Vicarious Vision

 

For the past three years, Shelleece Stanaway has Googled and ogled over hundreds of designer products. Through her business, Shelleece Stanaway Design, the boundaries of her material aspirations are broadened as she helps others create modern spaces with an eye single to creating chic, functional spaces.   

 

How things started…

The idea for Sheleece Stanaway Design started while I was on maternity leave. I worked in the real estate industry previously as well as studied interior design at Victoria University. I always wanted to get back into the industry yet I wanted a career that I could manage from home. In 2009 I founded Shelleece Stanaway Design doing primarily home staging and restyling. The business grew quickly to include interior design and architecture with jobs that came primarily from word of mouth. 

Running a business as well as four children (aged from 3 to 13 years-old) is a juggling act which requires organisation. We have a large home on the North Shore for our large family up the road from Murrays Bay Beach. My husband is the General Manager for Bayleys North Shore. We live and breathe property.

Your most indulgent job…
A huge lodge style holiday home in Millbrook, Queenstown, made from schist and cedar. All the fabrics were beautiful velvets, printed linens and everything was designer labelled. It was a huge build for some VIP clients of mine that I had also worked with on their cliff-top home in Campbells Bay. They are clients that don’t have to think about a budget which is fabulous for me as a designer but it also means there is a lot of pressure to get it right as they have a defined taste.
 
How can business owners better design with their clients in mind?
- Think about your target market.
- Step outside the box and be clever in your design.
- Now with Pinterest and social networking sites the general public are more educated. They see lots of beautiful things and are now looking for something different in design.
- Ensure your design has a story behind it. As a designer I seek to find out what my clients’ values are for their business and bring that into the design.
 
A finalist in the 2012 BEST Design Awards
I entered the BEST design awards with the cliff-top Campbells Bay Home, entering in the special rooms category. We designed two ensuites and two bedrooms for a brother and sister. The rooms were designed with a yin yang theme. One was very fresh, light and feminine while the other was dark and focused on the functionality of the bed space.
I didn’t want to rate myself against other designers. I just wanted to give it a go.
 
 
General Rules of Colour
1: Cool colours and tints will make a space appear larger.
2: Warm colours will make a space appear smaller.
3: Cool colours and tints make an object appear smaller and lighter in weight, whilst warm colours and shades make an object appear larger and heavier in weight.
4: Contrasting colours contract space.
5: Similar colours or values expand space.
6: Time seems to pass more quickly in warm spaces and more slowly in cool spaces.
7: Temperature is perceived as hotter in warm spaces whilst it is perceived as colder in cool spaces.
8: Warm colours and earth tones encourage and maintain body warmth and physical action.
9: Cool colours are conducive to mental activities, projects and research.
10: Cool colours can have a dampening effect on the level or quality of conversation.
11: Exercise care in using white for highly illuminated spaces as it can create glare and headaches.
12: Three coats of paint will be the true colour.
 
Shelleece’s Picks:
My indulgent FLOOR picks:
Art on the floor is a big passion of mine
Corporate Culture in Parnell
Designer Rugs in Parnell
 
My indulgent BLINDS AND CURTAINS picks:
I love bespoke curtains
Fabric houses – Textilia, Italia and Icon Fabrics
A word on custom made curtains;
“Ready-made will always be cheaper but where’s the fun in that?”
 
My indulgent FLOORING picks:
I go through Carpet Court and use a lot of Cavalier Bremworth
Irvine International
For beautiful oaks I use Smart Floor and Freedom Flooring in Albany
 
My indulgent WALLPAPER picks:
Paper Room
 
My indulgent ARTWORK picks:
Sanderson Gallery in Parnell
Mobile Art in Mount Eden
 
My indulgent LIGHTING FIXTURES picks:
Martec
ECC Lighting
Douglas and Burke
 
At the end of a hard working day my indulgences in FOOD:
The Engine Room in Northcote Point
Japanese from Ebisu
Mexico in Takapuna
 
www.shelleecestanaway.co.nz