COLOURS AND SHAPES: confident interior design

As new interior design trends emerge our level of confidence wains and, periodically, we tend to follow new, strict, unwritten rules. As we absorb and come to better understand new influences, we appear to gain the necessary confidence to break some of those rules. Over the last few years British interior design has become familiar with oriental influences, retro design, simplified structural detailing, subtler use of colour and overall cleaner lines. This new "language" of design has now become so familiar that many designers are attempting slightly richer combinations.

While leafing through an old copy of Architectural Digest (Italy, Jan 2008) I came across a photograph which illustrates this approach. Interestingly however, the project belongs to a design firm based in Brescia (Angelo Brignolli and Antonio Feraboli of Studio Linea) whose background, judging by their online portfolio, is very different to that of their UK counterparts. Most of their projects appear routed in the history of Italian architecture and furniture design and executed in conpemporary style. In the bedroom shown above the predominance of clean lines and good proportions allow the designers to play with colour and softened shapes. Ethnic influences are interpreted, not slavishly obeyed. The resulting elegance in no way forfeits comfort or warmth: an interesting example of contemporary UK design from Italian designers! There are obviously many routes one can follow to competent design...

DOES MY BUM LOOK BIG IN THIS? What happens when a house asks you?

You've had your first meeting with the client. The house is nice, you could do something really special with it. The budget is there, at least potentially - you're only guessing at this stage, and you would really like to do the work. Edwina (you though she was a man when she signed the initial email "Ed") is telling you how much she looks forward to working with you and then, just as you are leaving, she drops the bombshell. "Is there anything in the house you think we should get rid of? Please do tell me if you think any of my furniture would not fit in with our plan...".
You go into automatic pilot and say that you need to think it all over: you'll get back to her. As you are driving home you have your first out of body experience. Yes! The tightness in your stomach, the cold sweat, surely these belong in another body. Maybe to a rabbit caught by the headlights of a speeding Range Rover or to an inexperienced young man whose first girlfriend asks for the second* time "does my bum look big in this"?
You've asked that same question yourself many times. This feels like nemesis: serves you right! Now what do you do?
You know perfectly well that 90% of the contents of Edwina's home have got to go. You know perfectly well that if they don't she is better off not hiring you as there is nothing you could possibly do to make the house look smart. BUT IS TELLING HER
a) right for her (she really did want to know... that's why she asked) but wrong for you (the whole job is riding on this answer and you must stop being your own worst enemy)?
b) right for her (she gets an honest and unbiased opinion) and right for you (you've given yourself a fair chance, an opportunity to do a good job: if she backs off because of your integrity it simply was not meant to be)?
c) wrong for her (she only wants to know truths within budget, her question was relative not absolute!) and wrong for you (being a good designer is not only about being creative but also about being professional: that also means giving clients what they want and not necessarily what you know to be best)?
d) wrong for her (she does not need to be pushed into questioning the last 20 years worth of taste and furnishing decisions) and right for you (the time has come for you to decide whether you are a contracts manager or a designer: if you are the latter then good design is the one thng if you cannot do without).

Seriously... Have you ever asked the question and did you want the honest answer? I'm referring to the houses's bum... not yours. We both know you asked that question and I think we know what you did NOT want to by answered.



* The first time Inexperienced Guy answered the question truthfully. No churning feeling preceeded his reply, just a week of no sex. This time he knows: the DMBLBIT question leads to unavoidable churning, whether higher or lower, minutes long or days long.