Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher's Broadway show, is light years away from her performance as the famed Princess Leia in Star Wars. But in both cases, She Is A Star.
And a Star needs a Star-Worthy dressing room, of course! Enter John Gidding, designer from HGTV's Designed to Sell and ABC Family's Knock First. His roots in architecture and international experience made him the right choice when Carrie was looking to add some livable panache to the tired dressing room at Studio 54 (If you're like me and weren't there to party it up at Studio 54 when it was the "it" spot, you can now catch a show there, instead.)
Back to John and Carrie. John had ONE conversation with Carrie about this project and decided to tap into a couple of key elements for his design solution-- Color and Sheen! I asked some questions of John about his approach on this project. He was was kind enough to get in front of our camera to give us some insights on this fantastic and whimsical space. Take a look...
What I love about the space is that the solutions are practical and economical without sacrificing style and quality.
The color is brilliant and creates a unique combination. It truly stands out as a beautiful array of color and is highlighted by John's playful variety of sheens. John was inspired by colors in a
Missoni fabric and created a similar combination through horizontal bands of color on the wall. By using a high performing paint,
Aura, they spent less time and effort on the paint job so Carrie could spend more time enjoying the completed room. According to John, you have to just play with the sheen levels to really understand how it can effect the color.
[My rule of thumb on sheen: Higher sheens result in more light reflecting off the paint and so the color looks a bit lighter. Use matte sheen when you've got imperfect walls and accent with higher gloss levels for a touch of interest and surprise. Try the same color in two or three sheens in blocks, polka dots or stripes to get a subtle shift of color.]
Can you take any cues from John's design solution? Here are some golden rules I've gathered.
1. No matter what the size of your space or what elements you can't change, you can still make it your own using simple ideas and color.
2. High-low is the way to go. Decide where spending a little extra will make a difference. In Carrie's case, the budget and timeline were tight. John made great impact through color and light. Much of the lighting and the even the makeup tables are from
Ikea. The accents are rich and meaningful like artistic photography and nostalgic memorabilia. He didn't skimp on the paint but used paint that will show color well, will cover and hide easily, and will last until Carrie's ready for a new look.
3. Edit your space. Add and subtract objects from your room to give it a fresh look and to change with whatever is happening in your life.
Did you catch all the colors he used? Just in case, here they are again. Now it's up to you to play with placement, sheen, and everything else that makes these colors work for you!
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