She’s beautiful, witty and a fabulous interior designer. I had the pleasure of meeting Canada’s Meredith Heron while touring KBIS with BlogTour earlier this year and liked her from hello. I also became an instant fan of her classic design style with a modern unexpected twist. Meredith has an amazing eye for combining color, pattern and textures. She makes it look effortlessly. Each space is inviting, unique and fresh. In addition to being a great person and having an impressive design portfolio, Meredith has regularly been featured as guest host and design expert on national television programs such as Restaurant Makeover, which has been seen by audiences all over the world. What can this woman not do?!
I’m thrilled to be interviewing Meredith today!
Simplified Bee: Your signature designs are fresh, colorful and bold. When did you know you wanted to be an interior designer?
Meredith Heron: I wanted to be a designer when I was 9 going on 10. My parents had split, I lived with my dad and he was working with an interior decorator. Her office was beside my hairdressers. I loved wallpaper. The selection process was so much fun and I never tired of flipping through the books. I wanted my dad to marry her. He didn’t. It was probably the worst mistake of his life. My stepmother isn’t nearly as cool. Heck, she’s not even nice. I put that aside however until my early 20s when, as an elementary school teacher I realized I had made a huge mistake choosing that as my career path. At this point, design was a hobby. I was poor as teachers are terribly underpaid or were back then when they first started out. I took a job making paint at Home Depot and became an in-demand associate. After too many requests to come to people’s homes I decided to go back to school part time for design which I did over the next 3.5 yrs. I made the leap in 2002 to leave teaching just shy of my 30th birthday. I haven’t looked back since.
SB: How would you describe your personal style and how has it evolved over the years?
MH: I’m totally freezing up here and feeling like I have to choose and this choice will forever determine I am not sure what but let’s give it a whirl. I would love to collaborate with Tory Burch on something fabulous I am not sure what but I think that our sense of pattern play would make us a great combination. From the design side of things I would love to work with Steve Gambrel whom I adore.
SB: I love that you don’t shy away from bold use of color. Do you have “go to” paint colors? If so, which ones?
MH: I have a reputation for using bold colours but I tend to keep my crazy colour moments to just that moments and I usually express them with fabrics rather than paint. I love white walls, but I love blue/black walls equally as much. Living in Canada we have a much cooler light that is not forgiving to bright colours like you find in the islands or more tropical climates. My go to paint colours – Benjamin Moore’s Raccoon Fur. It’s my standard issue I want a navy kitchen blue/black. We sometimes vary that with it’s lighter counterpart Anchor Gray. C2 Paints has an in between version of the perfect shade of indigo called Mistral. It is my mistress. We use Pratt and Lambert’s Seed Pearl as the perfect white it’s not too yellow and plays nicely with greys and rich blues. Benjamin Moore’s Feather Grey and Whitestone are our go to mauve meets periwinkles. I tend to prefer cooler tints on the walls it’s easier to add a splash of a warmer or more saturated bright in fabric. If I had a formula I would say I go cooler on the walls, I will add a warm pastel on occasion to the ceiling but I let my fabric stories warm things up or incorporate bold and dramatic art.
SB: Which of today’s interior design trends are here to stay and which ones will we see fade away?
MH: I want to give an invisible throat punch to the whole “Abandoned, burned to the ground Belgian Farmhouse with an Industrial Hoarder Complex” look that seems to still be hanging around. Restaurants seem to all wear a similar uniform these days. Paint the walls black, use some splintered wood and tetanus causing metal for furniture and then add a chandelier and call it Industrial Chic… I’m OVVVVVVAHHHH it. I seriously designed restaurants almost ten years ago now that had that look. Let’s agree to move on. I would love to see the return to traditional and layered luxe pick up more steam than the Steampunked to death… ya know? Brass I predicted well over three years ago was making a return and I’m thrilled to see how much it has been embraced so I think that it will continue to make it’s home in the industry.
SB: Where do you recommend clients splurge versus save?
MH: Buy the best sofa you can afford. TRUST ME on this one. I’m currently awaiting my new sofa from Wesley Hall and I literally cannot wait. I have a pretty settee in my living room now but it is SO not comfortable. If you are on a tight budget, use 4×4 white ceramic tiles and offset them in a brick pattern. Add black grout. You can dress it up with brass or crystal or dress it down and make it feel cozy and casual. Silk drapery is often cheaper than cotton or linen. Invest in quality area rugs – Persians are so forgiving we put one by our front door and encourage people to walk in with muddy boots or snowy footwear. Let the mess dry and vacuum it up and it looks fabulous.
MH: It really depends on your personality. I could talk paint off of a wall so I’m really good at being myself and just letting it all hang out on the more chattier outlets. I also have a plethora of pictures to share including my process and what my husband has made me for lunch or dinner so Instagram is a great connecting point for me. If you are shy I would suggest Instagram as the SM to hone first. You can share your Instagram to twitter and Facebook so you can kill three birds with one stone. Blogs aren’t for everyone but a Tumblr esque blog where you can share inspiration is often as impactful as those who are more verbose. Authenticity is thrown around as a buzz word but it’s true. Find the medium that is the best reflection of who you are and allows you to speak in the best voice possible.
MH: Thank you! Working with DXV and the team from American Standard has been exceptional. I have been working on a new line of wool and silk bespoke area rugs for my own collection which we should receive our first shipment of over the summer which is incredibly exciting. I also have a very big and exciting collaboration that I will be sharing in the relatively near future but have to stay Mum on the subject for just now. I am a terrible tease yes but I promise the wait will be worth it!!! Building a brand is very much like birthing a baby and raising them into a child and beyond. It’s rewarding, frustrating, isolating, scary and exhilarating often within the same day. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
*all images provided by Meredith Heron Design
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