Today I’m sitting down with interior designer Gary McBournie as part of my coffee talk series! If you haven’t had a chance to see some of Gary’s work, take a peep at his website to check out some of his projects here. Insert: a Nantucket Cottage? YES. A luxury motor yacht? Sign me up. His projects have been featured everywhere from House Beautiful to Traditional Home. You can also pick up his very own design book “Living Color: A Designer Works Magic With Traditional Interiors.”

I loved interviewing Gary and hope you enjoy this week’s coffee talk feature!! Be sure to follow along with Gary McBournie’s design adventures on both Facebook and Twitter. Enjoy! Xo. Lauren

Top 3 Interior Design Tips & Tricks 

Develop a Floor Plan: A floor plan is simply a measured drawing of the space that allows you to play with furniture size and placement. It’s so worth spending some time with a measuring tape and a graph paper before investing in fine furniture that ultimately may not be suited for the space.

Get the “envelope” right: One of my biggest challenges is convincing clients to focus on the envelope. Furnishings are only part of the puzzle. You need to consider floor type and color, the texture of the walls and ceilings. In addition, architectural details such as moldings, cornices, and castings. Sometimes gutsier baseboards, door casings, and window trims are exactly what is needed to give a room the desired details.

Pick a starting point for your palette: Try to find one special thing that inspires you. It could be anything from a piece of art to a pattern of fabric to the view just outside the windows. Choose three to five colors and don’t be intimidated! Some of the colors may only show up in a pillow or a trim as accents.

Your favorite mistake you’ve learned from

The biggest thing I have learned about mistakes is not to panic. With a little bit of thought, most mistakes can be corrected – paint colors can be adjusted, furniture can be moved from room to room, and carpets can be amended to adjust size. Every once in a while, I find that a “mistake” pushes me in a direction that results in a better room.

Go-to Paint Color

The color palette for my projects is always changing but I do have a tendency to work in blues – anything from a deep navy to a delicate pale blue. Palladian Blue from Bejamin Moore has shown up in several of my personal projects. I like it because it evokes of old world familiarity.

Must-have coffee table book or coffee table staples

When buying books for clients, I try to focus on their lives and interests. Being a designer, I also like to work in some art, design and lifestyle books. The must haves for me are: “The French Riviera: In the 1920’s” and any other wonderful books published by Assouline. “Cicil Beaton – Portraits and Profiles” because of his unique way of capturing the ’30’s, ’40’s, and ’50’s. “The Light of Paris“, “The Light of London” and “The Light of New York” which all contain amazing black and white photographs.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received

“Start your own business!” While I was perfectly happy working for my former boss, I was probably the last person to recognize that it was time to spread my wings and fly. I did so wih much trepidation but it hsa opened up a world for me that I had only dreamed about.

Currently Reading

I’m re-reading “Billy Baldwin Decorates” for the umpteenth time. His work always provides me with new inspiration.

Cocktail of Choice

Dirty martini with Grey Goose and olives, straight up.

Motto

“Guilt is a wasted emotion.”

Go-to way to enhance a small space

Painting the trim and walls in the same color can help make the space feel larger. I also like to insert things that have a reflective quality such as mirrors, collections of framed prints or objects.

 Source: Gary McBournie