Lagnappe Custom Interiors flew to the International Window Covering Expo in Las Vegas to accept an industry award for her design of a condo in St. Thomas. Here’s an excerpt of the interview she gave the international trade group.
A new homeowner was in the final stages of a total renovation when he contacted Tiffany Cassidy. The home, which sleeps 14, would be a place for friends and family to gather together and enjoy the beautiful Caribbean water and beaches. ”The request was to help complete the great room—keep it casual, comfortable and simple,” said Cassidy. “Then he added a couple more points: Make sure to include plenty of seating, but there also needs to be open space for the kids to play, people to set down their beach bags, etc. And whatever you do, don’t cover the view!”
When Cassidy took a look, she realized there were several issues: Coral stone columns were oddly placed along the window wall, and low-profile air conditioning units had been installed over some of the windows. So that meant any type of cornice or top treatment to frame the windows was out of the question. Other givens included the pale yellow wall and the large blue sectional sofa.
“I’ve always loved the classic combination of blue, white, and yellow,” said Cassidy. “And with that in mind, these classic Waverly patterns seemed to be a perfect fit.” Because she couldn’t visually lengthen the windows with a top treatment, Cassidy used the stripe to add a bit of vertical interest, and accented the ring-hung stationary panels with a cuff in the coordinating coral pattern. She also suggested that an arm chair and ottoman be upholstered in the same print in order to break up an ocean of blue upholstery. With the small pieces that were left over she created a couple of throw pillows for the sectional.
“Design is a bit of a balancing act between asthetic appeal, function and budget,” said Cassidy. ”The client was coming to the end of long renovation, so the bottom line for this aspect was a concern, but we all agreed that the results perfectly fulfilled all my client’s requests, and then some!”