ON TREND

HOME Design On Trend SARAH RICHARDSON IN THE LIVING ROOM

OF THE COLLINGWOOD AREA, CONVERTED

CHURCH THAT SHE RENOVATED AND

RECENTLY DECORATED

Stay Calm

BY MARY TAGGART PHOTOGRAPHY BY VALERIE WILCOX

Canadian designer and TV personality Sarah Richardson has spent more than 20 years working in a multitude of design-related capacities. Her latest endeavour is with Canadian furniture company Palliser. She has designed four different lines of furnishings that evoke a sense of calm with a clean-lined aesthetic and soothing palette.

The talented designer is known for her classic styling, and love of blue and green watery coastal influences which can be seen within the collection. Sarah also professes a leaning towards neutrals.

“At my core I’m actually somebody who loves to live with the beauty of naturally-neutral materials. Cream on cream, mixed with oyster, flax, linen and shell tones are my happy place—everything in the natural realm is what I could live with until the end of time and never tire of. That’s why you’ll see a real celebration of naturally-neutral tones in every part of my four collections.”

A backdrop of creams and whites sets the tone for the soothing look. But there is no lack of intrigue within the furnishings. Sarah has incorporated rich texture and deep tones of blue and earth shades to create a look that stands the test of time, yet calls to the trend for a touch of modern mixed in with the classics.

With so much time being spent at home these days, Sarah advises against using heavy patterned fabrics. Instead, she suggests incorporating textural detailing into a more neutral scheme to achieve a balance of intrigue and calm. This is particularly important within a home office space where simple décor helps to ease stress.

Adapting space to meet the demands of the new normal has been a challenge within many households, but it’s also something that Sarah claims to be just a part of modern living. Her designs reflect a flexible mindset.

“Versatility and practicality were always top of mind in the development process. We tried to imagine every home scenario— you might need a desk to also function as a console table, or a sofa table that has storage, and can become a bar or buffet. We really wanted everything to be able to go into a multitude of locations, so height, width, depth was thoroughly considered,” states the thoughtful designer.

The four new styles designed by Sarah Richardson for the Palliser collection are The Annex, The Shore, The Boulevard and The Vista. Each has its own look, but all share a similar feeling with hints of contemporary neutrals injected with personality either through bold accents, natural influences, classic styling and shape influences.

All furnishings are from the Sarah Richardson for Palliser collection. Find the collection through sarahrichardson.palliser.com

2020