At Home with Claire of High Gloss Blue
Posted on | October 7, 2009 | 4 Comments
This week Claire, of High Gloss Blue, is letting us into her Atlanta apartment where she lives with her two dogs, Ella and Annabelle. Claire recently completed a DIY cornice board project with matching panels for her living room because of this interview! So you should really check her blog out where you’ll find plenty of good humor and the tips to create your own cornice board. Enjoy!
If you could give your personal style a name, what would it be? Simple.
Do you have a favorite designer that you admire? One designer I admire, no way. Loads – I guess they’re like a certain brand of potato chips. Regardless, here’s a few that represent the principles of design that I value the most – Karim Rashid for wearing pink converse and making every day objects like vacuum cleaners glamorous. Kelly Wearstler, Jonathan Adler, and the infamous Frank Ghery for their bold sense of whimsy and willingness to buck rules. Alvar Aalto, the Eames and Auburn University’s Rural Studio for acting on the belief that good, economical design can impact the world. Tadao Ando, Renzo Piano and Eero Saarinen for their use of light. Right now in Atlanta, I love what the guys at bldgs are doing with innovation, as well as Lee Bryan & Jeremy Jones – both designers at Lee Bryan Interior Design.
What is your philosophy on design? I don’t know if I have a philosophy, as much as an anti-philosophy, maybe. I don’t like design/decor "rules", they’re pretentious and don’t amount to anything on their own any way. I know if I think a set of elements CANNOT work successfully together, its just because my brain has not thought of a way, YET. I do believe that a skilled designer can make an environment beautiful and functional, regardless of budget. I believe a skilled designer should take proactive steps to make a responsible (be that Universal or LEED) environment whenever she can. Final design philosophy: dishes are going to get broken, white rugs are going to get dirty, kids and pets are going to jump on furniture-get over and spec accordingly.
Have you tackled any home/diy projects recently? If so, which one is your favorite and do you love the results? Inspired by the idea of doing this interview, I just made an upholstered cornice board and matching panels for my living room! I am thrilled with the results. Thanks, Kristin. (It looks great Claire! Love the fabric!)
Please tell us about your blog! 
I just started my blog in May when I started to seriously consider not going to law school and opening my own interiors business, instead. I have always like to write and a friend suggested blogging as a marketing tool. A few months later – here I am with increasingly better content – I hope 
If money weren’t an issue, what’s the #1 thing you’d change about your home? Oh man, if money were no issue I would call the guys who invented Central Vacs and see if they could create a system JUST for the elimination of dog hair. You know, I could just flip a wall switch for a few short seconds every day and all the white hair from my pit-bull Annabelle would magnetically scurry to an out of sight abyss. That and I want a new living room rug.
What kind of home do you live in? I live in an apartment. I dream of upgrading about every day, but I love my neighborhood and the price is right for right now. So…yeah.
My home style is… peaceful, playful, edited. I like clean strong lines and I love a story. I pick things in m own home for their story more than their look. I dream of one day having enough room for rows of big shelves on the wall to display a collection of furniture – my own little Cooper Hewitt.
My fabric tastes… I like classic menswear patterns & materials-pinstripes, flannel, herringbone, stripes, houndstooth for basics. Then I want to mix them with intensely feminine touches. Love Donghia, Maharam. Always seem drawn to things graphic in nature.
I’m fascinated by… dogs, the blogosphere, furniture, history. Oh and food.
My favorite local shop is… The Dekalb Farmers Market & Scotts
My favorite piece is… The Bubble Club chair, Mies’ Barcelona daybed, Daniel Michalik’s Cork Lounge and Wegner’s Windsor Chair.
My most treasured possession is… a necklace made with the stone from my parents’ engagement ring, that previously belong to my great grandparents.
My interior’s nightmare is… a perfectly coordinated mess of burgundy and hunter green-accented by inspirational quotes painted on the walls, but only in odd numbers…and figurines.
My biggest design pet peeve is… A preoccupation with rules.
My best tip is… Finish it & make it intentional. Finish it, even if its not perfect or its cheaper than you want- you can change it later. I see a lot of homes where someone spent a lot of money on furniture, but then left out the details of the room- inevitably detracting value from room’s impact. Not editing clutter, not filling picture frames, not adding a bed skirt – these inactions cheapen a room faster than any trip to IKEA. Likewise, a room full of intentional decisions will always offer a lot of bang for the buck- even if you don’t have any bucks.
My biggest sources of inspiration are history, blogs, NY Magazine, no doubt.
If my house caught on fire, I would grab my 2 dogs, my laptop, and my favorite necklace on my way out the door.
I could not live without windows, good light, internet and diet coke in my home.
Thank you Claire for participating! I loved your answers and your home looks great – especially the new cornice board + panels in your living room! Since you live in Atlanta and I visit frequently, we should grab some coffee and visit the Dekalb Farmers Market and Scott’s together. I’ve never been to either of them!
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4 Responses to “At Home with Claire of High Gloss Blue”
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Hello!
My name is Kristin and, if the blog name didn't give it away, I'm an interior designer. I'm also a self - proclaimed nerd, a grad student at SCAD-Atlanta, and a big fan of architecture, photography, travel, and iced chais. In a nutshell: I'm a lover of good design of all kinds.
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Seen + Heard
October 7th, 2009 @ 12:01 pm
I can’t get over the panels! I can’t believe she did that herself!
FROM THE RIGHT BANK´s last blog ..Creative Space: Urban Homes Of Artists And Innovators
October 7th, 2009 @ 12:03 pm
Oops. Hit the button too soon. I also wanted to say I enjoyed the whole house tour. Great Q&A!
FROM THE RIGHT BANK´s last blog ..Creative Space: Urban Homes Of Artists And Innovators
October 7th, 2009 @ 1:38 pm
Great interview! I also enjoyed seeing the pictures of the living room as I have a very similar wall color. I like seeing a different color combination with it – it looks great!
Flavia @ Estilo Home´s last blog ..School Projects – Color Theory
October 7th, 2009 @ 6:16 pm
I love Claire’s use of color in her apartment and also the curtain fabric. Thanks for the tour.