Today I am beyond excited,
I am ecstatic that this amazingly talented Canadian designer agreed to be interviewed by me!
I am ecstatic that this amazingly talented Canadian designer agreed to be interviewed by me!
She is ...
Margot Austin has impeccable taste, creating and designing spaces that are always amazingly beautiful.
Her taste is refined, elegant, yet simple, creating spaces that are inviting, not pretentious.
For most Canadians design devotees, you will also know that Margot Austin is the senior design editor at one of my favourite Canadian design publications, Style at Home.
I have been a fan of hers for years, admiring her design style. Most of her rooms have been filed away in my inspiration folder. I find I am drawn to her style, where she has managed to create spaces that anyone can replicate, mixing high with low and a bit of DIY thrown in.
Even the recent paint job of my daughter's end table was inspired by a room Margot designed for her niece.
Even the recent paint job of my daughter's end table was inspired by a room Margot designed for her niece.
We were first introduced to Margot, who now has become a presence in the Canadian design world and publishing scene, when the home she shared with her husband, Kevin Austin, was featured in the April 2001 issue of Style at Home
On a side note: Kevin, is also a contributor to Style at Home, where every month he shares fantastic upcycle projects, that anyone can do no matter what the budget.
On a side note: Kevin, is also a contributor to Style at Home, where every month he shares fantastic upcycle projects, that anyone can do no matter what the budget.
A few of my favourite spaces she has designed:
Photo: Paul Chmielowiec
Photo: Donna Griffith
Photo: Paul Chmielowiec
And one of my all-time favourite kitchens...
Photo: Donna Griffith
She has also styled some amazing sets for Style at Home, most recently this one for
the IDS show in Toronto.
You can read about how she created the space here.
A few DIY projects she has created for the magazine.
Not only does she have, in my opinion, a fabulous job scouting for and styling featured spaces, she also writes a wonderful blog, simply named, Margot Austin where you can view even more of her gorgeous spaces and projects.
Want to know more?
1. Tell us a bit about your background? Your education? Has design always been in your blood?
1. I studied English and History at the University of Toronto. There are lots of teachers in my family so that was kind of assumed for me. But I knew it wasn’t what I wanted. It was the journalism bug that I caught at a young age. The subject matter of the publications I’ve worked at over the years has mirrored my changing interests. My first full-time job was at TV Guide – when it was a print magazine. My interest in interiors grew gradually, but got a real kick start when I started dating my now husband Kevin. At the time he often travelled to outdoor antique sales to buy and sell -- we had great fun doing that together (though way too many early mornings). That started to get me more and more interested in furniture design and interiors. Then, our first place was featured in STYLE AT HOME and I was kind of hooked from then on.
2. Before you became the Senior Design Editor at Style at Home, what did you do?
Before STYLE AT HOME I worked at several different magazines. At every one I learned skills that are so important to me today. At TV Guide I learned to write in a concise and pithy manner – “the art of the blurb”. At Canadian Living I was a fact-checker and copy editor. I will never forget fact-checking a story about Marilyn Denis and somehow not catching a spelling error in her name. I was mortified! I also got my first taste of working on decorating stories at Canadian Living. When I worked at IMAGES magazine (a predecessor to GLOW) I got to write fashion and beauty stories and had my first experiences with producing photo shoots. It was also there that I got to work with David Livingstone. He is brilliant – a superb writer with encyclopedic knowledge of fashion, art, film, photography. He’s a real character and the journalist I admire the most. When I worked at the Home Depot magazine I got to meet and interview amazing designers such as Barbara Barry, Tricia Foley and Darryl Carter. By then I had become a complete interior design devotee.
3. How did you get your big break?
My big break. Hmmm, I’ve just worked hard and always been keen to try new things, to pursue new goals, learn new skills. Timing and luck are important, but I’ve worked very hard to get where I am. One defining moment was when founding STYLE AT HOME editor in chief Gail Johnston Habs promoted me from senior editor to senior design editor. It’s not that common for the “words” people to move over to the styling side of things. Gail let me style some stories while I was a senior editor to try it out, and then when the opportunity came up she gave me the job. That was seven years ago. I still love the job.
4. Even though most of us would feel that your job would be our dream job, what goals or aspirations do you have?
I’m really interested in the new publishing world. I’m keen to get involved in creating enriched digital content, podcasts, becoming more involved in social media. I don’t see publishing as a world of editors and readers, I see it as a community of like-minded people – a world where a design blogger, a stager, a designer, an editor, a retailer can all meet and chat and share ideas and inspiration. It’s already happening, but it feels like the very beginning and I’m anxious to move forward.
I’m really interested in the new publishing world. I’m keen to get involved in creating enriched digital content, podcasts, becoming more involved in social media. I don’t see publishing as a world of editors and readers, I see it as a community of like-minded people – a world where a design blogger, a stager, a designer, an editor, a retailer can all meet and chat and share ideas and inspiration. It’s already happening, but it feels like the very beginning and I’m anxious to move forward.
5. What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I’m likely napping, antiquing, golfing, canoeing or tweeting and feeling guilty about not doing laundry or cleaning….
