I often work with headstrong clients who are steadfast when it comes to certain design elements in their homes. When I meet such clients I'm perplexed...why bring a designer into your sanctuary to inevitably inject change when you are happy with the status quo? Meet PURPLE LADY. While I will protect her identity to shield her from design shaming, she is well aware of how I feel about her eighties-inspired design choices, and knows I was bound to use my stage to mock her into obedience. A brilliant teacher of everything Shakespeare, when PURPLE LADY came home the drama boiled over, as her interior decor was a comedy with many errors. There aren't enough words in my limited vocabulary to describe the hideousness that was her favorite item; a tacky rug with bright purples, turquoise, blacks and yellows, complete with odd shapes better suited for the entrance to a Roman vomitorium (or a hair salon in Wichita, Kansas). I was told, however, to pull my color inspiration from this splish-splash of nonsense. So, to tame this shrewd client I came up with toned-down versions of the colors she loved, painted them on large boards (precut for me at the local hardware store) and I asked her to live with them for a few days. While the beginning of our process was quite dramatic, we ended with a sweet, romantic space...and THANK GOD we got rid of that rug!
