Last updated : Thursday, November 5, 2009

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Designer Q&A: Erin Gates

Forget expensive furniture and lavish drapes, when it comes to making your home look good, it all boils down to the basics. We went to interior designer Erin Gates who gave us tips on how to update your home without spending a fortune.

What's the easiest way to update a room?
Paint. Definitely paint. It absolutely changes everything and it's so cheap. I think people think, "Oh well, I'll paint the wall and it won't do that much". But it can change the room and give you great initiative to make more changes.

What's your favorite paint/trim combination?
I'm a sucker for white trim. Give me tons of trim and "White Dove" Ben Moore. My dining room wood was dark and immediately I painted it white. I like dark walls – right now I'm liking black walls and white trim. It creates such a stunning backdrop for silver pieces and colored stuff. Colors just pop insanely off black. Chocolate brown can give the same effect. But black is a really tough sell … I'm dying to paint someone's room black!

You couldn't paint just any room black though …
No, you would need a large room with a lot of natural light. Or you could do more of a powder room or something like a butler's pantry. You have to have big windows and a lot of architecture with a beautiful trim. You couldn't do a pre-fab house with no built-in architecture and wall-to-wall carpeting. That would not be good. There are certain things that have to be in place.

What are your favorite neutral colors?
"Manchester Tan" and "Brown Horse", both Benjamin Moore. Neutrals are hard. Picking out color is hard. I use my house as kind of a laboratory . We've painted these rooms … I couldn't tell you … my husband could probably tell you because I've made him paint! But I just love trying things out myself in my own space. My office was lavender for a long time and now it's "Kelly Green", so with the trends I like to get my hands dirty and really see so that when people ask me how it works, I can tell them.

What should you think about before painting a room?
Think about what the finish will be. Do you want eggshell, semi-gloss, gloss or matte? I always go with semi-gloss and high gloss on trim. You can do high gloss on ceilings if you do it in a color, otherwise I wouldn't. Bathrooms should be gloss because they clean easier. As far as color goes, you have to patch test and you have to do it on different walls in a room. Light changes color so greatly in a room. Look at it in the morning, in the afternoon and the evening. Painting a room is a lot of work so you want to get it right. Get the test jar and put it on at least two opposing walls, and put a few different shades up there. I always end up going with something different than the one I originally thought would look good. Be a little brave.

How can you make a small space look bigger?
The biggest mistake people make in small spaces is using small furniture. Use one or two big pieces. Teeny, tiny furniture will make it look so much smaller and cluttered. Hang your window treatments all the way to the ceiling. There is nothing that shortens walls more than hanging curtains right above the window! Go as far as you can, maybe an inch under the molding of a ceiling and it will totally heighten the room and make it look bigger.

If you were going to invest in one piece of furniture, what would it be?
A great sofa. If you're going to spend money in your living room you can find chairs and tables and rugs that are inexpensive. If you buy a sofa that you love you will probably hang onto it for 15 years.

Where can you get a great sofa?
Probably Crate and Barrel. They have great ones because through them you can order sofas from Lee Industries and you can pick your own fabric, which is important. My favorite sofas right now are by Duralee, which is to the trade only (available to decorators), but great. And not as expensive as you'd think. If you go to a Pottery Barn or a Restoration Hardware, by the time you pick your fabric and pay for delivery it can be $3 or 4 thousand! The one I like at Duralee would be under three. That's when it can be nice to have somebody in the trade who can help you out.

What about lighting? Should you spend a lot of money on lighting?
Lighting can go either way. Really good lighting is amazing. Typically, with a dining room chandelier or a really prominent fixture, you should spend money. If you really love it, spend the money. A client fell in love with a fixture for her foyer and I told her it was worth it because you can see it from every room in the house. She is thrilled! It will be there forever.

If you could be any piece of furniture, what would you be and why?
A Barcelona Chair! That was really quick, huh? It's my favorite chair in the whole world. They're not comfortable and it's really hard to get up from them. I wanted them in my living room and my husband was like, "you've got to be kidding me". It never went out of style and it's so classic and I feel like even my clients who have very traditional tastes have incorporated it. I don’t know, I want one in my bedroom someday where I can throw stuff on it and I can look at it and be happy.

More on Erin:
Her blog, Elements of Style
Erin's Favorite Fashion Trends
An Inside Look: Erin Gates' Boston Condo

For more decorating tips, go to the At Home section. 

 

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