a conversation with louisa varalta

i have been so excited to share this with you. louisa varalta is my aunt - my great uncle's wife - and she is everything fabulous you can imagine. a gifted painter, a delicious chef, an extraordinary hostess and the warmest person you'll meet. i was fortunate to grow up surrounded by her paintings and earlier this year, i was lucky enough to be a guest at her toronto home for an evening, and i knew i had to share it all with you. i apologize for the dim lighting...in person it was romantic, on my blackberry camera, it's a little dusky.

louisa was gracious enough to answer some questions and allow me to share photos of her work and her home. i want to soak up everything she says in her answers, and i think you'll feel the same. she is honest, candid, charming and just so totally fabulous. i know it from knowing her, and now you'll know it from reading on.

hl: you hosted us for the loveliest dinner last month and i have some questions...first, what was that delicious cheese you served?

lv: it is called "le soyeux" a camembert of ultimate quality...creamy with just enough tang to remind us of that certain edge in all things french.

hl: how do you usually build the menu of what you'll serve? where do you get your ideas?



lv: i'm unpredictable...if the party is a week down the road i may change my mind several times until the deadline to shop...but usually, if i'm entertaining a large crowd, i'll stick to an easy dish that'll serve tons of people...i.e. lasagna or a huge roast accompanied by an enormous salad with a couple of yummy homemade pies to round things up. for a more intimate dinner, then i'd go for more "recherche" dishes and let my imagination run wild; foie gras, roast fish, braised lamb shanks, celeriac puree, panna cotta, you know, the good stuff. i pluck ideas here and there, food network, local chefs' specialties, old and new magazines but eventually i make all of it my own by changing and adapting the recipe as i go along. it helps to have had as a father a talented chef and a mom who was, in his opinion, a superior cook -- both italian and i guess that's how it all started.

hl: it seems like you make everything from scratch - do you use any shortcuts you'd share?

lv: of course all homemade and from scratch...don't ask for bottled dressings. they don't exist in my house. shortcuts are another issue. if you have solid basic skills in the kitchen then you can and sometimes must take shortcuts as long as the integrity of the recipe is respected.

hl: is there a dish you just can't get right?

lv: my italian mother wanted desperately belong to her adopted quebec and time after time she would attempt to make "sucre a la creme" a basic fudge that stubbornly wouldn't set. my younger sister elena and i were the benefactors of that failure as she practically threw it at us to devour and make disappear until the next try. believe it or not, i too, to this day have not been able to master the "sucre a la creme" and there's nobody to take it off my hands, so guess who has to eat it....moi.

hl: what's the best thing you've ever eaten?

lv: you know i love that show on the food network where they ask all these famous TV chefs to tell us the best thing they've ever eaten. the series asks about things fried, about desserts, about bacon, about cocktails, you name it....and they come up with their "best ever eaten" in each category. i'd be hard pressed to choose one thing, but i'll tell you that pan fried foie gras prepared by didier leroy (chef/owner of didier in toronto) is as close to perfection and satisfaction as i have ever tasted....but i could go on and on...

hl: is there a chef you particularly admire?

lv: i've mentioned didier leroy, he is my friend as well as a master at his craft, but i also love to eat at chef masayuki tamaru's table at simple bistro in toronto. he trained with didier and although he is japanese, his delicacies are all french. another is jean-pierre challet of ici bistro again in toronto. his restaurant is tiny and always packed and the food is divine. last but not least the great susur lee who was a contestant last season on top chef masters and almost won. he is well known in the US and a big huge star here in toronto. all the above are my friends and i have had the pleasure of cooking for a few of them several times and you know something? they're the easiest people to please.

hl: you make hosting seem effortless...what's your best entertaining tip?

lv: chef didier leroy would say: "les gens se compliquent l'existence" (people make their lives complicated....) and he is right. i like to plan, make a list, stick to it and keep things simple. then say a little prayer, have a little cocktail and you're on your way....

hl: do you prefer being a guest at other peoples' homes or having people to yours?

lv: i adore being a guest although i sometimes get the impression people are intimidated. as if! if i have the guts to serve food to some of the best cooks, i don't see why anyone could possibly fear feeding me! but to be honest, i prefer hosting....control and bragging rights...that's what it's all about.

hl: i loved the tableau you set at the center of the dinner table - a little bell, some antique looking keys. where do you usually get little treasures like that, and do you know exactly how you'll use them when you pick them up?

lv: setting a beautiful table is absolutely important. i have, over the years, collected funny and weird objects, some that have nothing to do with "the table," but placing them there, such as the little keys you mentioned, incite curiosity and make the dining experience much more interesting. they also serve as conversation subjects that can help to break the ice if some guests are shy (never happened here!)

reader note: louisa handmade placecards for each guest at our dinner.


hl: your home is a total masterpiece - every detail is something to marvel at. did you know exactly where you were headed with each choice or did it evolve as you moved ahead?


lv: some pieces were picked with a specific use in mind such as the beams in the dining room ceiling...those were actually old stair railings and i knew when i saw them at the door store in toronto what i'd do with them....my husband wasn't initially convinced, but he loves them now. other objects or pieces of furniture i just fall in love with and must have. those will follow me wherever i go.

