Reality chick
When it comes to decorating interiors, Genevieve Gorder knows homeowners are looking for designs that are comfortable and livable.
“A lot of the things we see interior designers create are sets. They are simply staged and not how we actually live,” said the host of “Dear Genevieve” and a competitor on “HGTV Showdown” on HGTV. “They are beautiful and inspiring — something we aspire to — but they’re not really how we live every day.”
Having spent the past eight years creating livable designs for her clients, Gorder, who is known for her barefoot and fun-loving approach when she worked on “Trading Spaces” and “Town Haul,” said she felt it was time to design home fashions that are both inspiring and functional.
“I see how frustrating it is,” she said of trying to recreate the designer looks featured in many magazines and on television shows devoted to decorating. “Consumers are more savvy than we give them credit for. It’s staged and they know it. They get frustrated.”
Trying to bridge the gap between staged design and real life, Gorder recently launched her first line of branded items for the home, a collection of rugs and lighting for Klaussner Home Furnishings that debuted at the recent winter market at World Market Center Las Vegas.
“Good design, for me, is equal parts form and function,” Gorder said. “A piece has to be just as functional as it is beautiful. Sometimes we design just for beauty alone because it’s fun, but you have to care about what’s on the other end or it won’t last.”
Gorder said she chose to start with accessories because they are the most affordable purchases for a home.
“They’re something fun, the last details in a room, but they really complete the room,” she said.
Because there is less monetary commitment to an accessory, Gorder said she believes it’s easier to change them if they go out of style or favor.
Her collection features eight wool and jute rugs and 12 lamps. Suggested prices for Gorder-designed rugs range from about $300 to $480 for a 5-by-8-foot area rug and from $82 to $188 for lamps.
Even with the current state of the economy, Gorder said she feels it’s important to be creating new designs.
“It’s what people need right now. Even when times are better, people need good stuff at an affordable price.”
Additionally, she felt that rugs and lighting were neglected areas in the field of designer-created goods.
Her designs are inspired by her childhood and travels, two areas that evoke memories and comfortable feelings.
For example, Gorder said she made sure her rugs feature shades of yellow. “It’s one of the happiest neutrals I know and it’s almost impossible to find unless you’re willing to pay thousands of dollars.”
The San Marco pattern was influenced by Gorder’s travels in Venice, Italy. “I spent a lot of time in Venice and I was influenced by all the shapes and patterns.”
She said the city’s architecture features a great mixture of curves, sort of an East-meets-West feel, especially in the piazzas, cathedrals and doors.
“It’s those simple, simple patterns that we’ve all seen before but can’t really place. When done in different colors, they become somewhat of a mystery but still very sentimental.”
Gorder said she didn’t create her designs for any specific demographic. “Like the design TV shows, I have a really erratic audience,” she said. That being said, however, she said her designs are geared to women because women make 80 percent of the purchases for a home.
“It’s nothing too over the top feminine, but it’s definitely female because it’s coming from a female,” she said of her work. “It’s not girly-girly but it definitely embraces the curve.”
Gorder decided to work with Klaussner because the company is “able to create beautiful things for a lot less.”
Her plans call for following the accessory line with upholstery pieces and case goods or furniture made of wood such as tables, dressers and storage pieces.
