Expert Of The Week: Heidi Pribell

Antiques Dealer, Harvard graduate, Interior Designer, Historic Color Consultant, and genuinely fulfilled person are all great phrases to capture just a few angles of the real Heidi Pribell.  Boston Home Magazine has honored Heidi with three consecutive "Best of Boston awards.  I understood quickly what sets Heidi apart.  She's informed, passionate, and in her own words "has a voracious appetite for learning."  But what makes her tick?

 
Heidi's studio is a converted gas station.  Ah, what vision can do!  Image via here

Heidi has these great layers when it comes to how she thinks, yet it comes out in such a simple and balanced perspective.  A strong background as a successful antiques dealer, Heidi references the many lessons history has to teach when it comes to design.  "Antiques offer a personal component- they add soul and meaning--a connection to the past.  The human psyche needs to be anchored."

Heidi believes antiques "can add a sense of grace and wisdom to a minimal or modern interior."  If more of us considered history as a springboard for ideas, perhaps we wouldn't repeat the same decorating dilemmas so often!  In her designs, Heidi refers to tried and true design rules of the past, but finds ways to reinvent, recolor, and redefine spaces in a contemporary way.

I asked Heidi about her clients and how she introduces new color and design ideas to them.  When it comes to color, it "can be very emotional and when I use it for people, color can be soothing and a mood enhancer" says Heidi.  "Clients have a boldness about them and seek me out.  White from Fright is popular, but not my taste.  I thrive on bringing out their adventurous side using color--  interpreting the colors that will work for them."  Perhaps it's her ability to create fun and functional spaces that keeps those clients coming back to her over the years.

Image courtesy of Heidi Pribell

Heidi's palette is vast and "inspired by the natural color spectrum that allows for every nuance of color."  Color helps to create harmony and that harmony helps those busy clients to "see" their space in a new light.  At the end of the day, Heidi truly prides herself on a happy client.

Location is key in deciding your palette, according to Heidi.  "Try to create the experience you’re after.  Keep your furnishings appropriate to the style of your home and pay close attention to proportion to get the look right.  Paint is the least expensive way to decorate your home, so it's a wonderful way to create many moods and satisfying environments."  When it comes to choosing colors, she says to consider your "exterior surroundings.  Geography makes big impact in my projects.  Light, location, experience of color in the natural world where you live, can all influence how colors look inside your home."

What are some of her tried and true palettes for clients? 

Image courtesy of Heidi Pribell 

Current Color Combinations:

Coral and Celedon, Turquoise, Lime, & Lavender, Red orange and Yellow

Image courtesy of Heidi Pribell 

Classic Color Combinations:

Claret and Sage, Pink and Green, Yellow and Blue, Red and White

In her own words, Heidi describes her design goals.  "I seek out these things in all my work: 

Vibrant Style: to create something evocative, with radiance and liveliness

Defining Detail: a focus on craftsmanship in everything

Bold Forms and Ornamentation as Art:  patterning and layering that gives groundedness

Fresh & Elegant: transcends time, always feel young

 
Image via here

Heidi considers her career and says she is "self taught on cultural history."  I would say she is defining the future of cultural history, too.       

Resources: Heidi Pribell Interiors, Adelphi Wallcovering, Best of Boston

Find Heidi at Benjamin Moore's Experts Exchange

Comments

[Brisbane Carpet]

What more can I say! WOW! They gorgeously look fantastic! You've definitely used the spaces creatively. Looking great1 Every corner counts! I love it, very attractive!