Bottom row (l-r): Pamala Deikel, Greg McIntyre, and Rhonda Hirata; Top row (l-r): Brenda Mickel, Ken Paige, Jean Larette -Photo by Tom Gibbons
What’s hot, what’s out, what’s new in interior design? We wanted to know.
So, we gathered up a stellar array of décor professions to find out just what’s going on in the world of home interiors. Around the table was Ken Paige, owner of Paige Glass; Pamala Deikel, who, with husband Ted, renovates unique upscale properties for resale; Brenda Mickel, a design principal for The Weisman Group; Jean Larette of Jean Larette Interior Designs; and Greg McIntyre, CEO of Shears & Window. The discussion was thoughtfully moderated by Rhonda Hirata, director of marketing for the San Francisco Design Center. The intimate group gathered at the Gazette’s headquarters on a recent crisp SF morning for an insightful, laughter-filled discussion. After a warm welcome and introductory comments from editor Chérie Turner and Rhonda, the group jumped right to the business at hand.
Rhonda Hirata: Is there anything that’s particularly fashionable in home décor?
Jean Larette: I think the expense of the ’80s is over. Clients are thinking about their carbon footprint. And they’re far more educated because they have access to so much information on the internet. Designers have to really create. And, clients are looking for investment pieces.
Greg McIntyre: Quality and value.
Jean Larette: Yes, they’re thinking long range.
Brenda Mickel: I think value is key; people want really fine things. They want to make sure they’re paying a fair price. In terms of being fashionable, I think some time ago, the whole house used to be filled with antiques whereas now they are used sparingly, as that special object in a room.
Ken Paige: We see a trend certainly to quality. Value is quality, and if you don’t get quality you have no value whatsoever. But now they have to think outside the box, and the old answers are not always so good. So we have to think of new things we can offer. One of those would be, like, photovoltaic glass. Where before you just had windows, now you have windows that are actually producing energy. I see some very big projects still, but what I see is a great subtlety, not in-your-face money. It’s no longer, “I don’t care what it costs, I want something fabulous and flashy.” It’s an understated elegance.
Greg McIntyre: There has been a bit of caution about being ostentatious. The wind got knocked out of everyone, but I do feel that things are on the upswing.
Pamala Deikel: I’m seeing an up-tick when I go down to the Design Center; as a buyer, I’m starting to feel more energy, as well. And this last year has been profound in the way people are approaching clients with the willingness to sell things at value. Where before it was “bid it up,” now we’re looking for the best value we can get, and the most unique things.
Brenda Mickel: One request I’m getting is more fun. More color, fun environments.
Greg McIntyre: I agree. We’re seeing a real resurgence in the last year or so in boldly colored geometrics.
Brenda Mickel: Large kitchens and large bathrooms are still really key because people use them so much. In the bathrooms, people want their luxury. That’s where they’re not cutting back.
Ken Paige: We certainly get, “What can you do in a master bathroom that’s imaginative? What is exciting?” Sometimes it’s bent doors. Sometimes it’s backpainted glass. We’re doing some fun things now where we have a patented process where we are digitally printing on glass and then laminating it. So, say, we can take any fabric, and print it on giant sheets. This is something that’s brand, brand new.
Pamala Deikel: Now more than ever I’m really using local people. I am throwing as much business to them as possible; our local resources are phenomenal.
Greg McIntyre: We feel the same way. We do anything we can to support these arts-and-crafts people who make the custom products that make a home special, which is always the goal. We want to have that quality inherent in our product. These things are more expensive, but they’re made specifically for you.
Jean Larette: I think that a lot of the venders are more willing in this current economy to accommodate your wishes.
Rhonda Hirata: What does the future bring?
Greg McIntyre: I have a traditional showroom, and what I’m seeing is there is a resurgence of traditional and classic design. Clients may be taking a traditional piece and putting a contemporary finish on it or a metal table base with a wood top, so the base is more contemporary. For me the future is open to a lot of possibilities, but I think we’re already there in many ways; I think it’s just going to come more to the forefront—green, educated clients.
Jean Larette: Green is everywhere. I think of how many paint companies have multiple lines now that don’t off-gas. In every aspect—reclaimed wood, and even with antiques. I had a client who had this beautiful antique cabinet, and we brought it into the bathroom and used it in the powder room. So even within your home, you can reuse or use things in another way and make them fresh and new.
