If ever a house proved that art and budgets can happily coexist, it has to be Sandra Young's home on the outskirts of Calgary.
Against a soft blue-grey palette, paintings and sculptures create an ambience of warmth and imagination in this bungalow, with family at its heart and art... well, everywhere.
"This is sort of our playground," explains Young, a designer who owns Willow Studio in Calgary. "We're very experimental here -- we have to practise so we know what will work."
We're sitting in the open-concept living area, where a compact kitchen acts as a cornerstone for a larger vaulted space separated into conversation and dining areas. The wall colour creates a sophisticated but surprisingly warm background, set off by trim and mouldings painted a deeper grey.
"I was thinking about a classic men's suit when I decorated this," Young says, adding that this is the second makeover since the family moved in eight years ago. Largely unfinished when they found the property, it took on warm, southern hues the first time around -- the current look is Young's solution for cooling things down without sacrificing the warmth and comfort that a family home needs.
"I go for things that stand the test of time and can be crisped up or freshened up with different elements," she notes.
"Think of a tailored suit that you can have for many years -- you can complement it with the perfect necktie and shirt that will give it seasonal variety," Young says.
A blond bamboo floor and white ceilings help to capture the prairie light streaming in through the windows and reflecting off the jewel-toned glass mosaic tiles that line both the fireplace surround and the kitchen backsplash. A stunning chandelier cascades from the ceiling above the dining table, while beaded track lighting highlights the rest of the space. It's the lighting that provides insight into Young's approach to design.
"We were on a tight budget and we had so many light fixtures to replace," she recalls. "We made our own light fixtures out of simple, cheap lighting kits that we added our own copper tubing and glass beads to. We've since started replacing them with some of the things we've brought in for the store... it's an evolving process. When you're working with limited materials and you don't feel it's OK to spend excessively, it brings out more creativity."
She suggests not buying everything you need for a space all at once, instead letting the design grow naturally. "I think building on what you have is more interesting than starting over," she says. "I'm fundamentally not a wasteful person."
Her budget concerns extend even to art, which she calls her biggest passion.
"Most of these paintings have significance for me, because they're from my design travels when I'm researching or studying, or they're artists that I've met -- and the occasional garage sale find," she says.
She's a big fan of supporting local artists, including Alberta College of Art Design students. In addition, her husband, Todd Young, is a metal sculptor who works with materials such as recycled steel.
Creating vignettes, or mini-displays that group several pieces together to tell a story, is a favourite trick, learned during her days in display design (think store windows). Young also likes to hang pictures in unexpected places or to pair them in vignettes with sculptures or even lamps.
Young emphasizes that whether your passion is art, antiques, fabrics or anything else, taking your time when renovating or decorating can pay dividends.
"It's a design and lifestyle journey," she says. "It's enjoying each aspect of it at the same time as envisioning the future and your ultimate home, whatever that might be."
For more information, see willowstudio.ca.
-- Canwest News Service
Budget-friendly, impact-creating tips
When you move into a place with stipple or popcorn ceilings, consider immediately (as in, before decorating or moving in furniture) scraping it down -- it's a chore, but it adds a more sophisticated touch to your space (and it's even more of a chore if you leave it until after your possessions arrive: that dust goes everywhere).
Paint-grade trim is cheaper than finished woods, and you don't have to worry about whether the different woods in the room complement each other.
Replacing kitchen cabinet doors saves plenty of money over replacing the cabinets themselves.
Move drapes around within the house: Handle different window sizes by using extra panels or borders, or by cutting the drapes down to size.
Create your own art by selecting favourite photographs, blowing them up in size and either framing them or transferring them to fabric to create soft accents such as pillows or wall hangings.
Reupholster dining chairs instead of replacing them.
Don't be afraid to mix old (such as an antique piano desk) with new (a modern chair) to bring your decor into the contemporary.
Work with a designer who understands what you want to achieve: he can help you pick out the decor elements that are working for you (and those that aren't), and help you use your items in the most up-to-date way.
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