CITY LIFE - Barbara Kaplan [CITYSunTimes January 2010]

Barbara Kaplan, IFDA, ASID Allied member, helps people express their “interiors” through interior design and is the author of The Bajaro Method: Rooms Have No Feelings, YOU Do!
To contact Barbara, call 480.998.5088, send an e-mail to barbara@barbarakaplan.com or visit barbarakaplan.com.

On the lighter side of things, here are some of my New Year’s resolutions. As an interior designer:

I promise not to design anything that is uncomfortable.
I won’t experiment painting anyone else’s wall except my own.
I will stop using Navajo White.
I will think of new ways to decorate in Southwest style.
I will keep Tuscan design to a minimum.
I am committed to eradicating whitewash wherever it still exists.
I will think of a new way to reintroduce avocado green and harvest gold.
I will ignore Saltillo tile if someone wants to keep it as their flooring.
I will stop poisoning my clients’ pets that ruin the new furniture.
I will make plastic slipcovers for people who won’t get rid of their destructive pets.

and... martini

No more martinis before designing.

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CITYSunTimes Web Exclusives January 2010
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CITYLIFE HOMESTYLE

The Lighter Side of Interior Design by Barbara Kaplan

The beginning of 2010 is here, which brings anticipation of the year ahead. It’s always an exciting time. Thank goodness for beginnings and endings! I always welcome them because I can get so caught up in life that I don’t know how to stop feeling like I’m on a carousel.
It’s important to have a beginning and an ending to mark the time, to stop and take a breath. It gives pause to see if you are on the right track. I know so many of us make resolutions; I like to think of them as actions, because actions need to be executed.
I enjoy my life as an interior designer. Every day is different. There are frustrating days and creative days; there are days when I find just the right fabric for a project and others when everything is back-ordered. Even on the worst day I still wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
What I have learned is that if I smile and have fun, things flow more easily and I am more successful. It’s important not to lose my sense of humor and forget that bringing joy and comfort into people’s lives is what it’s all about.

A few predictions:

No more Shabby Chic.
Away with slip covers – except at my house.
No more faux finish on walls.
Wallpaper is back, but not flocked.
Shag carpet and beanbags are in again and out again.

It’s more fun to see the humor in our design choices than to worry about finding the “only” answers. I’ve often said that design is an art, not a science, and each of us has our own version of how we want to express ourselves artistically.
My last thought for 2009 and the beginning of 2010 is a suggestion to those of you who will be making design choices and decisions in the New Year: Have fun on your interior design journey and don’t take it too seriously.
Always remember that rooms have no feelings, YOU do!
Thanks for all your questions and comments. If I use your question or comment in this column I will send you a free, autographed copy of my book, The Bajaro Method: Rooms Have No Feelings, YOU Do!

CITYLife Web Exclusive | CITYSunTimes January 2010