During drearier months, let’s dare to express ourselves in the company of colourful, printed and patterned décor. Beyond immediately calling attention to its eccentricity, three experts agree that eye-catching interior design brings deeper feelings to the surface. In Vancouver, bold design makes Details by Mr. K owner Andrew Karrasch feel “alive” and Otto Studio co-founder Jen Cook “joyful”; in Toronto, multi-disciplinary designer, creative director and artist Tiffany Pratt describes the sensation as “magical”. While we know striking design is a mood-lifter during drab days, speaking with these three design pros shed even more light on its subconscious effects.
According to the creatives, placing daring pieces in a room revives our creative spirits. “It’s a pop of energy and playfulness that can be grounding in its own way,” says Cook, whose premium peel-and-stick wallpaper brightens spaces everywhere. This grounding, adds Pratt, best comes from surrounding ourselves with the colours and prints we’re instinctively drawn to, as they will invoke joyful feelings “on a day-to-day basis.” The philosophy holds true with Karrasch, too, who says, “Nothing makes me happier than a colourful piece of artwork, a sofa full of statement pillows or a rug with personality.”
We seek these pieces out, he adds, by feeling what the heart is naturally drawn to and then surrounding ourselves with those things. Self-expressive design, Karrasch continues, comes from meditating on the pieces that authentically resonate; to that end, he advises we “take time to select quality pieces that reflect our personality and values.” Pratt finds sparks-of-her-heart everywhere, from a “fabric store or supermarket, to a crowded street or flower shop.”
As the heart changes over time, so can our interior design. “We don’t have to commit to doing an entire room in a maximalist style,” promises Cook. She offers low-commitment ways to bring colour into a space, like adding easy-to-remove wallpaper to “closets, drawer fronts [or even] the face of a kitchen island.” She says that infusing creative and unexpected pops of design in the home is an act of self-care, like a secret we hold with ourselves or a hidden surprise.
To this end, our vibrancy ambassadors encourage us to spend the entire dreary season with colourful, printed and patterned pieces, and see how it impacts other parts of our lives. Lively design keeps us company in the season of staying in, opening our minds to a fuller life of self-expression and creativity. From a personality rug from Details by Mr. K to handcrafted wallpaper by Tiffany Pratt or Otto Studio, such pieces can encourage us to play a cherished record or re-read our favourite novel. Start by feeling inspiration from the standout pieces in the gallery above, from and by our three design gurus. —Julia Dumbrell
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