Inside design: Alexa Hampton

You know her as the plucky expert from the 2004-05 season of This Old House (PBS). Insiders admire the timeless touch she's lent to projects like Trowbridge House, a home away from home for past presidents sojourning in Washington. We talked to Alexa Hampton about small spaces, including her own elegant but space-challenged New York abode.

SAH: Classic, timeless, traditional -- these are all adjectives used to describe your work. Is that how you see it?
AH: I would say it's more eclectic. I love working in a lot of different styles, from period to modern. If I had all the money in the world, I'd have a house decorated in a French style and another with a more English look; I love it all. But as a professional, I'm hired by someone to express his or her taste or style. I would never bully a client into painting the walls fuchsia just because that's the colour du jour. If you hate it, you'll hate your house, and that would be a huge shame.

SAH: In 2005, you launched a collection of trims. Are such details really critical to your designs?
AH: Trimmings are the shoes and handbags of the decorating world. They complete a look, and they're fun. I design based on what I want to use; my first grouping is neoclassical with a soft palette of watery blues and greens, oyster, gold and terra-cotta.

SAH: Do you believe you have to sacrifice any of those luxuries when decorating a small space?
AH: Quite the contrary. I see so many people who are house rich but decor poor. They've spent all this money on the real estate at the expense of their interiors. But because a small space needs fewer decorative items, it's an opportunity to set the bar high and maintain that standard. I look at a small space as a jewel box filled with a few exquisite items, and approach it as such.

SAH: What are the biggest mistakes that you find most people make when tackling their small space?
AH: They get hemmed into a small-space mentality. They buy items specifically for that space, forgetting that one day they'll move. People assume, incorrectly, that if they buy small pieces, the room will seem bigger. Similarly, buying huge chairs to make a room with 14-foot-high ceilings seem more intimate isn't going to work. You can't go wrong if everything has classic proportions. I like what I call human-scaled furnishings. Both my husband and I are really tall. In our old apartment, which was 600 square feet, we had a custom-made sofa that was eight feet long and four feet deep; it had to be brought in in two pieces. But it was beautiful and it worked for us.

SAH: Functionality plays a key role in the design of any space. Is it more imperative in small spaces?
AH: Any room, particularly a small one, has to work. You have to be aware of traffic flow to decide if a favourite chair will fit, and where a coffee cup or wineglass will be placed. The first thing I do when I design a space -- big or small -- is create a furniture plan. I'll test it to make sure the room is both pleasing to live in and pleasing to the eye. Then I usually move on to fabrics.