Candice Olson is one busy woman. Between producing
another season of the HGTV mega-hit show
Divine Design, supervising
her home product
line, and celebrating her daughter’s pre-K graduation, she managed to squeeze in time to talk about home trends, her kids, and the one elusive renovation project in her own home.
Divine Design integrates a lot of different style elements, plus a little spontaneity with your crew members!
I wanted to show the fun and irreverence that happens during a project and keep the show as a testament to design and the trades. It’s certainly not all about me—a room doesn’t come together because of just one person. I have to tell you, we shoot many hours of tape for just a 23-minute show. Most days don’t end until 11pm.
How did you develop your own sense of style?
Everything I work on in a room has its basics
in a traditional line, but I like to reference and stylize them in a way that’s modern and contemporary. For my own line of furniture,
I just paired down the arms on a camelback sofa to the very simplest line. For fabrics, I’ll start
with a traditional pattern like paisley and damask,
then I’ll digitalize it to introduce a reflective quality.
Your fabric selections make great statements.
I’m into a lot of metallic prints now, although it’s always a learning curve for me. Something new usually gets my knickers all aflutter.
What’s the most common mistake people make in decorating?
In my furniture line, I don’t match pieces. When clients say they need a bedroom suite, I tell them they will have a defined space because the essence of the room can’t change. Don’t get pigeon-holed by a style. Your style will grow and evolve—you have to factor this into a design project.
LUXURIOUS BEDDING and furniture is included in the Candice Olson Collection
What is the strangest design request you’ve received?
We did a basement where the woman wanted to transform it from an ugly, unfinished space into a family room, entertainment center, and, oh yeah, there was a 10-foot-by-10 foot wood chuck with real presses and saws. And all this on a limited budget! The solution was to hang vertical blinds that served as a movable partition along the perimeter.
Then there were the homeowners who wanted their bathroom to incorporate their Great Dane dogs.
How do you balance the demands of your career with your two young children?
There’s no balance! If someone is bleeding, then they take priority! I do the best I can do. When I’m with my husband and family, it’s quality time.
What is your own home like? Is it a divine design?
I met my husband, who is a builder, in the business and we’ve done a little renovating. Last Christmas, all I asked for was for him to install a simple baseboard in our dining room. I still don’t have it!
You could call on your great crew from the show to help.
I don’t dare!
CANDICE IS KNOWN for adding color “splashes” in every room.
How about the kids? Are they future design stars like their mommy?
Beck is 2 years old and is a Tasmanian devil—everything below three feet in the house is his. Right now, my daughter, Piper, who is 4 years old, is channeling Paris Hilton because she’s all about the shimmer and sparkle, so I’m thinking we may do a princess room for her.
And, for probably lots of disappointed fans in Florida, you mainly concentrate your design business where you live in Canada, right?
Because of the show and work on my product design, the only outside projects I’m working on now are with my husband. We build and design about three large homes a year.
It’s tough. We share an office. He’s German and stubborn, so we duke it out.
Have you ever designed a room that didn’t turn out as you’d planned?
I do a lot of homework before the show, but there have been rooms that I didn’t like. However, the clients liked it and I’m pleased that out of 150 rooms we’ve done on the show, the homeowners always end up happy. The biggest compliment I can receive is when a client tells me, “This looks like our home.” 
Good Advice
from Candice Olson
- Pull tear sheets from magazines of what you like so you can get a feel for your own design style.
- Design is more than just a furniture suite. It’s all about the lighting, fabric, flooring, and accessories.
- Buy pieces that will hold their value and factor into this decision that your taste will evolve over time. Stick with clean lines.
Bring Candice Home
Can’t get enough of Candice’s style? Invite her into your home. The popular designer has teamed up with several companies like AF Lighting, Norwalk Furniture, Kravet, and Revco International to create home product lines that showcase her modern-yet-classic taste. Pick a room in your home and check out what Candice has to offer.
Need Lighting?
AF Lighting Portables, sconces, vanity bars, and chandeliers. www.aflighting.com
Need Furniture?
Revco International Tables, cabinets, credenzas, and desks. www.revcointl.com
Norwalk Furniture Sofas, chairs, ottomans, and headboards. www.norwalkfurnitureidea.com
Need Accessories?
JLA Home Bedding, window treatments, and pet bedding. www.jlahome.com
Kravet Fabrics. www.kravet.com
York Wallcoverings Wallpapers. www.yorkwall.com
Paragon Wall décor. www.paragon.com
