I read an inspiring book review yesterday in Canadian House and Home's Mar/11 issue by Kimberley Brown. The book, Undecorate: The No-Rules Approach to Interior Design is written by Christian Lemieux, out in bookstores in March.
Her view of design is refreshing and new. It takes the stifling limitations that good design often places on our spaces, and frees us to express ourselves, to use creative, personal pieces in one's space.
Lemieux, states, "the arbiters of style have completely changed." She doesn't look to decorators for inspiration anymore. Instead, inspiring ideas come from real people. There are no more borders when witessing the democracy of design via the internet. Good design isn't about having access to exclusive showrooms in T.O, L.A. or New York.
A great space can be observed by how someone puts together simple, spare pieces, i.e. a chair, a couch and a carpet. The layering of texture, patterns and materials is very individual, and can't be mass-marketed.
Undecorating means that people are doing it themselves. They are being individual about it, adding ideas and features which are personal and beautiful to them. This, according to Lemieux, is all about being authentic.
In my business, I work with a lot of do-it-yourself-ers. These smart and informed people want to be hands-on as much as possible, but they often need a design professional such as myself, who has the expertise and training to pull a look together for them. The marriage of professional know-how with personal taste of clients is a winning combination.
