IMPRESSIVE interior decoration doesn’t require a lot of money, say designers who work in the theatre. As professionals whose stock in trade is devising original and dramatic environments on a shoestring, they should know. Great technical ability is not essential. What is called for is planning, a bit of imagination and knowledge of a few design principles.
Begin with the walls. A new coat of paint is certainly the cheapest way to alter the feel of a room, but don’t be too hasty in slapping on white paint in an attempt to make your home seem brighter and larger. It can just serve to emphasize flaws in walls and make a sparsely furnished room look empty.
Astrid Janson, a costume and set designer whose credits include the CBC, Tarragon Theatre, the St. Lawrence Centre and the Shaw and Stratford festivals, believes “there are no hard-and-fast rules that a light color will do this and a dark color will do that.” The effect of a color, she says, depends on what others adjoin it. Using a mid-range shade of a color will still create light and size.
Her own preference is for dark colors, and her home is a good example of the fact that choosing a dark color for the walls and painting the ceiling white opens up a room effectively: the walls of the entrance hall are plum, but with a white ceiling and trim the effect is anything but dull.
Mirrors are another way to add brightness, creating the illusion of space and emphasizing the strong features of a room. Mary Kerr, who designs for Toronto Free Theatre and the Shaw and Stratford festivals, as well as for television and film, points out that mirrors are not as expensive as they once were. She advises buying cheap ones first and moving them around, studying the effect.
If you want to make a room cosier, on the other hand, consider wallpaper. It adds architectural unity, pulling the irregular features of a room together. But wallpaper is expensive, and you can’t pack it when you move. In her own home Kerr instead uses antique quilts, which are portable, to gain a warm texture on walls. “I’ve seldom spent more than $100 for one.” In treating walls, theatre designers have several money-saving techniques a householder can adapt. You can paint a pattern on to walls by using rubber rollers with motifs cut into them (available from theatrical suppliers). The result looks like wallpaper, but is much easier to get rid of.
For an original touch, hire a theatre painter to stencil a border – lilies, irises, geometric shapes – around the top or bottom of a room. If you rent, have it done on Masonite that’s then screwed to the wall and taken with you when you move.
Lighting is the other inexpensive technique used by theatres to create illusion. The approach of many do-it-yourselfers is to scatter lamps throughout a room to achieve a uniform lighting level, but you should also think in terms of absence of light, Kerr advises. “Take light away from bad walls, or from what you’re not ready to show.” Be inventive, she says, and don’t just light the centre of a room. Corners, if they’re attractive, or the area behind items can be illuminated, while dimmers are a good investment because they instantly alter the size and mood of a room.
As for furnishings, Janson says that simplicity usually works best on stage and that the same is probably true in a house. On the other hand, she finds that “a room with many small things doesn’t look nice unless everything is in its place.” Kerr agrees: “It’s very tricky to pull off clutter and make it look simple. Usually it just looks cluttered.” Sometimes a room needs a dramatic focus. This may be an architectural feature, such as a fireplace or a striking work of art, but a large piece of furniture will often do the trick. That doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy an antique sideboard; Kerr points out that it can be something functional, such as a piano, an heirloom or a hand-me-down.
But don’t buy something trendy that will be unfashionable next year, she cautions. “Find objects that matter to you and then build your home around them.” Janson finds that a rug on the floor can “help define furniture, so that it doesn’t look like it’s floating around. It roots a room without defining it with walls.” A more extreme way of demarcating an area is to hang fabrics or quilts from the ceiling. Kerr likes this technique because it creates a barrier but still lets light through. She adds that unlike walls, draped and hanging fabrics add mystery, a quality most homes lack.
Textiles are also useful for disguising second-hand furniture and incorporating it into your design. Re-upholstering can radically change the look of recycled chairs and couches. Stuffing can be added to the arms and back, and the item can then be covered with new fabric. Jansen carried out such an operation herself recently, “and I’m no upholsterer.” The stuffing can be bought in pieces from manufacturers and upholsterers for a fraction of what retailers charge.
In fact, this is one of the best tips from budget-conscious designers: don’t automatically shop at furniture, department and specialty stores. For fabrics and leathers, go to manufacturers and wholesalers. In Toronto, the garment district is the best place to look.
Instead of buying furniture, consider having it made. In this way you’ll get exactly what you want and receive better quality for the money.
Kerr suggests phoning theatres and asking for the names of carpenters they use. Then, have tables, chests, beds, chairs and couches custom-made.
Keep an eye out for alternative sources of artwork and textiles as well. Students at the Ontario College of Art and the community colleges will design and print fabrics for drapes, sheets and cushions. As Kerr points out: “Later on they’ll go and work in industry and you’ll be buying their things for a great deal of money.” The strongest advice designers have for people decorating on the cheap is to play with elements, to look beyond their prescribed use; Janson likes the look of a rug thrown over a couch or a table; Kerr remembers that a few years ago people were dyeing quilted moving pads and using them as blankets and upholstery fabric.
