When adding colour to décor, designer Lisa Poirier is all in. She isn't afraid to get daring but is rooted in the belief that colour should be used to make people feel happy in their space. "Use colours that make you feel good. If hot pink is on trend, but you hate it, don't use it in your décor. I always ask clients what their least and favourite colours are," the award-winning designer states.
Lisa is the owner of WESTYLE Interior Design. While she has been in the industry for over twenty years, WESTYLE is going into its eighth year of business. They focus on residential kitchen and bath design, along with large-scale renovations and smaller commercial projects.
To incorporate colour into a design project, Lisa starts with a neutral scheme and works from there. She determines how much colour to add by establishing the client's comfort level. It can be a delicate balance when family members don't always agree on how much colour and pattern they want to see in a space. Lisa's solution is to begin with the home's central area to create a harmonious flow. She advises, "When there are family members with various styles, the best thing is to let them have their own area to decorate." Lisa suggests that bedroom space is an excellent area to use for personal expression. This method works best for children, "Kids need a space to call their own, so their bedrooms are a great space to let them do this," says the mother of two. "Now that my kids are a bit older, I ask their opinion about things we choose for the home. I have one who always has a strong idea and the other who doesn't care, but at least asking keeps them involved.”
As for couples, that's when a decorating project becomes challenging. This is something Lisa has faced in her own home. “I have had a lot of say about the décor in our house, but my husband also has some pretty strong opinions. His football helmet collection needed to be displayed, so I allotted space on our built-ins, and he let me go with the teal décor." Teal, Lisa's signature colour, is an essential element of her decorating style. She attributes her passion for a shade that combines blue and green to a childhood fondness for the ocean and sky. "Who doesn't love the aqua ocean or a bright blue sky?" she asks.
A firm believer in making a home feel personal to its inhabitants, Lisa has included hints of teal throughout her Carp house. She even sourced a Herman Miller office chair in teal for the home office. A basement bar showcases glassware in the aqua shade, and there is even a touch of teal in the stair runner carpet. Her own home is a testament to her belief in injecting personality and colour in just the right dose, so the space is a stylish reflection of its owners, not the product of design rules and trend constraints.
Contact Lisa, lisa@westyle.ca
Decorating with a signature colour
- Start with a neutral background
- Create inspiration folders to discover which colours appeal to you
- Choose colours that please your own eye
- Add pops of colour through accessories
- Work with one dominant shade, then add one or two complementing colours
Mary Taggart
