In my previous post about World of Style by Porter Davis, you may have joined me in admiring all the interior design goodies at the showroom. What you may not know is that all the pieces were hand-picked by Catherine Valente, Senior Interior Designer at Porter Davis. She literally scoured the globe for these treasures. The staff at the show room revealed to me that before it was set up, Catherine already knew exactly where each and every object would go! So it was my utmost privilege and delight to interview this brilliant lady and pick her brains about her top tips, trends and shops in the world of interior design. 

1. From your extensive experience in interior designing, what are your top 3 insider’s tips for successfully styling a house?

• Keep it really simple, limit your main colour palette to three or four colours.
• Ensure the home has flow factor, there has to be common threads throughout the home so that rooms don’t become disjointed.
• Ensure your structural palette and hard finishes are a neutral base, whether it is a grey palette, stone/natural tones or white, this will give you the base to layer and build texture with colour but without  it being fixed and unable to be changed as you please.

  2. How can Porter Davis help someone to create their dream home?

With World of Style, we have created a unique service to match a style to our clients homes. Our one of a kind World of Style quiz helps our clients identify which style they are drawn to – Resort, Classic, Contemporary or Designer – so we can create a home that expresses their personality and likes.

Once a client has established their style, we have taken the stress out of the interiors and exteriors selection process by categorizing all of our products in the showroom by the four themes – Resort, Classic, Contemporary and Designer. So if a client has identified themselves as Designer, they only need to look at the Designer selections through the showroom. This makes the selections process so much easier and simpler – not to mention faster!

Our expert team of interior designers at World of Style have been extensively trained to help guide our clients through the process to ensure their home reflects their personal style and within their budget. The team will ensure that “flow factor” is created by having consistency with a main palette, plus ensuring the exterior selections flow into the internal selections.

3. What are the latest interior decorating trends you’re seeing right now in Melbourne?

• Definite shift to the mid century look with splash of industrial tones
• New York loft look and feel
• Worldly traveller/eclectic feel, lots of layering and story telling with pieces

4. Please share with us your top 3 destinations to purchase furniture and home wares. 

• For a classic feel with a little bling – Maison Living
• For a classic French/country feel – Provincial Living
• For mid century/Designer Pieces – Matt Blatt
• For just a great range of different style and pieces for all looks – Schots Emporium

    5. Do you read interior blogs? If so, which are your favourite? Yes, and here are my favourites:

• The Design Files
• In/Out – Arent & Pyke
• Design Milk
• Designer Hunter
• The Interiors Addict

I hope you’ve enjoyed and benefited from Catherine’s advice. Don’t forget to check out the World of Style by Porter Davis Showroom at 410 City Road, South Melbourne. I better go and pick our home colour palette and get onto those interior blogs!