VANCOUVER HOME STAGERS MEET CELEBRITY DESIGNER, TOMMY SMYTHE, AT THE IDS WEST SHOW 2012
As Vancouver Home Stagers and Designers, we were thrilled to meet Tommy Smythe, Toronto Designer and self-professed sidekick and BFF to Sarah Richardson, of HGTV’S Sarah 101. Tommy’s talk at the Interior Design Show IDS West was entitled Stylish Solutions for Small Spaces. Having lived in a 185 square foot studio apartment in Cabbagetown, Toronto, Tommy knows first hand what he’s talking about! Oh, and how do you like that? My shirt matched Tommy's bow tie!!!
Tommy Smythe, Me (Sally Weatherley), Gita Wood
In his introduction, Tommy brings up the well-known fact that Vancouver is one of the most expensive real estate markets in North America. Condos are costly, and square footage is shrinking. As a result, it’s important to maximize every nook and cranny in a small space. Here’s a quick video of what Tommy had to say about Vancouver real estate:
Some ideas Tommy mentioned to solve the small space dilemma are as follows:
Use simple storage, such as Pax wardrobes from Ikea to create great ‘his’ and ‘her’ closets or extra storage.
Decorate with no more than two colours to avoid “visual cacophony”.
Use etageres, which are open shelving, to house books, accessories, clothing, towels and so on. The open look is visually spacious and very appealing.
Use multipurpose furniture, such as a small dining table that can double as a home office desk and console table.
Contrary to popular belief, Tommy insists that you can put a lot of furniture into a small space and it will make the space feel bigger.
Tommy likes rich surface displays on every surface. He’s known to have small collections of items like trophies, match boxes and ebony boxes.
Use large mirrors and mirrors reflecting in other mirrors. An example of this was an oversized, gilt, antique French mirror behind a living room sofa. It brought in light, reflection, bling and glamour.
Stack pictures on the floor in groupings.
Have extra storage, such a drawers underneath the bed.
Use open shelving in the kitchen. One example showed dishes on a open shelf with mirrors on the wall of the shelf.
Mix some antiques with contemporary furnishings to add an extra element of interest.
Tommy Smythe’s personality is larger than life and his quick wit, intelligence, and design aesthetic made for a wonderful presentation. I very much hope Tommy Smythe returns to Vancouver next year as he is a treat to listen to. After watching him on television for years, he feels like an old friend.
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