I've followed along multi-disciplinary designer, Tiffany Pratt for many years. She was the first person, who truly influenced me to purchase a piece of clothing. A gorgeous salvaged, patchwork, handmade cardigan from Canadian designer Honeybea. It still sits in my closet, treasured, and I often think I'm channeling my creative side when I wear it.
My jaw naturally drops when I stumble upon Tiffany's creative on social media. She's truly inspiring and after reading her book, This Can Be Beautiful, I feel a rejuvenated confidence blooming inside of me.
My jaw naturally drops when I stumble upon Tiffany's creative on social media. She's truly inspiring and after reading her book, This Can Be Beautiful, I feel a rejuvenated confidence blooming inside of me.
Tiffany is coming to the Edmonton Fall Home Show October 14 to 16 and I was lucky enough to send her some Q's! Read below and hopefully, you too, will find a creative spark inside of you!
JMa: I really resonated with a quote in your book, “I believe that a space can be your soul made visible.” From someone who also uses a lot of bold colour, I often get varying comments – I find that so many people stick to safe trends. Do you have any advice for people who get stuck taking the safe route? I think it’s important to share your personality with your home, how do you build confidence in doing so?
TP: Great question! One of my favorite ways to inspire my clients when assembling spaces is to think outside of the home or trends for inspiration. I ask them to compile a list or visual of the things they love. From this list I can find my client and their true essence. If they knew how to bring a space together they would not have called me. That is why most people take the safe route. They do what they think is "right" and try to forget about it, until they wake up one morning and feel like they are living in someone else's home. By referencing outside of home decor when working with clients I can tap into what they love and the people, places and things that mean home to them. Then I set to work putting those references to life so that I can show the client back to themselves by way of space. Almost every space I have ever done has colour in it, mostly because everyone truly loves colour--they just need to find the right ones for them and to be shown how to apply it in a way that resonates with them and the space in question. Colour is healing and everyone wants to come home to a healing space. Once you apply the things you love in your home in a way that feels like you--that part of your life feels alive. To have a home that truly feels like your home allows you to rest and focus on other more important things. My clients can go out in the world feeling fully expressed and able to do their service in the world knowing their home is sorted & a place they can retreat to recharge.JMa: I’m obsessed with how you integrate using many recycled materials in the world. How do you manage keeping an organized space with all of the creative materials that you use?
TP: If I was to share my astrological chart with you, everything would make sense. But I have always been one of those wild creatives that truly values organization and systems in the home. I apply this deep love for organization and systems when I design for my clients. I think it is important to design for the life that you have, so I have designated spaces for my collections, stashes, recyclables, and curiosities. This is the life that I have and I have made room for it. My husband knows what to keep and what to recycle and equally I know when I need to use up what I have stashed and stop collecting. My designated spaces have limits and I stash within that limit and I purge and give often. When something comes into my home I "process it" and break down the things I will keep or recycle, toss or give. I have always loved giving things a second life and witnessed the beauty in something someone has thrown away. This natural inclination makes for great wrapping of gifts but needs to stay under wraps so that my studio does not become a recycle center. I have cabinets, dresser drawers of different designations, glass jars full of things and basement tupperware labeled with what I have kept and what is inside. The key for me is that if I do not use something up within a year, I get rid of it. That keeps my mind and space sorted at all times.JMa: Fashion is a great way for people to express their personalities and the same concepts of neutral safe vs. colour are also present in this area of people's lives. Do you approach fashion the same way as design? Would you ever consider a fashion line? I’d buy it!! Ha.
TP: Fashion was my first love! As a tiny little TP, I would watch Fashion Television with Jeannie Becker and understand even then that fashion is an art form. I worked in the fashion industry in my 20's and learned a lot about fabrics, women's bodies, brands, fast fashion and the art of assembly. There is no difference to me between fashion and interior design. We all make choices everyday and what we wear is our message to the world. I have always loved colour and texture and layering them is something that inspires me. I care very little about figure hugging fashion because I like to wear as much as I can and highlight as much texture and colour as I can. Like a walking canvas of clothes. I love a layered home steeped in stories, curious combinations and texture and I dress the same way. An outfit properly assembled of many interesting layers or pieces is always greater than the sum of its parts. The home is much the same. It does not matter where I get things or how much they cost. It can be a thrift dress with a great jacket and old boots with a new hat. It is not about the pieces, it is about how it was put together. My home design style is the same. EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING!My dream is to get back into fashion in some way as I have been dreaming of my runway show for years. This fashion line might happen. Who knows!?
Catch THE Tiffany Pratt at the Edmonton Fall Home Show, on the Sleep Country Main Stage presented by the Edmonton Journal on Friday at 6pm and Saturday at 1pm.
If you're interested in her book, head to my instagram page for your chance to win a copy!