6. As a design editor for a fantastic Canadian publication, where do you find inspiration for the magazine and for your own home/ design work?
Inspiration is absolutely everywhere. For example, a couple of weeks ago I was in Maine and I found those gorgeous Araucana eggs at Whole Foods – you know, the pale blue-green ones that Martha Stewart often has in her magazine. Well, I’d never seen them in a store before. I was so inspired. My mind is still mulling over ideas inspired by the eggs: 1. A paint colour for a bedroom ceiling. 2. A story on decorating with eggs – egg botanical prints, shadow-boxing egg specimens, faux nests as accessories, decorative objects inspired by eggs, dishes and textiles featuring eggs and nests, colour schemes combining the hues of yolks and shells. 3. A food story on easy egg recipes for entertaining. 4. Easter brunch table design ideas. 5. A design scheme for a nursery. The wheels never stop turning. Sometimes I just see a dried oak leaf on the ground and think – oh, that would be an amazing paint colour, or I imagine that colour of velvet on a sofa…
7. What is involved in being a Senior Design Editor, briefly fill us in on your typical day and the role you play at the magazine?
As senior design editor I lead the team of people who find the interiors we feature in the magazine, comb the market for new products and trends, and style studio shoots and home shoots. I do all of these things, too. The thing I like best about my job is that I don’t have a typical day. It’s always something different. I might be at the office doing web research, writing copy and proofreading stories. I may be out all day in my car going from store to store, scouting for a big shoot coming up. On those days I always forget to eat, so I’m munching a granola bar from my handbag. And I also need to keep aware of where the decent public washrooms are – an aspect about scouting that I dislike! In one day I might have to source items at Home Depot in the morning, attend a Tiffany & Co lunch at midday and then pack up my car full of buckets of flowers and props for a shoot the next day. Everyday is a new wardrobe challenge! One of my roles is to be on top of what and who is hot in design – and what’s not. Saying no is the hardest part of being an editor. Well, not true, sometimes it’s really really easy…;-)
8. What tips do you have for aspiring designers in getting their design work published or to hone their skills?
Oh my, this topic is HUGE and I could go on and on and on. Mostly, I think what aspiring designers need to do is use their own home as their laboratory, their showcase. If you don’t have many clients yet, or much money, that shouldn’t matter. If you have style and skill, you can make any room look fabulous. Experiment at home. Change it up often and most of all – TAKE GOOD PICTURES OF ALL OF YOUR WORK, or ask a friend who’s good at photography to help you. And when your career is launched, avoid banality at all cost – bring the magic. If you want to get published, become familiar with the publications you are targeting. What types of rooms do they feature? What special themed issues do they have? Who works there? Deliver content that fits the publication’s needs.
If you could meet anyone or do anything who or what would it be?
Some people on the top my wish-I-could-meet list are Margaret Russell, Gil Schafer and Albert Hadley. As for something I’d like to do – I’d really like to learn drafting and rendering. I see rooms in my head all the time and would love to be able to bring them to life on paper, if not real life
Some people on the top my wish-I-could-meet list are Margaret Russell, Gil Schafer and Albert Hadley. As for something I’d like to do – I’d really like to learn drafting and rendering. I see rooms in my head all the time and would love to be able to bring them to life on paper, if not real life
You are surrounded by such amazing design inspiration, how do you decide what and how to decorate your own homes?
I’m notoriously indecisive when it comes to making decisions for my own home. Ask my husband. He rolls his eyes while I collect and paw a million fabric samples for months and even years before a project. That said, for any project I start with the architecture and character of the space, then fabrics. The room tells you what it wants to be.
Your husband, Kevin Austin owns the well known shop Chair Table Lamp, how do you two work together in designing your homes? Who has the most say, or the most influence, he or you, or is it pretty even?
Kevin and I are both feisty and opinionated so you’d think it would be a challenge to come to consensus. But we make a great team in decorating and in life. We stick to our own territory or areas of expertise to come up with a finished space we both love. I handle the big picture -- floor plans, paint colours, fabric choices. Kevin finds all of the furniture and we choose accessories together on our travels. We both play around with styling. The downside of our work is that our homes can sometimes become a jumble of props and extra furniture bits coming and going along the cycle of car, house 2, shop, photoshoot, house 2, office.
What are your views on the role of Canadian design on the world stage? Do you feel that Canadians have a unique sense of style, the way we design and decorate our homes? If so, what do you think sets us apart?
1. I wish there were more Canadian designers on the “world stage”. I think the main reason why there isn’t as much of a design celebrity culture here is because Canadians are notoriously hesitant when it comes to self-promotion. It’s a shame really, but I think blogs and social media are making self-promotion easier for everyone.
I I think how we like to live is informed by our climate and architecture and social customs. So, in as much as we are a distinct society according to those criteria, our interiors follow suit. Canadian style is definitely a multicultural and regional mix. I see influences coming from northern Europe and Britain – places that we share climate and architecture styles with – and then it all blends with the North American way of life.
I would like to extend a great big thank-you to Margot for taking the time out of her busy life to be part of my "So Canadian, eh?" series. I am deeply honoured and flattered.
