It’s too much, it’s overdone, it’s in bad taste. So say the design experts whose primary task seems to be giving clients’  homes “that look”. You know the one I mean. It’s that bland, beige, stainless steel look, which is featured so prominently, over and over and over again in North American design publications. For consumers, the underlying, yet not so subtle message, is simple; play by the rules. And yet I’m convinced that people are being sold a bill of goods and that with a little guidance, most would gladly step outside that can of beige paint, create a touch of magic here and there, and transform their space into something that looks less like a hotel lobby and more like a home.

Stephen Calloway, author of Divinely Decadent, got it so right when he showed another side of the design world where more is more and it is marvelous! Reviewed on Amazon, the book  is described as a showcase of interiors sure to delight anyone who adores decorative elements; it is ” lavish, eccentric, opulent, bohemian, theatrical”.  Written with wit, photographed by renowned interior photographer Deidi von Schaewen, and printed with extravagant 5th-color gold throughout, Divinely Decadent is structured around the theme of the seven deadly sins: from slothful living rooms to bedrooms to lust after, from envious furnishings to collections to covet and materials to arouse the anger of the puritanical. This is the perfect antithesis to worthy but dull neutrals, contemporary good taste, and minimal modern lines- a veritable feast for style-conscious maximalists.

It goes without saying that I believe colour makes us FEEL! In fact, what is most important is not how our houses look, but how they make us feel. Oftentimes, we move into our homes with the boxes but never arrive emotionally. Painting our houses in colours we love helps us to take emotional possession of our home. I have consulted with people who have lived in their home for years and were ready to move as they never felt they belonged. They may have lived there for years and were ready to move and yet once I had helped them take the plunge,  they wondered why they waited so long.

Taking emotional possession of your home and making it reflect it who you are is a lot cheaper than moving. As one happy customer said, “I came in to buy a gallon of paint and spent 20,000 dollars but for the first time in 10 years we don’t feel like we were visitors in our own home. We were going to move and now we love our home!” A swath of luxurious fabric here and a touch of vibrant colour there can be life transforming and, for me, incredibly gratifying as I improve the quality of people’s lives.