Since diving into interior design just a few short years ago, Leslie Huntley of Roost Interior Design shows that innate talent and a lifelong dream can go a long way if you’re not afraid to take a chance. We met up at French Broad Chocolate Lounge, where we indulged in some sweets while she indulged us with design tips, her favorite local “find” spots, and an exciting project she has brewing: a house for a cool company that’s coming to town (that’s all we can say!).
What’s your design philosophy?
I tend to like an interior that looks very collected and therefore isn’t stuff that was just purchased at two or three stores for a person and is purely decorative. I like bringing in some quirky things that maybe people wouldn’t think to use decoratively, or some interesting artists, so things that really distinguish one space from another. I think that’s what I developed through the years being interested in interior design, but not being an interior designer — all the things that I collect and just enjoy being surrounded by that are very individual to me. So I try to pull that out of whomever I’m working for.
Describe your design style…
I like the idea of collected and eclectic.
When clients want to play it safe, how do you encourage them to take chances?
By showing them, as much as possible, what the end result can be. Part of what I do is kitchen design, so luckily I have this great software that enables them to literally see the kitchen (or the bath, if it’s a bathroom), what it’s going to look like, both in terms of layout and materials. It’s mostly a matter of showing them images that embody what we’re going for so they can see it, because a lot of times the insecurity that people have comes from their not being able to visualize it.
Project you’re most proud of?
I really like my friend’s kitchen that I did in Texas. First of all, I love the people I did it for: my best friend from college and her three kids and her husband. It’s quirky… a kitchen that you don’t normally see. We used Ikea cabinets, but we combined two different lines, so we had the wood grain and then the white. We used a green glass backsplash, so I sort of encouraged them to take some chances in the materials that they used and they ended up really loving it. We also brought in their art collection and incorporated a place for the kids. So there were a lot of different elements and it was a very dramatic before and after.
What are some tips you can offer when it comes to color?
Don’t think about a color as something that is totally separate that you have to pick out of thin air, but look at what you already have that you like and go from there. In terms of the walls, I would say if there’s a piece of art you love, you could draw a color out of that piece of art. Or look at your closet. What do your wear? What’s your favorite color in your clothing? If it’s lime green, you might not want to put that all over your walls… although my kitchen is lime green.
What’s your take on trends?
I think it’s inevitable that those things seep into everybody’s taste. It used to be that taupes and browns were the thing and now it’s more grays. It’s like clothes. You can’t help but be influenced by it. But I really try to be aware of what clients like versus what’s out there. I try to focus more on the people and their tastes and what they want to be surrounded with as opposed to the trends.
Any current trends you’re taking to?
I don’t know necessarily that it’s a trend to combine old and new, but that’s something that I enjoy… pairing antique pieces with more contemporary or modern pieces.
Can you offer an insider DIY design tip?
Try to look at your stuff with a different eye. Take everything off your shelf that’s on your shelf and rework what you already have. Think of things that might work as a collection that you have spread out all over your house.
Favorite places to scout for pieces?
I really like Oddfellows Antiques and that whole strip of antique stores. There’s the Tobacco Barn and then you drive a little further and then there’s that row of stores on your left.
And then local artists. I’m doing a house now for a business—their home base as they’re coming in and out of town. So I’m trying to treat it as an introduction for them to Asheville artists. I’m doing a wall of hand-cranked letterpress posters with local clubs and local bands. They’re little pieces of art in and of themselves, but also it’s a story of Asheville.
Don’t…
think that everything has to match.
Do…
make sure everything that enters your house has an admission ticket, and the price is that you actually love it.
Visit roostinteriordesign.com or call all 828-243-8678 to learn more about Roost Interior Design.