Candice Olson updates classics to create contemporary comfort
HGTV designer debuts licensed lines in High Point
Cinde W. Ingram -- Home Accents Today, 5/1/2006 12:21:00 PM
Taking traditional and classic cues, Candice Olson pares down home furnishings, gives them a contemporary twist, adds stylized dressmaker details and brings them up-to-date to meet the needs of today's consumers.
The designer from Toronto doesn't mind letting others watch her creative process develop from two-dimensional drawings into 3-D projects and products. Her hit TV shows, in Canada for its fifth season and on HGTV in the United States for three, prove people like to watch. "I think there's a real thirst for design shows that show good designs," Olson said. "Fifteen years ago, clients would come to you and be completely in the dark; now they are much more knowledgeable." The tall 40-year-old mother of two small children gained a fan following as host of W Network's design series, Divine Design, by inviting viewers inside the lives of homeowners who need a space transformed in their homes. Guiding viewers through the process of knocking down walls, designing entire floors and building rooms from scratch, Olson shares information on the latest in style and design, step by step. She likes working with construction crews and showing the project through its dirty aspects to its attractive end. "It's important for me to show people I'm the real deal," she said. "Because we are in this era of celebrity endorsements and I'm not a racecar driver, I'm not a movie star, I'm not an actor -- you can tell that by watching the show." Perhaps that accessible attitude was what motivated market attendees to ask her to pose with them in photos and sign autographs inside the Norwalk showroom. In addition to shooting 26 episodes each year, she now turns her attention to creating a collection of lamps manufactured by AF Lighting and area rugs by Hellenic Rug Imports. For the first time, buyers here are seeing lush fabrics from the Kravet Portfolio Collection on her upholstered designs in the Norwalk Furniture showroom at 215 South Main St. Five of Olson's sofas are debuting, along with two dining chairs, two ottomans and one wingback-style headboard shown in both leather and a feminine fabric for dramatically different appearances. All the pieces are eclectic rather than in suites. "What I wanted to show with the whole furniture collection is really a philosophy of how I approach design and in response to what I'm hearing from my clients," Olson said. "Everyone's leaning more toward contemporary, but they're petrified that contemporary is going to mean severe, cold and sterile. So the look of each one of these programs -- lighting, rugs, fabric - blossomed out of my approach, which means contemporary, modern, pared down but comfortable - visually and physically comfortable." Such comfort comes from consumers recognizing a design reference from the past in a contemporary design, she said. For example, she pointed out the double hump camelback of the Bette sofa with scrolled arms upholstered in a super-sized damask fabric. When thinking of a name for the sofa, Olson referred to Bette Midler's sassy, sexy, curvy look. Other Hollywood glamour interpretations surface in her designs for the collection. Another example is the Gretta ottoman, with a tufted top, ample storage underneath and flared legs. Classic brass nailhead trim outlines the silhouette of curved lines in pieces like the Dianna dining chair, available with arms or without. "It's contemporary in its overall presentation, but you still see that little recognition factor," Olson said. "Fabric the same way, I take a damask but super-size it, change the scale up a bit and work with it for striate effects, distressing the fabric a bit and playing with light and sheen. It's that recognition factor, people look at it and can say it's not totally foreign. And that makes it comfortable." One advantage of working with Norwalk, which manufactures in the United States, is testing the pitch of chairs and the feel of fabrics as she tweaks prototypes to assure physical comfort, she said. Another advantage is being able to control total product presentation in Norwalk's stores. "The great thing about this whole approach is that you don't have to throw the baby out with the bath water -- you can see these pieces working with existing case goods, maybe an antique table or a beautiful modern glass table," she said. "It lets people live with the past and also work in pieces from the future so these rooms really can grow and evolve. That's a real signature of mine." Just as people age from age 20 to 30 and 40 and more, rooms should reflect evolution rather than remain stagnant, she said.
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Candice Olson adds fresh edge to classics
May 15, 2006
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