Escape your Space with Jaclyn Genovese
While
we all crave a place to escape to after a long day’s work, some are desperate
to escape their current space. In searching for a solution to re-inventing my
personal space and inevitably yours as well, I consulted Jaclyn Genovese of
Jacflash Toronto, to share her personal insights and tips on creating a
comfortable and aesthetically pleasing environment.
What is Jacflash?
The
Jacflash journey began in 2007 as a women’s clothing boutique on Queen Street
West. After establishing a career in fashion, Jaclyn expanded Jacflash into a
lifestyle brand, to provide interior design and event planning services. Her interest
in interior design began at a young age, where she was influenced by her
parent’s work and their family owned antique shop. It wasn’t until a big move
from a trendy loft to a traditional house that she had experimented with home
decorating. In gaining more square footage, she sacrificed the visual appeal of
her downtown loft. Negative feedback from friends allowed her to come to the
conclusion that her new humble abode was, to put it simply; creepy and haunted
looking. This is when Jaclyn took action and put her design skills to the test
by independently re-decorating her space in just two weeks’ time. With a fresh
coat of paint, faux marble vinyl and heaps of decorative accessories, Jaclyn
transformed her eerie space into a luxurious and welcoming home. She took
advantage of the older house’s character and added Victorian and modern
elements, similar to the style of the majority of her interior work. As
Jaclyn’s friends discovered her talent and asked for her assistance in
decorating their homes, she decided to pursue interior design as a career and
joined a local firm. After acquiring a clientele, Jaclyn began her own
independent venture and added Spaces by Jacflash to her repertoire.
Jaclyn
classifies her design style as a fuse of “Parisian charm with modern lines”,
which is greatly inspired by her travels throughout Europe and hotel décor,
specifically The Mercer Hotel in New York City. Her personal style of European
sophistication and simplicity is expressed throughout her decorating as well as
her fashion designs. In developing and showcasing her unique design style, she
further established her client base as her work was widely admired. This
allowed for her to integrate her design preferences into her projects, while remaining
true to the vision of her client. From small scale room re-decorating to total
penthouse customization, Jaclyn has made interior design her domain and hopes
to further expand into a boutique hotel.
Creating Your Escape
Decorating
your space by yourself can be a difficult and intimidating task, often leading
to an excess of furnishings and a mess of mixed styles. Fortunately, Jaclyn and
the Jacflash team have compiled a series of decorating dos and don’ts to avoid
these common decorating mistakes and to effectively create your own
escape.
While
decorating can entail purchasing plenty of new furniture pieces and décor,
Jaclyn suggests that in most cases, “less is more”. As a design and decorating
novice there is a tendency to overwhelm the space with colour and decoration, however
taking a minimalist approach will ensure a cleaner and more uniform looking
space. This approach can also be reflected through the design style throughout
the space. Minimalist décor is a reoccurring theme in interior design and can
be the most simple to follow. However, if minimalism is not quite your cup of
tea, don’t be afraid to incorporate your personal style into the space, just be
cautious of “mixing styles that don’t mesh well together.” As seen throughout
her work, Jaclyn often uses black and white colour schemes, along with marble
surfaces, metallic accents and organic materials such as greenery and natural
wood. This creates a polished and fresh appearance, which can be simple to
reproduce in your own home. The difficulty however can be in maintaining such a
space. Day-to-day items like keys, pet accessories and children’s toys can
throw off the ambience of a room and while these items require accessibility,
closed storage using cabinets or baskets can prevent the unsightly mess.
If
a total re-decoration isn’t viable, try changing the paint colour, adding some
window treatments and adjusting the lighting. Small changes like these can
create a world of a difference in the overall atmosphere. Changing light
fixtures and hardware, as well as using marble contact paper on surfaces can
also create a more fluid and finished looking space, which is ideal for home
renters who cannot make large scale, permanent changes.
Though
changing fixtures and design elements are effective, bringing in decorative pieces
like house plants, mirrors and area rugs will create focal points and make a
space look more complete. Mirrors, as well as white walls, are great when
making a small space feel larger and area rugs can be layered on top of standard
carpeting to add dimension. When working with a low square footage, avoid using
large, bulky furniture and reach for more proportionate furnishings that
utilize the space well.
With
decorating always comes a budget, and for those looking to spend the minimum,
experimenting with furniture restoration and do it yourself projects are a
great alternative to purchasing new, expensive furniture. While quality
furniture is worth the investment and should not always be omitted from your
design plan, upcycling vintage or second-hand pieces can add charm to a space
and make for a fun D.I.Y. Use your creativity and make the most of the design
process!
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