hl: do your tastes change often? if so, how do you address that change without having to overhaul your whole design?

lv: i'm a romantic and that's not going to change...however i do like a modern clean look but within such a decor i'd always have to include the strange object that would take even that slick look to a softer more romantic and a bit shabby chic relaxed environment.

hl: whose style of interior design do you love? any of the old classics, or are there new icons you love?

lv: five me french and english country anytime.

hl: where are your favorite places to shop for design and housewares?


lv: i love shopping at the door store in toronto (reader note: not to be confused with this place). they carry the most eclectic pieces from all over the world, old doors, chairs, decorative objects, architectural pieces from demolition sites, beautiful chandeliers, door knobs, some glasses and pots, all so interesting a different -- a place to fire your imagination. i also like teatro verde which is highly polished in its approach and so sophisticated - a jewel.

hl: what's the best design bargain you've ever found? and your biggest splurge?

lv: it wasn't a bargain and i did splurge on it: my kitchen! it is clean, fresh, white. a mixture of modern, industrial and old quebec styles. as the song says: "it cost me a lot ....."




hl: is there a piece you're dreaming of right now?

lv: i dream of my next house. (reader note: all of the marble texture you see below in the fireplace is louisa's faux-finish masterpiece. yeah.)


\

hl: now, your artwork...what's your favorite thing about your work? (reader note: all the paintings shown here are louisa's work).

lv: the fact that i allow it to change. hl: in lots of your work, the proportions of people and things are skewed and over the top...is that something specific to you, or it's just your aesthetic?

\
lv: i was strongly influenced by botero in the past and loved gigantic characters he created. to me they meant warmth, comfort and home somehow. i have since slimmed down my "people" and they have become a little bit menacing...not mean, just "watch out," kind of. i've also done away with background altogether (for now at least) and am drawing on huge canvasses these nude or semi- nude female figures in their simplest and most vulnerable glory.


hl: where do you get your ideas when you're ready to start a new piece?

lv: an idea can germinate for years until it appears in the forefront of your mind. you may think it just popped up but art lives inside the artist and just like a garden yields a new crop each summer, an idea will grow out of the depth of the mind without any effort from the artist. i will start with a simple drawing and may leave it at that or throw it away if I'm not happy. artists are unpredictable.



hl: do you ever go through dry spells where you just don't feel creative? if so, do you try to emerge from them or just let it happen naturally?

lv: oh boy yes. and that's tough to live through. but for every dry spell you are replenished by the time resting. dry spells are essential.


hl: is there one that got away -- a piece you gave or sold that you wish you hadn't?

lv: several....but as soon as i get back to work, something new happens and the past remains a source of reference and that's how it should be.

hl: do your worlds of art and design and cooking and entertaining connect to each other in your mind? do they all feel like part of the same expression or are they totally separate?

lv: absolutely, i cook the way i paint and i paint the way i cook. creating a good meal is as satisfying as drawing the most fantastic character. delicious is what they have to be.

how lovely is louisa? her answers are so thoughtful and i feel like they have the potential to help us all think broadly about what we do and how we do it. when i read louisa's answers to my questions, i felt inspired and excited, and i hope they make you feel the same way.

a conversation with jamie meares

by far, one of the best things about starting my blog has been the people i have "met" through the blogosphere and the sheer volume of talent i have gotten to know through other blogs, websites and people who love many of the things i do - parties, decorating, design, cooking, shopping, and of course all the details in life that make it worthwhile and fulfilling. check out my newly added blogroll feature (scroll down on the right) and get to know some of the blogs i read on a daily basis - i bet you'll like them. i've decided to try posting interviews from time to time with some of the talents i've come across. the general criteria for who i'd like to interview is if i think that their general message is something we can all employ in our own lives...i hope you enjoy this new feature, and if you do, i'll continue it!

one of these such discoveries has been jamie meares of furbish design and author of the popular blog i suwannee. i knew from reading about jamie's mission on the furbish website that she was a funny and important voice to be heard by anyone who takes an interest in design, entertaining and the evolution and progress of our lives and homes. i know her words have already started playing in my mind when i've been changing and rearranging at home, and i think you'll find them useful too.

the major tenets of jamie's philosophy are that a room should always be evolving, and in her design work she tries to leave her clients with the understanding and confidence to be able to always facilitate that evolution long after her work is done. also, she aims to make good design accessible to everyone, often using elements that already exist in the home. i definitely recommend checking out what she has to say about the design element of her business here, and the event element here, because it gives you a good sense of who she is. and because it's funny and fresh.

BEFORE LIVING ROOM AND BEDROOM
jamie was wonderful about answering some questions i thought we'd all like to know. dispersed throughout the interview are some "after" shots to the "before" shots shown above. to note: this whole job was done for $500.

what i love about her work here is that it is in no way matchy-matchy, and does not scream "A DECORATOR WAS HERE." it looks neat and pleasing, but lived in and natural which is, i think, what everyone would want for their home.

AFTER LIVING ROOM

AFTER BEDROOM
HL: how did you come to start your own design and event business? do your clients in the two areas often cross over?

