Radio Real Estate Show Interview

Tom Lucas from AM650's Radio Real Estate Show, and Graeme Huguet from MyHouse Design/Build, interviewed me about flooring trends for 2011. This is the audio clip.

Inspirations from a New York Espresso Bar

To me, being creative is about making fresh connections so that we see things in new ways and from different perspectives.

I love this picture because it makes me look twice; it doesn't state the obvious.

Why not have the illusion of bookshelves on the floor? Why not have wood flooring on the wall? Why not have pendant lamps protruding horizontally?

By the same token, why not install an area rug on the ceiling instead of the floor? Why not use shag carpeting to upholster a chair, or ceramic tiles on a bed's headboard? Why not use hardwood flooring on a kitchen backsplash?

It's fun to think of new possibilities rather than always staying with the tried and true.

In the renovation market we're often concerned with re-sale value. It's a legitimate concern, but we lose something in this. We're afraid of not seeming tasteful, we play it safe. In so doing our interiors are often too uniform, too impersonal, too "staged".

I say don't be afraid to show a little personality, to be a little different....even at the risk of not always seeming "tasteful"!

Photo Credits: "D'Espresso", www.Dezeen.com.