This is a guest blog post by Margo Tantau, VP of Creative at MidwestCBK
Margo has co-written our brand new course, MATS: Creating Collections for Home Décor, with Lilla Rogers. She will also be speaking at MATS: The Global Art Gathering, our LIVE event in Brighton UK this June.
Home Décor as a rule, needs designs that can be LIVED with. I won’t be cliché and say “ageless and timeless”, but I will say, think about what the subject matter is, what kind of a home it might be going in, as well as what would potentially sell most broadly.
Think of all the varieties of style that you see on the market, on Pinterest and in magazines.
Designs that are sophisticated, clean, lovely, graphic, floral… these are all relevant to Home Décor. Collections need to go well together, and equally and strongly should stand on their own. Designing these is a tall order, but super fun!
Here’s how to start thinking about your own home décor collection.
Inspiration is all around you
Look around you and you will see that the considerations and definitions are many.
- What are you seeing online for the Home market? Moroccan rugs, mid century coffee tables, patterned pendant shades?
- What kind of spaces might be the canvas for these elements? A tiny cottage painted white, or a grand room with a sweeping staircase flanked by tall windows? A crowded apartment that’s a blending of lives, or a secluded cabin?
- How do YOU live? What belongings do you want that will define your space, your personality? What might others be searching for?
Endless possibilities
What kind of pieces define Home Décor?
- On the wall: Art, a cool hanging fixture, shelving, a clock, maybe curtains.
- In the room: Side tables, a rug, a lamp, a coffee table, a sofa with fun pillows and a throw. Things to add extra seating like an ottoman or a pouf.
- What’s on the mantle? Is there a vase or three? Is there anything else décorative? Is there a tray, or a shallow bowl?
Think bedroom, kitchen, playroom, dining room, even outdoor spaces. Go through every living space and make an inventory of possible collection pieces that would enhance the room. What’s fun, what adds color? What stands out and what is calm and comforting?
When you start to think about all these spaces in more detail, you’ll see that home décor is a lot more than a pillow and a shower curtain.
Generally, there are calmer pieces and statement pieces in any given collection. Things that excite, and pieces that are restful to the eye.
Useful items are always a bonus, like a box for storing a messy stack of papers, or a colorful peg rack for stray coats and scarves.
Sketching out your own home décor collection
Now, take some time to think about how all these products meld together in a space. Consider how your art can transfer successfully to some of these different products. You might want to have a pattern on some, an image on others, or just focus on texture and color. When making a visual plan for product, a few more thoughts could be:
- What should be the feel of my graphics?
- What turns heads because of the artwork
- What gives that “Aaahh” factor…?
These are all key inspirations when designing for personal spaces.
Pick 4 to 6 favorite pictures from Pinterest or your stash of magazines. Look at the different elements. What pieces stand out to you, and how do they define or meld into the space? What might be over designed, what is busy, what is calm, and what is ultimately effective, in your opinion?
I hope you begin to see things that were obviously hand touched and designed, but in a way you hadn’t thought about before. I want you to think about what YOU might bring to that room.
Now put your mind to it: list 6 to 8 items you would like to work on to build a little collection. I like to start with the room sketch. I mean a very simple sketch that is just for me, to work out shapes and sizes. Then I might do a collection sketch, which is the series of shapes drawn out. Then, I find art, pattern, texture and ideas that will work together to bring these things shapes and elements to life.
A collection slowly emerges. Try it!
A great home décor collection should blend easily and surprise greatly” Jane Dagmi
I asked my friend Jane Dagmi, a Home Décor mover & shaker, what she feels makes a good home décor collection. Jane has worked in the industry for several years. She was an editor at Hearst Publications, has written for the Benjamin Moore blog, and has her own, missblogworthy.blogspot.com. Jane is very much a trend setter, not a follower. She is now communications manager at Parlore, the company behind the amazing new mobile app for Interior Designers. She lives for Good design.
What follows is her perceptive response.
“A great home collection should blend easily and surprise greatly, a balance of no-brainer pieces that compliment existing décor – neutral colors, functional shapes, classics — and then those that potentially change a space either by their bold character, strong color, general cleverness or extraordinary beauty and unique detail. With so much “stuff” put forth into the world, I believe a home décor collection should offer perceived benefits – brings light in, have dramatic or soothing effects — or tangible ones – organization, display, etc — and be thoughtful in its design so that the designer can talk about it with pride and confidence. The price should reflect the quality. A limited number of stellar introductions and classic mainstays trump an overwhelming assortment of mediocrity destined for landfill.”
I hope this has given you some things to think about.
Please… Add your taste and talent to the world of Home Décor. Believe me, there is room. We are waiting for you!
Margo
MATS: Creating Collections for Home Décor is open for registrations!
Join Margo and Lilla this summer to learn about how to create winning presentations that will make you and your art stand out.
SPECIAL OFFER!
Register for MATS: Creating Collections for Home Décor before May 6 (midnight GMT) and get a complementary place on Lilla Rogers’ Global Talent Search later this year (worth £25 / assignments are sent out on August 14)!
REGISTER HERE before May 6, 2015!
