A. I’ve always been a magazine and book-aholic from the get-go. I probably have every issue of every design magazine going back 20 years now. Scary, isn’t it? I love images, so my head was always full of visuals. This was my opportunity to squeeze those visuals out of my head, and to get some of the lessons that I’ve learned over the years onto the pages of the book. The book is almost a diagnostic tool for people on how to approach decor in their home.
Q. A lot of people seem to be terrified of color.
A. Exactly. And why? It can’t bite you. It’s funny, I think they’re afraid of making a statement, and that’s really too bad. I always say, “You’re beige, and then you die.’’ So why not do the orange wall? Or do stripes? People say, “I’ve always wanted to paint my living room orange.’’ Well, nothing’s stopping you. You can always paint that orange wall a different color if it’s too much for you.
Q. Why do you think that people quake over color?
A. I think they fear judgment from other people. They fear having someone walk into their house and say, “Oh my God, what were you thinking?’’ And really, what everybody should do is make their surroundings an expression of what they like. Then, if the person likes you, it’s one more step toward understanding your personality. But many people decorate for the approval of others.
Q. There seems to be an emphasis on neutral now in home decor.
A. When it comes to selling, there’s definitely that emphasis on neutral. I swear I sold my first home because of the paint colors I had chosen. The buyers just loved the colors. I said, “You know, you should probably look at the furnace, too.’’ But they just loved the palette. I’m saying that you should add your personality to it.
Q. A lot of times these interior projects are seen as posh. Do you have ideas of how this can be done without spending a lot of money?
A. Paint is cheap; there’s nothing less expensive than a can of paint. Style has no price tag. There’s one section of the book where everything came from a secondhand store, and we repainted it. The entire room was done for under $400. There are many, many options that are not expensive.
Q. Do you find that people in New England have a particular aesthetic? I think we have an unjust reputation for being a bit staid in our design.
A. It is a reputation, and I don’t think it’s actually true. There are people who have style everywhere, and there are people who don’t have style everywhere. There are traditions in New England about being austere. It’s just clean - I don’t want to say it’s Spartan. It’s utilitarian, but also attractive. So it’s classic, but people have freshened it up a lot.
