Interior Design Series: Spring Trends

TIA HUGHES

Tia Hughes’s approach to interiors is chic yet purposeful.

The graphic-designer-turned-interior-designer’s ethos is centred on creating uniquely beautiful, highly functional spaces for her clients.

After cutting her teeth in the design world at a number of boutique design agencies in Toronto, Hughes made her way back to Windsor to start a family and open a studio of her own.

Drawing on her graphic design background to inform her décor techniques, Hughes applies colour theory and exceptional use of proportion to bring her spaces to life. A perfect marriage of Hughes’s interior decorating skill and graphic design background, Tia Hughes Design offers combined décor and brand identity services.

Hughes would best describe her aesthetic as ‘modern transitional,’ playing with simplistic modern lines and incorporating warm neutrals and mixed metals. Despite her love of modern influences, Hughes understands the importance of staying true to a space’s character. Her major source of inspiration for a project is often the space itself—as she’s so rarely in a new build, the originality of her surroundings often influences her choice of design.

Speaking of old meeting new, when asked about her favourite Spring 2020 trend, Hughes shares her enthusiasm for the current revival of ’60s-era cane furniture in a fresh, modern setting. Stressing that this isn’t your grandmother’s rattan furniture, she highlights how its organic texture provides a statement-making contrast against clean, minimalist styling. Her favourite piece from the trend—the Antonia Dining Chair by Four Hands—is a perfect inclusion in a mixed dining set, as a stand-alone seat or, even cooler, a design-forward alternative to a bedside table.

Interested in learning more about how Tia Hughes can help you elevate your space? Follow her and her stunning designs on Instagram and Pinterest @tiahughesdesign.

DAVID BURMAN

David Burman comes by his love of décor honestly: he cites his family as a major source of inspiration. 

As a child, instead of asking for toys on his birthday, Burman would often request a renovation of his bedroom, and his parents would frequently return home to find their furniture rearranged. In other words, Burman has always had an eye for design.

Burman says that his grandmother was an appreciator of unique, quality pieces, and had no interest in cookie-cutter trends—a likely source for his love of vintage touches and repurposed items.

“She always used to say that anyone with money can decorate, but it takes more to see beauty in places that are often overlooked or underappreciated.”

Another major influence in Burman’s decision to enter the design world was a family friend: local designer Jodi Mason. He wanted so badly to emulate her design work that when he was 13, he lied about his age, pretending to be older so that he could work alongside her. Burman credits much of what he learned to these early experiences, and nearly two decades later takes pleasure in consulting with Mason and co-referring clients.

Today, Burman is the founder, owner, and operator of Mister Style, the answer to a well furnished, creatively curated home, whether you’re staging to sell or styling to stay. For those uncertain as to how to attract a home’s best possible buyers, Mister Style offers partial- or full-home stages designed to highlight the true potential of a space.

For those among us looking to reimagine the aesthetic of own homes, Burman and his team take great care to get to know their clients, uniquely highlighting their personality in a space that functionally fits their lifestyle. Burman credits his team’s success to their adaptability. While they do encourage clients to expand and explore their own sense of aesthetic, his mandate is ensuring the final design captures the best possible version of a client’s vision.

Burman’s statement-making style is a perfect fit with his Spring 2020 trend of choice: statement tiles. He reasons that while many of us do love a white bathroom or backsplash, a statement tile gives us the opportunity to add vibrancy to spaces that so often remain generic. His bold choice from this trend are gold, 3-D hexagon tiles by Ciot, an interesting alternative to a bold paint colour or wallpaper for a statement wall that will elevate your space.

To keep up with Burman’s eclectic design journey, follow him on Instagram @misterstyleinc and on Facebook at facebook.com/misterstyle.

PHOTO/PIECE INFO: Tiles are by Ciot and available at Marquis Tile in Windsor.

JODI MASON

Business-like precision paired with a designer’s perspective: that’s what Jodi Mason brings to her clients.

After stepping away from a career in finance to start a family, Mason decided to find a way to marry her business skill with passion for design—first making a foray into real-estate staging, and ultimately discovering her niche in interior design.

In 2007, Mason launched Urbanhome, a destination for inspired, luxury design services and uniquely chic décor pieces within her shoppable showroom. With a client base that includes a number of NHL players across the border in Detroit, and a new studio poised to open in Naples, Florida, this spring, Mason’s designs are continually in demand.

Despite her business roots, Mason admits that her approach to design is steeped in emotional nuance. Beyond how the space operates, Mason makes it her business to understand how its inhabitants will want to feel, and what it needs to offer them. She shares that her leading inspiration for each space is the combination of personalities of the people who will occupy it.

For Mason, it’s simply not enough for a space to be beautiful; it needs to be loved and to speak to its inhabitants on a personal level. She often accomplishes just that by incorporating elements that have meaning to the people who will live within them. She includes old things, like a well-loved book or object that evokes nostalgia, which Mason finds irresistible—and she’s not alone.

She’s all about creating a mood and a feeling for a space. In lives filled with distractions and overstimulation, Mason aims to create a place that evokes a sense of restfulness and calm. Employing monochromatic hues and minimalist use of statement colour, Mason’s designs are equal parts intriguing and stress-reducing.

Mason’s favourite Spring 2020 trend is one that conjures a sense of rebirth and refreshment: mixed media artwork. Incorporating techniques like graffiti and abstract content, as shown in her selected piece, “A Book’s Cover,” is an excellent way of adding new perspective and personality to a space this season. Mason is effusive in her description of the piece, drawing attention to the vibrancy of its colours and juxtaposition of feminine and masculine elements within it. “It’s unexpected,” muses Mason. “What could be better than a fresh start this spring?”

To see more of Mason’s uniquely emotive style, follow her on Instagram @urbanhomewsr and on Facebook at facebook.com/UrbanHomeWindsor.