Sunlight splashes through solarium-style windows, bounces off a glass table top and onto a crisp, white beadboard-faced built-in banquette. Suspended lantern-style light fixtures frame a tiled countertop island, while Spanish gold walls provide the perfect backdrop for black-framed artwork. Although the ocean view from this third-floor kitchen—a reno in a recently remodeled White Rock home—is spectacular, so is the design.
On a bright Monday morning, Brianna Carson, a 27-year-old interior designer with a flair for the unexpected, shares the spotlight with her work. “I love using opposing materials and colours,” she says. And one look around the room confirms it.
A few well-placed white uppers punch up the mostly black cabinetry. Dark walnut hardwood floors juxtapose the charcoal tile backsplash and stainless appliances. A single red cushion tossed among geometric black and white ones on the banquette adds a pop of colour.
In the four years she’s been designing, Carson has tackled everything from colour consultations to entire renovations, and she’s loved every minute of it.
The design bug bit the Langley-based Carson early. “Growing up we didn’t have much money,” she says. “I was allowed to paint my room, but I also did things like put paper-mache over an outdated light fixture to create something no one else had.”
A penchant for all facets of design led her to enroll in the Interior Design program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. “ ‘History of Furniture’ was the best course of my life,” she says. “I learned to appreciate design as art. Throughout history furniture was a privilege. It reflected what was happening politically.”
These days, interior design is big business; the plethora of magazines, websites and TV networks dedicated to it attest to its staying power. But just who sets the trends that cause design junkies to run to the nearest hardware store for their latest decor fix?
“Fashion sets design trends,” says Carson, “and we’re two to three years behind. If you want to be know what’s going to be hot, look at what people are wearing now—the colours, patterns and style.”
Carson says the trend is shifting from casual to elegant. “Everything is getting a little more swanky. Think martini bar: brushed silver, blue and dark brown.”
But there’s still room for individuality. “The great thing about now is anything goes,” she says. “You bring your personal style into your home. If you want to make your living room into a fuchsia library, you can.”
According to Carson, libraries are just one feature homeowners are requesting these days; outdoor living space is another.
“I know of a builder who, for most homes, provides covered deck spaces with built-in fireplaces,” she says, “so you can enjoy another living room year round. That’s the beauty of coastal living—you can be outside, you just don’t want to be wet.”
And when talking design, nobody wants to get soaked, either. Carson’s advice for the do-it-yourself set? “A consult is not that expensive,” she says, “even if you just want ideas. It’s worth the money; you save yourself costly mistakes.”
Fortunately, help is also available for the design-challenged, for whom do-it-yourself is not an option. In these cases, Carson recommends leaving it to the professionals.
Growing up with a father who did tile setting, she knows a thing or two about trades. “Construction is a definite sub-culture,” she says.
“When I first started in this business, I wanted to work with both homeowners and the trades—so I became a kind of ‘anti-designer’ designer. I like to keep everybody happy.”
The current construction boom has resulted in a shortage of trades-people so builders and homeowners alike are now scrambling to find reliable, professional contractors for their projects. In response, Carson has established a network of trades and suppliers she counts on for her jobs.
“Just give me a call,” she says. “Whether you need a new roof or an area rug for your living room, I can have any supplier or trade you require contact you directly. I’m kind of a one-stop shop.”
Though colours and trends continue to influence consumer choices, design remains highly personal.
“Interior design is not about ‘keeping up with the Joneses,’ ” Carson says. “It’s about defining a space in the world just for you.”
For further information, contact Brianna Carson at 604.767.3211 or email brianna@harbourhomestaging.com.
