Left to right, interior designers Adrianne Bugg, Patti Ryan and Susan Jamieson (Photo by Susan Winiecki)
Last Friday at The Doorways’ Spring Luncheon at The Bizarre Bazaar, three acclaimed regional interior designers — Patti Ryan of Patti Ryan Interior Design, Susan Jamieson of Bridget Beari Designs and Adrianne Bugg of Pillar & Peacock — took the stage to discuss trends in home decor and how to make a home at various stages in one’s life. Serving as moderator was former WRIC-ABC 8 anchor Lisa Schaffner, who kept the conversation flowing and took questions from the crowd. Here are a few tips and/or forecasts from each designer:
Patti Ryan
- “Lighting is like jewelry. It’s the easiest, most amazing way to change a room.”
- “Go shopping first at your parents’ house [if you are a young person starting out in a new dwelling]. Those well-made pieces of brown furniture can be mixed in to give a room warmth and soul.”
- “Display collections in bookcases if you don’t have many books.”
- “You can always add a little jolt of color in a room by simply painting the doors or trim.”
Susan Jamieson
- “I just came back from Round Top [Antiques Fair] in Texas. Everywhere I saw this blue-green — a celadon mixed with blue. I think that’s going to be the next new color of year."
- “Don’t buy on a whim. [A space/furniture plan] is almost like a shopping list.”
- “[Window treatments] really make a room. A rod with unlined sheers [can] create a light, airy balance, framing the window and softening the room.”
Adrianne Bugg
- “The quickest way to update a room is with pillows and paint.” She added that she’s been using one long lumbar pillow on couches. “Design is supposed to fun and functional. I have kids and dogs.”
- “Don’t wimp out and get one little [window] panel for each side of the window. It’s all about proportion.”
- “You have to have a plan [when downsizing, too]. What is it that you can’t live without? What do you want your children to have? You need to have this roadmap.”
