A coastal-dream inspired decor

Ottawa Interior designer Tanya Collins received three awards at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) 2019 Design awards Oct. 19, for her contribution to the interior design and decor of the 2019 Minto Dream Home for the CHEO Dream of Lifetime Lottery. New Home + Condo Guide asked Collins to share some of the inspiration behind her design choices.

New Home + Condo Guide: The Minto Dream of a Lifetime home, at 5,689 sq. ft., is quite a large family home. Was it a challenge to bring a cohesive look throughout the space?

Tanya Collins: Yes, the home was a challenge to bring in a cohesive look throughout, but I kept to a fairly tight colour palette – all in shades of blue and white as well as a common coastal theme with a global Boho influence. There are natural textural accents in each room of the home.

NHCG: How else were you able to achieve the look you wanted?

TC: The coastal look was achieved with a fresh colour palette of blue and white, sun-bleached warm woods, Mediterranean-inspired encaustic tiles, and the layering of natural elements like grasscloth wallpaper, hemp poufs, jute rugs, coral accessories and wicker lighting. All add texture, which is the hallmark of a coastal look.

NHCG: With so many large windows on the main level, how did you choose the window treatments?

TC: Hunter Douglas generously donated the window treatments as a sponsor of the Minto Dream Home. The Vignette Naturals collection is a favourite of mine for the subtle texture it brings to a space. It is versatile for many different decor styles and applications.

NHCG: That turquoise chandelier in the entrance hallway is spectacular. This home has high ceilings and lots of natural light flowing from the windows. How did you choose lighting for the different rooms?

TC: Happy you liked the lighting in the CHEO Dream Home. I have always had a penchant for dramatic lighting, even when I first started my interior design business almost 15 years ago. The turquoise beaded pendant is a showstopper and one of my favourites, too. As the entrance hall light, it makes a fabulous first impression and sets the style for what is to come in the rest of the home.
Lighting – whether from natural sources such as windows or from fixtures placed at varying heights – is a critical element in any of my designed spaces. Lighting type depends on the room exposure and the space requirements.

Table and floor lamps are perfect for living rooms or dens as they give off softer light when they are placed at eye level when sitting or lounging. These types of lights create a cozy warm feeling in a room while providing task lighting for reading.
Pot lighting is best used when general ambient lighting is required: When you require more lighting but do not want to compete with hanging fixtures like pendants or chandeliers; want to highlight an architectural feature; when ceiling height is low; or a room is very small. While chandeliers and pendant lights provide ambient light like pot lighting, they are best used when you want to create a focal point in a room or anchor a piece of furniture like a dining room table or kitchen island, for example.

NHCG: When it comes to artwork and accent pieces, are these items best saved to the end, added when everything else is done?

TC: For the most part, accessories come at the end once the main foundation pieces are in place, but when it comes to artwork, I have created entire room plans around this one element. There are no hard and fast rules in my design world. For example, “Joyous Meadow”, the large art piece by Leanne Cusack that hangs in the second floor upper hall was the first item I purchased for the CHEO Dream Home as I fell in love with it when I saw it at a Glebe art show in the fall.