A few weeks ago, I met with Fred from “Surroundings: For your Home” to talk about his advice on style in your home. Fred is an Decorating Consultant working out of Abbotsford, BC.
I love sitting down with people and hearing about their work and what drives them.
I’m curious about your business. What is it you help people with?
I give people advice on whatever they want help with: furniture placement, colors, etc; and they also guide me on what they want.
How long have you been in interior decorating?
8 years
What started you in this profession?
My wife and I had a decorating store in Abbotsford and people would ask my advice. Now, I get my clients through word of mouth.
What makes for a great day?
A great day is when it all comes together.
What types of projects do you like working on?
I enjoying moving furniture around & decorating for Christmas. I have a few clients who have me do their decorating for Christmas every year.
What was one of your favorite projects of this last year? Why?
I really enjoyed decorating the Brownstones (row homes in Chilliwack, BC) because I had great clients who were really easy to deal with.
What is the process you use for choosing where art should go on walls?
There are no rules. Everything is fashionable. It is all how you put it together.
How would you choose between a large canvas or collage wall?
It depends on what the client has and prefers. They are the ones who will need to love it day-in and day-out.
What are the dos and don’ts of putting pictures on the wall?
Divide a wall into thirds and place photo(s) two-thirds of the way up; which usually is a little higher than eye height. When you are hanging groups of photos or a collage, the tops and bottoms should all be at the same height. It looks best to create a frame or boundaries around a collage.
Are there any other creative ways of displaying photos that you have seen or used?
You can use shelves or lean them on the fireplace. Another unique idea is to create a wallpaper mural with a photo.