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At Home With A Designer An Interview with Tricia Foley |
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Here are more of Tricia's decorating ideas...
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Photo from the book |
Q. Most of us are always eager to know what is the "latest" color, design, and furnishings trend. Can you comment on what you see in trends and how homeowners might create interiors that are up-to-date but classic.
Tricia Foley: "Again, it's never made sense to me to create a Southwestern style home or a farmhouse look in a high rise apartment building in a city. My main objective is to design a space appropriately so it makes sense. Then everything seems to fall into place visually. A classic neutral color scheme creates a soothing backdrop for the life you lead in your home. Surround yourself with the things that have meaning to you. Although I've seen beautiful red living rooms and soft pink bedrooms that I've loved, I don't think I would want to live in them every day. A bunch of red tulips or bouquet of pale pink peonies in a neutral room does the trick for me!"
Q. Bookshelves are a wonderful place to display everything from collectibles and photographs to books and boxes. However, many homeowners find accessorizing a bookcase somewhat intimidating. Do you have any tips or advice for someone who would like to avoid the straight rows of books?
Tricia Foley: "I don't find anything wrong with rows of books in bookcases. If there are family photos or collections that need a place, I find that keeping them organized in groups makes more of a statement, instead of being scattered around on shelves."
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Photo from the book |
Q. What trends are you seeing in room decor for kids in colors, themes, furnishings, etc.?
Tricia Foley: "I see children's rooms as part of the home, not so much a separate world. I would design the space so that it visually belongs to the rest of the family spaces. It should also be a comfort zone for children and a place for them to express themselves with their own things -- there are lots of great storage units, armoires, bins, etc. that are perfect for kids rooms in grownup styles but scaled down sizes available from Pottery Barn for kids, for example Traditions and Mitchell Gold make smaller versions of armchairs from leather club chairs to slipcovered pretty cotton wing chairs that suit many styles."
Q. Some people are baffled about where to place color. If their favorite color is blue for example, they don't know if they should buy a blue sofa, paint the walls blue, or order blue carpeting. Can you comment on using our favorite colors and ways to incorporate them into home decor?
Tricia Foley: "I always recommend painting patches of color on the wall to try out living with them and looking at the true color at different times of the day...taping up big memo samples of fabric on walls or pinning to existing furniture and spending some time with these "tests" also helps even the professionals make up their minds! Putting together simple boards with all the swatches will give an overview if it's difficult to imagine it all together."
Designers In Residence
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