Ken Paige: Or combining. We did a bathroom using recycled glass where we melted old glass down into these big thick countertops, and above it is a special two-way mirror; it’s a mirror, you’re brushing your teeth, and then you press the button and the morning news comes on. The whole thing is concealed in a big mirrored wall and that just appears. That combination, reusing, use what you can, but also go new, going that extra bit to make it fresh, so it’s not like, “Oh, we have the same bathroom at the Ritz.” [Laughter]
Brenda Mickel: We run into that a lot; our clients travel so much, they’ve seen that same bathroom at the Ritz. What else can you do? Clients are really pushing us for something different. But there’s a fine edge between doing something different and doing something that’s too weird or out there.
Pamala Deikel: Going forward, we all have to be particularly thoughtful as to what we do, value conscious and not going overboard.
Brenda Mickel: Our clients, some are more conscious of green than others. It adds twenty to twenty-five percent to the cost, so it’s considerable.
Pamala Deikel: I think as far as green, that term is used a little freer than I understand, frankly. As you say, building in twenty-five percent, at least, extra cost in your development, I’m going terribly green [laughter]. I mean seriously, I’m really cost effecting out. We don’t do things that are not earth-friendly necessarily; I’m really researching that now as to what it really means.
Greg McIntyre: You have the same situation with organic food. Everybody jumped on the organic food bandwagon, but it’s not all truly organic. Well, we’re at the beginning of the green phase in building products. You’re saying it’s more expensive now; I think a lot of that will change as the technologies develop.
Ken Paige: I see it as an issue of, What is better? An organic tomato is better because it tastes better. I get the question, What is best? So it’s not only what is green, but what is better long term. I think green will always be an important factor, but you can be a little cautious, take it at its face value, not overpay. Think outside the box. What can we do that’s green that isn’t twenty-five percent more?
Greg McIntyre: I think we’re all looking at things for the long term; décor is more transitional and eclectic than it has been in years, because people want to enjoy their homes. With the economy, people are investing in their homes as opposed to a project that they’re going to live in for five years and flip.
Rhonda Hirata: At the Design Center we like to say that what we sell are custom heirlooms.
Brenda Mickel: We like to say we’re making antiques for the future. We are building them to last.
Rhonda Hirata: What sort of an impact are internet [do it yourself design] sites like Decorati having?
Brenda Mickel: I think it only helps us. I think that anything that helps bring ideas to the table is helpful.
Greg McIntyre: I think an educated client is easier to work with. Someone who doesn’t know what they do or don’t want—that’s difficult.
Pamala Deikel: What are you in the industry seeing in terms of what types of rooms people are creating? Do people still want media rooms?
Brenda Mickel: I think it’s nice to have a room that’s multifunctional.
Jean Larette: One of the things that I’m being asked for is comfort. That’s very important to people.
Greg McIntyre: We still sell a lot of dining tables and chairs. I think people are still using dining rooms. They do have the space in their kitchens or great rooms where they can also entertain. The dining room is also a place where you can still have a little fantasy because it can be a little more dramatic than other rooms in your home.
Jean Larette: And I think that kitchens are the place to gather. I think every kitchen I’ve done has a counter or a bar so people can come and visit with the chef.
Rhonda Hirata: Are there more innovative options that people may not be aware of but should be?
Brenda Mickel: I think the lighting. Going toward more green bulbs, LED lighting.
Greg McIntyre: That technology is really changing. When florescent bulbs first came out, they were horrible. And they’re really working on improving that.
Pamala Deikel: I like the solar options. You can heat your pool with solar now relatively reasonably. You can open your gates. It’s good if you’re dealing with properties that have space and need power where it’s hard to run the wires.
Jean Larette: I think security systems are becoming very popular. They’re becoming very sophisticated. And I think the outdoor spaces are being considered as part of the home. The interior designer gets involved, even to the point that we’re telling landscapers what color the fabrics are going to be on the outside furniture so that what they’re planting will match. We have one gardener we’re working with who wanted to know the interior colors of the home office because he wanted to know, Will this deep, dark red rose work outside that window? Everybody should be talking to each other, the landscaper, the designers, the contractors. When you have a team that is all in synch, I cannot tell you how much that is going to contribute to a successful project.
And with that the discussion concluded, as they parted, the excited exchange of ideas could be heard down the hall.
