Designing a home takes time and money. Curating a home that goes beyond the grey on grey trend takes even more time and money, vision and patience.
All too often people opt for convenience and ease over quality and style which as a creative with a passion for luxury and ethics, I find so disheartening.
So, if you’re like me and you’ve been wondering why Vancouver interior design trends lean to the ‘grey on grey’ side of the scale, here’s why:
It’s’ FAST!
Trend design is driven by mass production. What’s ‘safe’ typically sells because often people are too afraid to make the ‘wrong’ choice. So what’s ‘safe’ is often what you will see in the big stores. Nothing like a showroom full of white on white or grey on grey to get your heart pumping. Unless of course you have dogs or have just spilled a coffee and then it can cause quite an adrenaline rush! Often people don’t make any bold decisions and default to what’s readily available. Most people don’t want to wait eight to twelve weeks for a custom sofa. They want it and they want it right now!
Fast design is like a fast haircut or a ready made suit. Don’t expect to love your outcome.
It’s EASY!
Let’s be honest, it does’’t take a genius to merchandise a store full of white and grey. That’s not to say that there aren’t beautiful shops with the ever so classic boho French chic look, but these stores tend to saturate the market. It’s easy to move vignettes and mix merchandise and have it all work together when inventory comes and goes and from a business perspective, it’s the safe way to order because people often default to ‘safe’ purchases. For the business owner, it’s safe and equally so for the customer. When there are only had a handful of shades of white and grey, it’s easy to make a choice and therefore easy to sell. “One ready-made grey sofa to go please”!
Easy design is basic. If' you’re not pushed outside of your comfort zone a little, you’re never going to achieve a luxurious custom feeling home.
It’s CHEAP(ER)!
I think my previous points nicely lead to my final point (although I could go on), that trend design is often ‘trendy’ because of cost the efficiency of it. When something is mass-produced and readily available, it’s much less expensive than it is to order a custom sofa, toss pillows or art. When it’s as simple as selecting what’s ‘in stock’, there are no premiums for all the customized options of fabric, tufting vs non-tufting, velvet vs leather, etc. “Make that two basic grey sofas to go.”
Fast & Basic = Cheap(er) and that’s not just limited to interior design.
You may have guessed by now that I have a natural aversion to fast, easy and cheap interior design but let me assure you, it doesn’t stop there.
I think designing a home should be like choosing a fine wine or a partner. In fact, designing a home plays a huge roll in curating the life that you want. If you want exceptional, don’t expect to be able to find it on every shelf at half pice. Expect exceptional design to be more difficult to achieve and to come with a higher price tag than ‘average’.
There are fine details you never imagined possible if you’re willing to wait and the quality can last a lifetime if you’re willing to spend the extra. There are more options out there if you are willing to not settle and I’m not just talking about the dating scene in Vancouver. My goodness, what does a girl have to do find that old school European quality? I don’t know about you but I’m so tired of a world full of “made in China’’ goods. If you’re willing to go the distance and look beyond the ‘typical’ pool of options, you can often find something that will set your heart on fire. After all, when it comes to velvets, leather, and food for that matter, no one does it better than the Europeans.
If I were in this industry to make a ton of money with the least amount of effort, trend-based designing would definitely be the way to go.
It would be easier to have my clients ‘‘trust my vision’’ because all I would have to do would be to take them to see the living room display at Restoration Hardware or The Cross. In fact, there are designers who do just that! Although I wouldn't really call them designers, we like to refer to them as ‘Debby Decorators’ but I’ll save the explanation for another post.
The point is, tend design is often basic and the question you have to ask yourself when you’re designing a home you love is: How basic are you?
Yes, I believe so very much in practicality, and by no means am I saying do a French Mohair on your sectional in hopes that the kids don’t destroy it. Although now that I’m thinking about it, Mohair is absolutely one of the most durable fabrics out there but my god, there’s nothing budget about it….
I digress. Admittedly, I will default to luxurious fabrics and finishes not because they’re the most expensive but because they are the best! So maybe I’m not the right designer for young families on a tight budget. Frankly, there’s nothing about working with people who have their hearts set on microfibre that gets me excited.
I’m interested in working with people who want more than basic. I’m interested in fabrics that will withstand the test of time. I want to create spaces that excited and inspire not rapidly date. I’m interested in quality, class, and elegance which is why I believe trend design will fail every time.
Curating a home tailored to you is the only way to ensure design longevity.
It’s like purchasing off the wrack vs having something custom-tailored just for you. When it comes time to purge your closet to make room for something new, I can assure you that it’s the off the wrack items that are the first to go; try as hard as you might, nothing ever fits like custom and that goes for interior design as well.
