Fermoyle Design - Stephen Fermoyle's Production Portfolio

Stylist, decorator, and TV personality Stephen Fermoyle is well-known for his knack at creating great interiors for next to no money. According to Stephen, dressing up your home for the holidays doesn't have to mean blowing the bank. He offers up 10 great ideas for seasonal decorating that are all big on creativity and style but small on expense.

1. Avoid shopping at malls for holiday decor; many great seasonal materials can be found from low-cost -- even no-cost -- sources. Strings of lights, bows, ribbon, inexpensive satin or glass balls, and small pots and bowls can all be found at dollar, import, and discount stores; grocery stores also often supply inexpensive platters and vases. Scout your backyard or the local park for pine cones; garden shrubs such as yew, holly, and juniper are laden with berries right now, providing a great (and free) source for small sprigs. Even cut-off bottom boughs from your Christmas tree can be recycled for holiday arrangements.

2. Keep in mind that for a truly lush, festive look, more is more -- but it's quantity, not cash, that counts. Fill every horizontal surface in your house with greenery and other seasonal displays. Hang bows on the bottoms of paintings; arrange candles, crystal, pinecones and garlands on your mantel; wrap the banister in greenery, strings of white lights, and pinecones; add more bows and greenery to your dining room chandelier.

3. Wrap lots of tiny boxes (available at craft stores) with red tissue and small bows. String them along a piece of sturdy twine and hang on your mantel. Arrange little piles on tables as well.

4. Fill small clay or white china bowls from a dollar store (or use plant saucers) with "wedding gourds," small white gourds available at florist shops. Dust with red glitter and display on tables.

5. Fill two large glass or crystal vases or bowls to the brim with Christmas ornaments and display on your dining table. (If you don't already own any glass vases, florists and grocery stores are both inexpensive sources.)

6. Pull out your box of old family photos; frame them in inexpensive silver or wooden frames. Arrange evergreen boughs on a side table and tuck pine cones, ornaments and sprigs of berries through it , then arrange the framed photos on top: instant nostalgia.

7. Nothing puts you in the Christmas mood quicker than a lovely aroma. Fill small bowls with dried cranberries and spray them with Christmas scents. Even easier, invest in quantities of Christmas scented candles and put them in every room.

8. Don't spend money on pre-decorated garlands and wreaths; buy plain ones (false or natural) and decorate them yourself, for a fraction of the cost. Wire or tuck in pinecones, dried fruit or magnolia leaves, and holly sprigs. For a more luxe look, spray-paint the decorations gold before attaching to the garland.

9. Make your own wreaths. Bend two wire coat hangers into circles, wrap short lengths of greenery around one and a string of tiny white lights around the other, and wire together. Tuck sprigs of holly, berries and bows into the wreaths and hang them in all your front windows.

10. Gift wrap your front door. Buy heavy-duty florist's foil in a holiday colour such as silver, gold, red or green; apply wide ribbon in a cross or diagonal across the front; finish with a giant bow.

By: Martha Uniacke Breen

The ability to visualize exactly how a finished room will look gives the professional decorator a distinct advantage. But what if you don't have that ability? Can you still create a beautifully decorated room? Absolutely, says set designer and decorator Stephen Fermoyle, "but you must follow a creative process.

"Regardless of the project, the creative process is the same," he says. "Start with a vision, figure out what you have to work with and then do it."

Fermoyle is known in the industry as a designer who creates dynamic sets for films and TV commercials. I spoke with him over Thanksgiving weekend just as he finished a project for The Bay; a holiday TV commercial where a Fred-and-Ginger-style pair dances through various room settings he designed.

For the set, Fermoyle drew inspiration from a favourite film, Down with Love, and cross-referenced a little Wallpaper magazine to keep it current.

While Fermoyle chose a film and a magazine, anything can be inspiration and the process is the same if you are decorating a whole house or one room.

Begin with a vision; a favourite look from a design book or magazine, a dream destination, even a brilliantly designed restaurant. Consider how this dream space makes you feel. What mood does it evoke? Pay attention to that feeling because you will need to keep it in mind if the decorating project is going to be successful.

For example, if you envision a room that is calm and peaceful, you can immediately eliminate sharp, bright colours and harsh metals. Instead, warm woods, pale colours and limited patterns will deliver the results you crave. After years of working with directors, producers and advertising agencies, Fermoyle made the transition to private clients, including home and business owners.

A recent project for Gilda's Club, a downtown cancer-support community, proved truly satisfying. Fermoyle designed a teen room, where young visitors to the club find a haven from the stresses of dealing with cancer (their own illness or that of a loved one).

Fermoyle drew inspiration from his own childhood and the well-loved 1970s rec room.

"I knew these kids were too young to have any idea what a rec room was. For them, it's a brand-new concept," he says.

Once the inspiration is clear, every decision is easy. Just follow these steps:

1. Analyze the room

Take an inventory of what you have to work with. "Look at the bones of the space," says Fermoyle. Determine which elements are worthy of attention and then make those prominent.

Emphasize handsome architecture such as crown mouldings, baseboards, doors and windows with contrasting paint colors.

Minimize problems, such as an ill-placed column or off-centre window by eliminating contrast and creating a focal point that detracts from these areas.

2. Get rid of the past

One major problem Fermoyle sees with residential clients is their insistence on keeping all their old furniture when they move into a new home.

"Stop dragging the past around with you," says Fermoyle. Be prepared to start fresh with at least some of the furniture. If the sofas and chairs are in great shape, then consider reupholstering them so they are more appropriate for the new look.

3. Start with a big purchase

Don't be content to just dream about the desired space, roll up your sleeves and decorate.

"It's making that first purchase that is hard for people, because after that, they are committed to a style or a look," says Fermoyle.

Stick to your decorating inspiration plan. Carry photos with you when making purchases and when in doubt, ask for professional guidance.

"Oh, and don't go anywhere without a digital camera," adds Fermoyle. You never know when you'll see something that inspires you.

4. Forget perfection

Perfection doesn't exist. There is always more than one right answer in decorating. The television may look fantastic in plain sight on modern shelving, or discreetly tucked inside an armoire. Decorating is a process and mistakes can happen. With professionals, mistakes are infrequent and they are (ideally) swiftly corrected. And occasionally a mistake will turn out to be a pleasant surprise.

When Fermoyle designed the teen room, he ordered too much walnut veneer for the walls. "With the extra I was able to wrap the doors, something I hadn't originally planned to do," says Fermoyle, "but it really looked much better."

By: Kimberely Seldon

FERMOYLE

DESIGN