Nikki Renshaw - Interior designer at English Eccentric

Nikki Renshaw
Interior designer at English Eccentric

Like many designers, English Eccentric's Nikki Renshaw finds that her personal taste differs from how she decorates for her clients. Fittingly, however, her company name describes the style found in her own home: "The faded glamour of an old country house, with pieces passed down and new bits added, and having all these things live together," she explains over PG Tips and shortbread. What she finds essential in making this traditional mix of antiques, layered patterns, and romanticism work is to add an element of quirkiness. Renshaw's signature is to include a bit of irreverence in every room-a comic twist. She'll often use contemporary elements to create unexpected juxtapostions. In her front room, a Kartell Bourgie lamp makes for a nice spoof on both the modern and traditional with its rococo base of clear plastic. In her sitting room, the antique brass lamp she's sprayed with red car paint is consistent with the aesthetic, but the colour adds a bit of zing. "The danger of a traditional style is that it can easily look like granny's living room," she warns. (Renshaw works with her partner, Cathy Darby, at English Eccentric, 604-537-7050, and cohosts the Nik & Val radio show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on CFUN.)

Stephanie Vogler - Co-owner of the Cross Decor & Design

Stephanie Vogler
Co-owner of the Cross Decor & Design

Stephanie Vogler tends to lean toward home styling, although she never says no to designing. Aside from collecting all things beautiful, her focus for both her Yaletown store and her decorating approach is a seamless blend of antique and contemporary, with just the right mix of transitional pieces. Try an art-deco table in sleek metal and mirror; it fits in a modern condo or a classic home-no commitments and fully capable of swinging both ways. Vogler's personal preferences are a bit more difficult to pin down. She describes her work as "a study in contrasts", but admits that she favours a more neo-classical style (with elements like pillars and busts). The key to this vast eclecticism is a neutral base established by the sofas, chairs, and walls, and then changing the look of the room with accessories. The dressing-up is done using textures and tones. Vogler motions toward a display in her store: "There are five different tones of blue in that corner, with the chocolate brown and black to ground them." Her main advice is to remember that nothing can go solo: sticking a lone Louis XIV chair into modern décor does not a Cross room make. "Add a Mongolian throw and a crystal chandelier, and the look begins to work", she explains. (Stephanie Vogler and her partner, Darci Ilich, work at the Cross, 604-689-2900, www.thecrossdesign.com/.)

Jim Toy - Interior designer at False Creek Design Group

Jim Toy
Interior designer at False Creek Design Group

Jim Toy stresses that modern design connotes cleaner lines: form follows function in a minimalist approach that avoids decoration and fetish. Enough with the dictionary definitions, though. Toy is good-humoured and passionate about design with a capital D, and pushes all definitions aside. "I personally think that more of us should be thinking about what constitutes good design, because good design transcends all style, and that's more important than being up-to-date with modern trends and what the consumer culture is attracted to," he explains over green tea in his boardroom office. "The term modern should apply to that new sensibility where there is a pluralistic approach, where you can accommodate a full range of period items or styles," he says. "If you're trying to assert your own personality, then that's how to do it. The last thing we want to do is clone environments for image's sake." But individual taste also makes way for practical needs: "It must serve functional needs and it must be a place you want to be," he emphasizes. "Substance over style-we tend to forget that." (Toy is the principal at False Creek Design Group, 604-688-3131, www.fcdgroup.com/.)

Haward Palmateer - Interior designer and owner of Farmhouse Collections Ltd.

Haward Palmateer
Interior designer and owner of Farmhouse Collections Ltd.

The country look is not all about washboards, wooden ducks, or rocking chairs, and Haward Palmateer is determined to ensure we all know the various dimensions of this décor style. In Palmateer's view, country is an umbrella term that can cover the basics, from "western" to "farmhouse" to "log cabin". But his own design sense integrates a European influence, introducing curves and angles-maybe even via some Louis XIV-style pieces for the more daring. He often pairs older, more rustic furnishings with hits of the contemporary, as well: a Parsons chair or sleek leather ottoman or black cabinets mixed in with the crackled paint, to even the balance between rural and urban. His ultimate goal in any design is to provide a sense of place for owners that takes them away from their daily reality. On the surface, it may seem to be about the worn edges, enamel dishware, and tin signage, but in Palmateer's design world, country is all about escape. (Palmateer appears on HGTV's Love It or Lose It, Fridays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m., and works at Farmhouse's Granville location, 604-738-0167, www.farmhousecollections.com/.)