, scale and light. But more and more, our clients are concerned with the fineness of detail we bring into a room - layering of interesting textures and patterns, trims."
They think about color and texture simultaneously. Often, inspiration comes from a piece of fabric, a lamp that has been in the family for generations or a beloved plate or vase. "We really listen carefully," comments Borzorgnia-Cline. "That is perhaps the key - valuing what the client brings to the picture, and incorporating their ideas and possessions in ways they may not have thought possible."
Patricia Simpson, of Queen Anne and Magnolia Paint and Interiors (2530 15th Ave. W., 283-0880), agrees. "We specialize in designing custom colors and find the hardest rooms to do are empty rooms - because there is no inspiration. Our colors may come from a piece of artwork for which a customer is trying to create a dramatic backdrop, or the thread in an heirloom carpet that will be the focal point of an interior space. We mix colors based on how the morning light hits a room or the mood the person wants to create in the evening. We're depending less on the fan decks available from paint manufacturers. Mixing color is intuitive and can be very subtle - but creates a dramatic difference in how an interior feels."
Trend-wise, Pat and her business partner Barb Simard agree, "People are all over the board!" Lately, customers seem to be interested in "cleaner-clearer" colors. In general, people are becoming "more daring" with the use of color, looking for drama and impact. The good news, of course, is it's only paint, and a fresh coat can totally change a room in hours. If you need expert color advice and inspiration, these women can get it done beautifully, and will do in-home consultations. They also specialize in wall coverings and have a wide range to choose from.
When it comes to window coverings, Carol Nagy, owner of Soft Coverings, (323 W. Galer St. on top of Queen Anne Hill, 286-7638), has figured out a formula after 24 years in business that gives customers three levels of fabric choice and price-point, all with a highly custom look.
Level One, Ready to Hang Curtains, offers "limited fabric options, but the ability to be hung immediately for a party tonight." The "limited options" are 18 different fabrics from mattlasse and linen to silk, with 12 different rod styles. Level Two, Ready To Order Curtains, offers twice as many silks and linens, "hundreds of rod styles from six suppliers," and a number of header styles. Lead time varies, but is far more cost-effective and faster than Level Three, completely custom work. Nagy and her staff are debuting the Ready to Order line at the Interiors Show.
The bottom line, the pros agree, is to establish your priorities and rely on someone who offers good options and advice, while listening to your opinions and vision. "Relax and enjoy the process," notes Nagy. "It doesn't all have to be done at once."
For details about the entire event, telephone 784-5545 or visit www.seattleinteriorshow.com.[[In-content Ad]]
