Decorex International 2011: An Interview with The House Directory founders

Nicolette and Cheryl at The House Directory stand, at Decorex 2010

Easyart has been lucky enough to work with The House Directory, a leading online resource for interior and garden design. The website was founded in 2001 by Nicollette Le Pelley, a former deputy editor of the World of Interiors magazine. Cheryl Knorr, a journalist hailing from New York, made the transatlantic journey to London to become an interior designer, and is a co-founder of the company.

Before attending Decorex International 2011, an interiors-based design fair at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, Cheryl took the time to tell us more…

What role has the internet played in how art and interior design has evolved in the last decade?

Quite simply, there’s been a revolution in how people consider the environment they live in. You can now design your home through online media and you don’t have to run between shops: use our online directory and find what you love. Consumers have an increasingly sophisticated palate through exposure to magazines, TV shows and blogs, so we’ve got to cater to their needs.

What are your tips for choosing artwork?

Create your own style by mixing different periods and colours. Scale is important to get right as is the lighting of artwork. Otherwise, there’s a huge range, from abstract expressionist Mark Rothko art prints to the pre-Impressionist works, such as Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire to define your space and style. Also, with Easyart’s ingenious new iPhone App, you can easily see what print you fancy would look like on your own walls.

Chapelle de Ronchamp by French architect Le Corbusier

Where does selecting art for an interior scheme rate in the grand scale of a project?

Rooms with bare walls are soulless: art provides character and warmth. Select images that you love, that reflect your personal taste. The beauty of interior design is that there are no hard and fast rules! Feel free to swap your Picasso art prints with a vintage film poster between rooms as they make a fundamental difference to the mood of a room! It’s so easy, and you could never achieve the same effect by moving a sofa.

Do you have a favourite museum, gallery or exhibition that you’ve been to recently?

I absolutely adore the V&A. It’s a treasure trove of decorative ideas from so many cultures and periods of history and I really loved their recent display of botanical art prints, which have recently come back into vogue.

What current Easyart pictures do you love?

I’m especially captivated by architectural art prints at the moment, including the illustrations of iconic buildings designed by the legendary French architect Le Corbusier.

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