Supria is moving to her new office and has had some experience working with me before on the Paris apartment project. Would I consider doing her office? Delighted to be asked. Absolutely!
The room is petite but I love the downtown location, a beautiful brick farmhouse style building, now serving a number of professional people. As I get to know Supria better I'm treated to a mini lesson on encaustic painting in her new studio in Elora. I learn she has a retro streak. We discover we have lots in common when it comes to our creative styles. We both love love love colour. It's going to be really fun working together.
Expressionism Before ...
Expressionism After ...
My first task is to lighten and brighten the space but this is tricky as paint is usually the last decision after everything else has been decided and purchased. I know enough that it will be light, colourful and work with Supria's amazing art pieces. The footprint is straight forward and I'm up to old tricks by dividing the space into therapy and office areas. We decide the therapy area needs to be near the window and Supria's desk will go on the opposite wall.
It's not my style to put a person's back to a window, especially when the gardens below are so lovely but Supria decides the client gets priority. Because of the location of the doors and windows this really lets us max out the space. I'll just have to make everything as enticing as possible to make up for it. The green retro style chair and her upholstered swivelling desk chair offer options for working on her laptop that don't constrain her to facing the wall. My other challenge is our key purchases are being sourced online and in consignment stores so I have to be careful to make sure it all works together. Supria's family has history in India and the UK as well as Canada. Consequently her taste is eclectic and colourful and lucky for me she likes everything I've sourced for her.
With Supria's background as an artist, art is an important component of her therapy and is used to allow clients to express themselves in unique ways. We need to add an art centre to the already tiny foot print. You've heard me say it before, when you've exhausted your floor space your vertical space becomes valuable real estate. Go up! I love all the colour but am conscious it can't become a chaotic jumble. I work thoughtfully to keep it super organized. We also use some new lighting from Ikea that allows Supria to control not only the brightness of the space but the temperature of the light so she can use cooler (blue) light for a more energetic environment and warmer (yellow) light for a softer soothing environment depending on the needs of her clients. The floor lamp has a mirrored mosaic pattern that reminds me of the fantastic designs India is known for. When the sun arrives at a certain angle colourful light is sprinkled around the room like confetti. There's no resisting the feeling of optimism if you're fortunate enough to be there when it happens.
I never shy away from small spaces. Just because they're little doesn't mean they can't have a big impact. Words to live by, lol!
Ocean Bottega Interiors
Layered interiors, colourful style, relaxed living, fun attitude, timeless life