So Many Questions: 'Design Star' says pulled-together rooms are accessible to all
Imagine designing an entire room from top to bottom. Now, imagine having to do it in two to three days, with a panel of judges ready to critique your every move and send you packing if they are less than impressed. Oh, and don't forget about the millions of people watching at home, either.
Welcome to the life of newly crowned HGTV Design Star Tiffany Brooks, who proved she had the vision to beat out nine other contestants suring the eighth season of the popular design competition. With a background in real estate and model-home staging, the self-taught contestant managed to hold her own during each episode, coolly approaching challenge after challenge without ever looking as though she was breaking a sweat. Her initial goal undoubtedly lent itself well to the high-pressure environment she dove into: Just don't get sent home first. After she survived the first round of elimination, it was game on.
As a designer, she's got a knack for making sure her clients don't paint themselves into a corner, regardless of what style they are insisting they have. Whether they're seeking a vintage, modern, mid-century or Victorian vibe, it's more about finding a common thread than going for the matchy-matchy. Do that, she says, and you'll find yourself holding the key to a room that looks collected without being contrived.
Question: We've got a million sources of inspiration at our fingertips. How can someone weed through all of the options to figure out what their personal style is?
Answer: I really, really can't even tell you what my personal style is. It's crazy. But when I see something that I love, I try to hone in on exactly what I love about the room or the outfit or the particular photo that I'm looking at at the time. For example, it could be a color scheme or a different shape or something like that. What people should do is start a clipping file of pictures that move them and write little Post-it notes on each photo about what moves them and why they actually love the photo. And by that time, if it's the shape, the color scheme, that particular chair — they put all those things they love together, and they, eventually, will have a room scheme. So many people say, “OK, I am contemporary.” After you put yourself into one box, you will definitely flatline. Why not have contemporary pieces with traditional mixed with a little mid-century modern? If you keep a certain common link, like a color, or a grouping together, your room will look amazing.
Q: As a designer, how hard is it keeping your personal tastes out of the equation in order to create a space that truly reflects the personality of its owner?
A: Well, what I do as a designer is I write up a little brief synopsis of my client. For example, I sit down with them during our initial consultation, which lasts two to three hours. I sit down with the homeowner and go down a list of visual cues about what they want their room to feel like, and I start pulling pictures that sound like what they're asking for. And they tell me, “Oh, I love this about that room, I hate this about that room, I don't want this, I don't like that pattern. …” and then we come up with a narration of how we want this room to feel and move and flow throughout.
Q: Interior design seems like something that was very unattainable for many, even 10 years ago. Yet, now, the opposite is true. What happened?
A: The Internet happened. You have sites like Overstock.com and a good one is Bellacor.com which is selling trade-only pieces to the masses. And you have other websites like Pinterest that sell visual cues of everything. I mean you really, on the Internet, have access to thousands of magazines and thousands of looks and thousands of ideas at your fingertips within a matter of moments. So, when people are able to piece all that stuff together and do some investigating as to where this designer sourced (these) pieces from, then guess what? It's now accessible.
Q: On “HGTV Design Star,” you were a pretty cool customer throughout each episode. It didn't seem like much could flap you.
A: That's my M.O. I went there with one goal, and that one goal was not to get sent home first. Once it wasn't me, the walls came down. I was no longer nervous. I was like, “OK, now I'm just here to have a good time.” It's crazy — I never once thought that I could even win. ... I just never fathomed it. I just never dreamt it like, “Oh my gosh, you have to win, you have to win.” I think that's what screws up so many people, and the nerves came in and, then, they realized what they were doing and what was at stake for them. I didn't realize that until the finale. That's when it kicked in.
Q: On some of these challenges, you're only given two or three days to pull an entire room together. How in the world do you keep creative block at bay?
A: A lot of them were team challenges, so you would bounce ideas off of each other until you came up with one complete concept. And sometimes you were just at the mercy of whatever the retailer had in stock at the time in order to start off with something. What you did not ever want to do was leave the store empty-handed, especially on Day One. And that was my plan the whole time: You see what's out there, and, then, you conceptualize around it.
Q: For people who live in smaller cities, where are some unconventional places to look for great design?
A: Pay attention to your thrift stores and your flea markets that are open on the weekends. Every place has one. Sometimes, those are our destinations — the smaller towns which are off the beaten path. You will almost always walk away with a treasure trove of interesting finds, including chairs, some ottomans, you know, maybe some old pictures, which will just set off enough spark to make your room sparkle.
Kate Benz is the social columnist for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at kbenz@tribweb.com or 412-380-8515.
