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Decor should be full of surprises

 

When you sit in a room that's well designed, there should be small surprises all around, says veteran designer Sheila Evans.

 
 
 
 
In design, the worst thing that can happen is to put  together a fabulous scheme and find three or four fabrics that all  work together, and then when you go to order all these things that  are supposedly in stock, you find out that the main print that pulls  everything together is discontinued.
 
 

In design, the worst thing that can happen is to put together a fabulous scheme and find three or four fabrics that all work together, and then when you go to order all these things that are supposedly in stock, you find out that the main print that pulls everything together is discontinued.

Photograph by: Photos.com, Postmedia News

Sheila Evans is all about subtle design. The quiet references that tell a lot about the personality of her clients.

On this day we are in Karen and Rob Spillings' highrise condo where the British-born designer linked Karen's love of flowers with her husband's passion for Africa. It was the many subtle details that successfully wove together the two distinctive personalities inside a two-bedroom condo high above the Ottawa skyline.

She is eager to show off the curves in the dining room table and the subtle repeats in the nearby living room. It was Evans who ordered a customized rug to repeat the curves in the living room.

Elsewhere, artwork is placed -- winter scenes grouped on one wall to create a sense of peace and a bright garden scene given prominent display to add light to what could be a dark entry. She notes with obvious pleasure that the cracked gilt finish on the frame of an oversized mirror resembles -- in a very subtle way -- a leopard print and memories of travels to Africa.

Everything has been thought through. Evans has a good eye for detail.

How did you get started?

I took courses at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and then drafting and blueprint reading at the Nova Scotia Technical College. Afterwards, I set up a shop in Halifax called Sofa Studio. It was the first design showroom in Halifax and it did extremely well.

My husband was transferred to Ottawa, so we moved here. I started working for a company that did a lot of embassy work.

Then I discovered Manotick. I'm British-born, and the Rideau River at Manotick reminds me of the Thames. I set up a design shop in Manotick and was there for 12 years just as the town was expanding and Riverside South was being developed. Then we downsized to Crystal Bay. At that point, I found it convenient to work from home.

How would you define good design?

Your home is your sanctuary, and as a designer, I have to make the home reflect the personality of the people who occupy that space -- whether it's empowering or relaxing or a bit of Hollywood. I try to bring it together for them using the design rules of colour and co-ordination and scale.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I don't watch a lot of those design programs, but I do look at some very fine magazines. Architectural Digest is my favourite. The homes they feature are magnificent, and they feature the best designers in the world. The rooms are beautifully connected and the ambience and quality are maintained throughout. Colour and texture are used in an intelligent way.

With the TV series today, they go over the top and everything is screaming, 'Look at me! Look at me.' It's jarring! When you sit in a room that's well designed, there should be small surprises all around.

I visualize things after hearing what clients' desires are, what their dreams are -- to know what kind of furniture they would like, and what kind of accessories would accent their desires and their dreams.

Very often it's important to ask the client what they do for a job. If they spend their day working a cubicle, they probably want colour and life and excitement at home. But if they are teachers, and they are dealing with noise and children all day, they may want calm blues and greens and a feeling of oxygen in their space so they can clear their minds. Virtual oxygen is important. People need to feel they can breathe in a space.

I often look at rooms and admire rooms and hope that the designer has built that room around the desires of the client. In fact, I can often look at a room and understand the personality of the client. In a well-decorated room, you should be able to perceive the personality of the owners without meeting them.

Have you ever had a particularly difficult client?

It's easy to work with clients, but it's difficult to work with empty space. You can't divorce the people from the space.

What kind of design disasters have you had to face?

In design, I think the worst thing that can happen is to put together a fabulous scheme and find three or four fabrics that all work together, and then when you go to order all these things that are supposedly in stock, you find out that the main print that pulls everything together is discontinued.

So there you are: The main element of your design scheme is gone. And you have invested time selling the client on this scheme, telling them how this is going to change their life, and the client is 100 per cent behind you and now you have to find a substitute.

Substitution, to me, is the worst word in design. I have found myself in this situation many times -- to the point where I now have learned to say to clients, 'OK, so this is your favourite, but now we're going to put together a back-up scheme.' It's a lot of extra work, but it's a security blanket.

What's your favourite room at home and why?

My living room. I'm the daughter of a navy commander, and I've lived near the ocean for much of my life. But in Ottawa, I feel landlocked. So twice a year, I get that lemming-like urge to go to the ocean. I have to go to the ocean, to stay sane.

In the meantime, my living room is full of water and pictures of the ocean and fish and the sea. And that doesn't change except at Christmas.

Any advice about colour?

Colour is a very personal thing. I personally hate the combination of yellow and peach.

I use colour to establish ambience. So if you want the ambience to be reflective and peaceful, then the colours should reflect that.

And if you are going to the wow factor, there are colours that an add punch. But I don't have a favourite colour. Colour is based on ambience.

What shopping advice do you have for people?

Go with a list, go with a measuring tape, and go with a floor plan. If you are working with a patterned carpet, work from the floor up. Otherwise, work from the largest piece of furniture out.

Source

Sheila Evans Decors

25 Hexham Rd.

Ottawa K2H 5L3

613-829-6104

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In design, the worst thing that can happen is to put  together a fabulous scheme and find three or four fabrics that all  work together, and then when you go to order all these things that  are supposedly in stock, you find out that the main print that pulls  everything together is discontinued.
 

In design, the worst thing that can happen is to put together a fabulous scheme and find three or four fabrics that all work together, and then when you go to order all these things that are supposedly in stock, you find out that the main print that pulls everything together is discontinued.

Photograph by: Photos.com, Postmedia News

 
In design, the worst thing that can happen is to put  together a fabulous scheme and find three or four fabrics that all  work together, and then when you go to order all these things that  are supposedly in stock, you find out that the main print that pulls  everything together is discontinued.
Substitution is the worst word in design, says Sheila Evans.
 
 
 
 
 

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