Art and Design by Paige Charbonneau

I was sitting in a meeting this morning at the multicultural center downtown and I was staring at the most fascinating piece of artwork. It was a painting of a girl holding a can with a string tied to it to her ear using it as a homemade telephone. As I studied it, I wondered why I liked it so much. And then the words of my art teachers sounded in my head. This painting is about light and shadow? No, it’s definitely a study of proportion. But look at the repetition, the triangular shaped curves that repeat in her dress, her eyes, and her arms. Then I noticed the small figurine drawn in the middle upper left quadrant of the painting and I thought about balance. That little figure balanced out the entire painting. It kept my eye from being completely drawn to the right side of the painting and drew it down the telephone line to the other side. You see, when you are staring at a blank canvas center isn’t exactly center. It’s a little up and to the left. That’s the natural center your eye goes to. You may ask yourself, what is this girl talking about and what in the world does it have to do with today’s interior design trends? Well I’ll tell you; it has everything to do with it. As human beings we all like things that are pretty. We like art, architecture, clothes, cars, jewelry, handbags, furniture, shoes, and we like them for a reason. They are appealing to our eyes and they serve a purpose for us, they fill a need. As an interior designer, there are basic principles of design I follow, the general principles of design include balance, rhythm, emphasis, scale and proportion, and harmony. Then there are elements of design, the elements of design include space, form, line and texture. Then there’s the biggie; form and function. Now when I am working with you on a project, I am not babbling on about these things like some sort of weirdo art critic, but I am thinking them. It’s like a juggling act, when I am working on your project, I am juggling 10 design balls and I don’t want to drop any of them. I may say things like, that item really adds visual interest, or this painting really ties everything together, or the texture of your fabric is really going to make a pretty window treatment. Then other times I may look up exact size calculators to see how big your chandelier should be for the width and length of your room, or to tell you how large of a rug you need for your area. If I look deep in thought and I say I’m not sure about something then that means the piece of the puzzle sort of fits but not exactly right; sometimes you have to bring multiple options to the site and see which one hits the “sweet spot”, that’s another term they teach you in art class. When it comes to filling a need or serving a purpose, I really go nuts. Heated floors, curbless showers, Chroma therapy and aroma therapy bathtubs, smart homes and electronics and lighting, motorized window treatments, swivel glider recliners, attractive lift chair recliners, and my all time favorite…the portable, electric bath lift chair for the elderly that need a bath but can’t change their existing tubs to the new walk in tubs. Don’t even get me started on all of the kitchen and bath stuff, I could go on forever! I have a friend who is a designer and he recently had pictures of one of his personal homes published in a magazine. We were looking at the pictures together and I laughed at him and said “this is what a home looks like when there’s nobody there to stop you! No husbands complaining about expense, and no one’s personal taste to consider but your own!” He reminded me that he WAS the husband complaining about expense on the project, but honestly the pictures were perfect! Great design projects happen when you trust your interior designer and let them do what they do best. In design school I had a professor that always said that people should walk into your project and say, “who was the designer on this project?” that is a good design, when the project is perfect, and it fits the homeowner or business concept but isn’t easily recognized as a “Paige project”. Also, they threatened us with deductions for using the word “couch” instead of “sofa”! Ha! That’s what I shoot for with every client I have. I want them to love their space. I want them to love it for years too, not just for the current trend. I want it to be theirs, not mine. Of course, I want it to be pretty, and I want it to be right, I want the colors to flow and for the furniture and lighting and flooring to be functional, easily maintained, and beautiful! I think caring is key, you have to really care about design being right for each client you work with, you have to want what is best for them, and even better, they have to believe you want what’s best for them! I believe that is what Allen Anderson does best, and I believe that’s why he has been in business for so long and I believe that is why people keep coming back. Generations keep coming back, families, grandmothers, mothers, daughters, aunts and cousins are my best clients. We have a good time getting to know one another and decorating and designing! You may walk into Anderson’s one day and see us all sitting at a design table laughing and talking like the oldest of friends, and that’s what we are at Andersons, we are friendly AND we are friends!!!