PEOPLE PRIMER: BROOKE-LYN CACCIOTTI

Ask interior decorator Brooke-Lyn which room is her favourite to design and she doesn’t hesitate for a moment.

“Living rooms are the heart of the home,” she says. “It’s the place where people gather for all types of events, from formal occasions to more intimate settings. I come from a big family, and the living room has always been where we get together to chat and catch up, ending in laughter and good times.”

A graduate of Fanshawe College with a future goal of earning her Bachelors of Interior Design and specializing in commercial spaces, Brooke-Lyn has been part of the Barrydowne Paint family for the past two years. She’s always been intrigued by mixing patterns, colours and textures to create unique and personalized spaces, knowing that these elements can not only transform a room, but affect our mood.

Despite being relatively new to the field, Brooke-Lyn has the natural ability to capture what her clients want – even if they aren’t able to express it with words.

“The key is asking the right questions about how they want the room to feel or the colours that most attract them. That helps me to better understand what they are envisioning for the space,” she says. “Nothing is more rewarding than helping out a customer and having them come back to show me pictures of the finished product,” she says. “It's heartwarming to see the smile on people’s faces when they're proud of what they’ve accomplished.”

A SPLATTER OF CHATTER

My design super-power is: I am able to easily visualize a completely designed room even though it may be empty.

All-time favourite paint name:

CSP-525 Fancy Pants.

Put a little fun into your rooms and get the party started with this uplifting shade of bluish purple.

Available exclusively in Aura® Interior and Aura Bath & Spa paints.

Working for a family business means: A more intimate relationship with your customers, a sense of family with coworkers and employers, as well as more hands-on training.

A colour combo that works surprisingly well:Blue-grays with browns.

I stock up on the good stuff at: Spencer Furniture, The Re-Store, HomeSense and Pier 1 Imports.

Fave place to find inspiration: Travelling! There is no better inspiration than seeing styles and colours used by different cultures all over the world.

My design crystal ball says the next big trend is…:Gem tones. I see retro design being very popular in the near future and since ‘80s fashion has been a huge trend in 2018, I think we’ll soon see dark emerald greens, flirty blushy pinks, soft oranges and other ‘80s-inspired colours and patterns coming back.

Home decor pet peeve: Puffy leather furniture (yuuuuckkk!).

Must-see TV about home design: Fixer Upper orDivine Design by Candice Olsen on HGTV.