With a recently published book and a stunning new collection of furniture for Thomasville, Darryl Carter is the man who's making everything old feel new again. His look, aptly dubbed The New Traditional, rejects "here today, gone tomorrow" trends in favour of timeless antique treasures cocooned in a crisp, neutral envelope. It's a look that's fresh, cosy and inviting. We sat down with the designer to talk decor.
STYLE AT HOME How do you keep traditional from feeling stale and stuffy?
DARRYL CARTER My clients are often disparate in that one may be predisposed to the modern and his or her spouse to the traditional. There tends to be a presumption that there’s no nexus between the two styles, but I think they marry beautifully. Everything has evolved from something before, and even the most modern forms have a connection to the past, so these forms can work together rather logically. I generally make a space feel more modern by having a very neutral envelope, and then taking classic furniture pieces and executing them in unexpected textiles. If you take a classic camelback sofa, for instance, and cover it in a neutral linen, suddenly the piece takes on a modern sensibility because you're seeing the architecture of the piece rather than the textile.
S@H Are we too hung up on perfection when decorating?
DC Yes, we should avoid that. I'm about living in my environment, and that’s something I honour with my clients. I aim to understand their lifestyle -- the way my clients actually live in their home instead of the way they "ought" to live there. If you’re not someone who routinely entertains large groups, I'd advocate lining the dining room with bookshelves and bringing in a collapsible table so the space becomes more usable as a reading room, rather than maintaining its status as a dining room at all times. Just convert it for the lesser use on special occasions. I think people tend to do the reverse.
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