A Fashion Statement

Trends in home fashion come and go, but the philosophy of how to make decorating decisions should never change. The point in making those choices is not whether something is “right” or “wrong,” rather how to make our homes comfortable and functional to fit our own unique lifestyles. That’s the essence of an interior designer’s profession.

Two Anacortes designers, Helen Coverdale, owner of Let’s Talk Interiors, and Mary Rytand, owner of TPC Interior Design, both begin projects by talking with clients to get to know them better — hobbies, what they collect and how they entertain, work and relax.

“You should feel good in your space,” says Rytand. “My number-one rule is that the home should reflect the client and not the designer.”

Coverdale agrees. “Instead of seeing a ‘stamped style’ that a design firm does, the interior should reflect the client’s personality,” she says.

Coverdale recently signed a contract with local custom builder John R. Cox and Associates to work with clients from the beginning of the design of a new home. An initial consultation is included with the construction company’s contract to receive her help in choosing colors, floors, cabinets and countertops. Then the prospective homeowners may contract separately for her assistance in choosing furniture, wall coverings, draperies, upholstery and bedding.

“I think it’s a wonderful connection for my company as well as the client’s because I can establish that relationship early on,” she explains. “I get to know them and get a sense of the ambience they are trying to create in their home – and I can help them take it from the beginning to the final detail.”

 

Putting plan in place

Both designers advise their clients that putting a plan in place from the very beginning is important. Some people want to take some time in decorating and some people want to get it done and be finished as soon as possible, they report. Either way, however, a master plan that includes a palette or range of colors is always recommended. “Even if you’re redoing only the living room right now,” explains Rytand, “if you have a plan for the entire home, when the next urge to redecorate hits, you’re prepared.”

Just as in fashion, interiors also go through trends. One dominant one today is the layering of textures, beginning with walls, including faux finishes and wallpapers, Coverdale observes. “Wallpapers have changed dramatically in just the last two years,” she notes. “They’ve really come a long way.”

Textures then “build out” from the wall, she explains, and may include textiles, upholstery and wall coverings. “In the Northwest, it’s nice to have texture because it brings added warmth and coziness to interiors.”

Other trends include color choices. “For so long we were into the ‘sagey’ colors, ‘dusty,’ or ‘grayed down,’” explains Coverdale. “Now the palette is becoming a little more pure and clear.” Choosing colors is an area of expertise in which her clients are particularly grateful for assistance, she says. “People want to bring color into a room, but they don’t know how.”

Rytand agrees about the importance of choosing the right colors. Her best advice on wall color is only slightly tongue-in-cheek: “Get gutsy with paint.” In other words, try it, you might like it. She adds, “There’s nothing cheaper than paint — you can always repaint next week.”

Rytand often is a proponent of the unconventional, as long as what results is functional and comfortable. For example, in one home, she converted an antique Chinese desk to hold a sink in a guest bathroom and a carved screen became a sliding door for a study. “Find ways to use what you love and what you have,” she recommends, “but maybe in ways that are unconventional.” She also believes in keeping and using at least some family heirlooms, valuable or not. “Any home, even a new home, needs to have some history.”

 

Anacortes good, bad location

Each successful businesswoman agrees that there are some definite advantages and some disadvantages of working from Anacortes — a base of operations that would seem quite remote to a Seattle designer. And indeed, one disadvantage is the distance from major metropolitan cities and design showrooms. “It’s quite time consuming,” admits Coverdale.

Rytand works on one project at a time and many of those are in Seattle or nearby, but she still covers a lot of miles. Coverdale’s schedule usually includes seeing three or four clients a week, developing projects. Then every eight to 10 days, she goes to Seattle to spend a day or two at the Seattle Design Center, the source of most of the products needed by Washington designers, displayed in at least 45 showrooms.

“I collect samples of the materials I need, come back and do a presentation to the client, put the concept together, and then start honing it down from there,” she explains. After that, clients visit the showrooms with her at least once to actually see all the options they have.

Two of the major advantages of having a business based in Anacortes are of course that they and their husbands love living in the scenic community — and there is plenty of business. Another plus is the number of skilled artisans and workrooms available locally, many in Skagit County.

Each designer uses a number of different kinds of local, custom products as well as contract to local or regional workrooms for draperies and custom bedding, for example. “I like to use local resources, from Seattle to Bellingham,” explains Coverdale. “For one thing, it’s great for the local economy and for another, shipping is cheaper, so I can save my clients money.”

Both of these Anacortes designers are blessed with creative energy that is mixed with talent, experience and a quiet graciousness that puts their clients at ease. And in spite of the extra effort required for them to serve their clients from this Skagit County island, it’s paying off in business success.

(For more information, contact Helen B. Coverdale at Let’s Talk Interiors, 299-8088, and Mary R. Rytand at TPC Interior Design, 299-8887.)