JM: i unexpectedly found myself without a job early in the spring of this year, and decided to take a chance on doing what i love full time. having already created a presence online with my blog, i was lucky to have a captive audience for my new endeavor. luckily, starting a design business doesn't require a lot of investment, or overhead, like many small businesses do. a lot of my design work has been online, via email, whereas my event service mostly caters to local clients.


HL: you say on your website that you knew planning events was for you when you put a lot of planning into a party and weren't as interested in attending the party as you were in planning it - that's a funny observation, and one that has clearly served you very well. anything to add to that thought?

JM: i've planned many a party, and honestly, for me personally, i've always had much more fun creating the event, than actually participating in it. i love seeing people's reactions to the environment you've created. i'm a hands on person, so it's difficult for me to let go and enjoy myself once the guests have arrived. i continue to arrange, and orchestrate after the party is well underway - and unless i have one too many cocktails, it's impossible for me to let even the smallest of details fall by the wayside. once i realized this, i learned to harness this compulsion for good - which is planning spectacular events for other people to enjoy.


HL: i love the way your process with your clients, with events and design jobs, is so collaborative - it's obvious that you really value getting to know your clients so you can do the best work you can with them. do you really eat guacamole and cheese with your clients? i gathered you like cheese - what's your favorite kind?

JM: i really do, if they offer it! and i've walked into more than one consultation to find homemade guacamole waiting! and i've never really met a cheese i didn't like!

i think it's really important to establish a relationship with a client, and i've found the best way to do this is to become as friendly as possible right off the bat. as a designer, you're selling yourself essentially. you're hoping the client trusts your opinion enough to 1) pay you for it! and 2) take your advice when making changes to their most personal of spaces: their home.

if you've built up a comfortable rapport with a client, the process is more fun, you can be more honest with each other, and the results turn out better as well.


HL: i really really really love the part of your design philosophy that a room is never really done - it is always evolving and changing as the room's owner evolves and changes. i think that can actually be a harder concept to implement than it seems. are there a few tips you can give readers to help them assess their spaces and make adjustments with evolution in mind?

JM: there's a buddhist saying, that "if you find your buddha in the road, you're to kill him". what i take this to mean is life is constantly a search, so if you've happened upon IT, then you've gone terribly wrong, because then the search would be over!

my decorating philosophy is much the same. creating the look of a home is a process - a search for the perfect piece, tinkering until you get an arrangement just right, trying to cultivate a look that reflects who you are, and makes you happy everytime you walk into a room. the definition of "cultivate" is to promote or improve growth by labor and attention. a cultivated look doesn't come from a quick fix. and it's never stagnant.

i'd recommend others to learn just the basics of a few things:

scale

mixing patterns

recognizing the difference between form and function

once you've got a grasp of these, you'll be more confident making changes, rearranging and switching pieces out. you'll be able to edit what you have, and judge if potential pieces will work in your home.

HL: you also talk about the power of moving things around - i think this is something that can be hard for people to visualize because it's a bit like a rubik's cube, but it can totally re-energize a space or several spaces. how do you go about starting to conceptualize moving things around? do you start with one piece you'd like to move and then think about what will replace it and go from there?

JM: foremost i think about function of a room. i think about a few basics, like 1 sofa, two armchairs, 1 coffee table...and work from there. in a living room - are there comfortable places to sit? does each spot have access to a table or place to rest a drink? if there's a TV in the room, can everyone see it? are they staring at the back's of heads? i look at where the focal point is, and i see if the furniture is positioned to take advantage of it.

HL: on your website, you talk about having pieces available to lend for events (serving pieces, linens, etc). you must have some collection. what do you look for when picking up new things, and where do you shop for those things?

JM: i've found lots of my treasures at yard sales and estate sales. my mother, grandmother and aunt all scour sales for beautiful pieces, and i end up the recipient of lots of these. my friends know i like to throw parties, so usually i'm gifted things like a beautiful platter, or an interesting set of cocktail napkins. my mother in law gives me a monogrammed antique napkin ring every christmas, so i have a gorgeous collection of those. my mom is the ultimate gift giver - she always find something unique and special for my birthday or christmas. lots of my collection has been gifted.

HL: if you could give one line of advice for planning and throwing parties, what would it be?

JM: wear a fabulous dress and always stay up until the last guest has left. you'll have more fun.

HL: and if you could give one line of advice for design and decorating, what would it be?

JM: think about scale! AND... if you're redecorating just for the sake of changing, admit that. that's fine - but changing because something isn't working, and changing because you just want change are too entirely different things, and i think it's important for your decorator to know what you're after!
____
WELL, already jamie's wise words about scale swooped in and saved me from leaving the amazing, yet ginormous ikea chandelier below in my too-small-for-it dining room and finding a piece more respectful of scale (more on that later). and i'm so happy i did. no matter how crestfallen i was that it didn't work, it simply didn't work, and jamie's words "think about scale" guided me through. thanks jamie.


all furbish photos from www.isuwannee.com and www.furbishdesign.com; ikea photo from www.farm4.static.flickr.com