Identify your style.
I love helping people make confident decisions for their living spaces. Design choices that reflect your personal style while also feeling functional and inviting can be a daunting task. Leaning on key design principles will guide best choices—and avoid buyer’s disappointment.
It’s been a pleasure connecting with lovely clients who live just down the street on the Georgian Bay Club—working together to finish and furnish their beautiful, new, custom-built home. A stunning floor-to-ceiling view of the escarpment creates a very big “wow moment” experience from the front entrance. The view is what designers would call the “hero” in a room. To create a sense of visual hierarchy* within the space—elements of design needed to be selected and arranged to maximize sightlines, consider scale and orientation, and complement the natural hues of the landscape.
Interior design can be broadly categorized into several styles, each with its unique characteristics and appeal. When first engaging a client, identifying their design category can help with decision-making throughout the process as various options and combinations are explored within a given category, yet unique to individual taste and preferences.
The architectural style of my client’s home was somewhat established by the builder and best described as transitional, leaning toward mid-century modern. Elemental features were part of the build—exposed beams, glass railings, floating staircase, ceiling millwork, fireplace stonework, and custom built-ins—detailing that nuanced the style direction for furnishings, fixtures, and accessorizing—to achieve a cohesive connection between architectural structure and interior design.
As we continue to appoint each room, the flow from one space to the next has a pleasing sense of continuity that threads back to an initial understanding of category, vision, and lifestyle needs.
*Visual hierarchy is a fundamental design principle. It refers to the arrangement of elements within a design that makes certain components stand out more than others to guide the viewer's attention and create a cohesive, functional space. To effectively apply visual hierarchy in interior design, you begin by identifying the primary focal point of the room, such as a fireplace, a statement piece of furniture, or a spectacular view. Build around this element by selecting complementary colours, textures, and forms that support and enhance its prominence.
