DREAM SPACE STARTS WITH COMFY COUCH
Interior design expert Victoria Hagan shares her secrets to creating a sanctuary in your home, textiles and finding the right white paint
New York designer and author Victoria Hagan has created homes all over the world. Her interiors are known for mixing modern and classic. Hagan has just released a new book, Victoria Hagan: Dream Spaces (Rizzoli, $75) that features a home in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, a family place near Palm Beach, Fla., a New York penthouse, as well as other projects. She also designs furniture, fabric and rugs.
Q I read in design a recent these list of days directions that mentioned their bedrooms that to people be cosy wanted sanctuaries. achieve this without What are getting ways to too fussy?
A Lighting is very important. I typically like lamps that have shades to soften the light. And never overlook your bedding. Make sure it’s something you’re happy with. And lots of soft pillows and throws. Q What are your must-haves in any interior design?
A A comfortable sofa, a comfortable chair and a great reading light. The rest is easy.
Q Your modern interiors all look fresh and crisp. Would you share some of your favourite white paints with us?
A Benjamin Moore Simply White is the colour in my home — it’s crisp, but slightly warm. Benjamin Moore Mountain Peak White is the white I chose for the New York pied-a-terre in my book; it’s even warmer. But please remember to always make a sample — finishes always turn out a differently.
Q I keep reading white kitchens are on their way out. Any ideas for a modern and fresh update?
A I don’t tend to go with trends, but we’ve done some soft greyblue kitchens, as well as soft sage. I tend to use lighter finishes in smaller spaces, but that’s just me. If you like a white kitchen, but want to add some interest, you could try changing the colour of the island or the base cabinets and get the best of both worlds.
Q I would love to mix some more interesting, textured fabrics and textiles into my bedroom. What are good sources for those?
A Adding different pillows and a throw can add texture and interest to any space, including the bedroom.
Q Do you like using wallpaper these days? What rooms are you likely to use it in? Do you think it’s modern?
A I use wallpaper in powder rooms and bedrooms most frequently. And absolutely. Sometimes we use a couple of different papers in one room to accent one wall from the other.
Q My daughter and son-inlaw just bought their first house, which is, shall we say, full of potential. All the walls and floors need to be cleaned, repaired, refinished and/or painted and the possibilities are overwhelming. How can they come up with a plan for what to do to a blank slate? They’re still in the studentloan-payoff stage, so they don’t yet own any signature piece around which to build a design.
A I’ve done a lot of Ikea shopping. I think you can find great quality at a good price point and it’s important to buy things that you love. It sounds crazy, but I still own all of the pieces from my first apartment — I just move them around. That being said, a good sofa is always a good starting point.
Q What is the most unique design that you’ve worked on?
A To me, creativity is about not escaping problems, but solving them. I always love a good challenge and sometimes when a home or space is not working architecturally, you need to go back, review and get the bones right. That’s when really unique projects come about — when you have a team of professionals all working their hardest to solve problems creatively. Q Where do you see your brand moving in the future?
A My work is about lifestyles that are constantly evolving and changing. When I see a need for something in the marketplace, I like to design a piece that I can’t find. I always say my day job is like working with a focus group — I listen and try to solve the problems. Comfort and scale are always so important to my work, it’s amazing what adjusting a dimension by an inch can do.
Q I am trying to find a reclining sofa that will fit well in my modest family room. Most I’ve seen are overpoweringly large. The room is 12 by 18 feet (3.7 by 5.5 metres), but the space available for furniture is really only 12 by 12 feet (3.7 by 3.7 m) because of a sliding-glass door to the backyard on one side and an equally large entrance to the living room directly opposite. Would I be better off with a sofa and ottoman combination, so I could put my feet up without having to get an overstuffed, overly wide sofa?
A I have never found a comfortable reclining sofa — and they do tend to eat up a space — so I would definitely go for a comfortable sofa and ottoman.
Q I’m 67 and shopping to replace furniture I bought more than 30 years ago when I was young and just starting out. My difficulty is that while I can afford far better quality now than I could years ago, realistically I might be looking to downsize or move into an “active adult” community sometime in the next 10 years or so. How do you balance buying for quality and longevity when one’s personal longevity (at least in that house) is questionable?
A I think having a comfortable sofa is important. I know the fashion today is to have things lower to the floor, but I don’t know many people who really love that. We typically like a 17-inch (43.2-cm) seat height. I think there’s a happy medium — I wouldn’t buy the most expensive or the least expensive — somewhere in the middle, you will get good quality. Just pick a fabric that’s not too fragile you would have to worry about and you should be good for the long haul.