Christopher Lowell has a knack for fusing social studies and interior design.
A decade ago, the man that U.S News & World Report called the “doctor of design” noticed Americans using their homes more like hotels than restful retreats.
After Sept. 11, Lowell, who believes that decorating is a form of empowerment, watched as Americans began to transform their homes into personal sanctuaries.
More recently, Lowell has taken note of the way economics and demographics have altered the look and feel of people’s private space. And while he could have put those observations into yet another book, instead Lowell, whose how-to blog and website receive about 2 million hits a month, sought out the Fine Living Network.
“Work That Room,” is his new Saturday evening show that fuses commercial chic with residential comfort. The Denver Post reached Lowell by phone to find out more.
Q: Talk about your recent return to television and what you think you can put out there that’s not already touched on in other home-improvement programming?
A: When we came on television a decade ago, we were the first to really bring motivation, self-esteem and fun to the how-to category. We were the first to really talk about sanctuary living, to introduce bamboo in the home, to talk to professional women and the first to invite men to have a say.
We did eight years of that show, and I thought that was enough at the time. But then I found I just couldn’t keep my fascination and prognostications to myself. It really started with writing “Seven Layers of Organization: Unclutter Your Home, Unclutter Your Life” (Clarkson Potter). That really got (me) talking about what this nation was like past Sept. 11, and what technology means to the home.
I also was asked to get into the commercial design business — aggressively designing restaurants and boutique hotels. We just finished a hotel called the Shade in Manhattan Beach (Calif.). We used it as an incubator to really look at what American homes would look like in the future… We had 13 episodes almost immediately.
Q: What have you gleaned about modern American homes and families?
A: I found out a lot about this new hyper-tasking generation. Many of them feel more comfortable outside their homes than in their homes. We found it was because (places like) boutique hotels are nongender specific. So I began to go to these young dual-income couples’ homes and see these little McMansions that were totally empty (because) the two of them can’t unite behind one design; they’re overthinking everything. There are also more multiracial couples than I’ve ever seen before.
Also interesting now is that guys have more money than they used to, and woman also have their own money. (Single) men especially realize that the way they live betrays them. A guy is very exposed on a first date. The idea is to help these guys clarify who they are, understanding that women have completely different sensitivities. Women have conversely gotten either more girly or more sloppy. Single unmarrieds are hiring decorators now, which is really unbelievable. They are doing that because they realize that the home can really convey who you are or who you want to be.
Q: How do these observations translate into your new show?
A: The Fine Living Network is really aggressively going after this (home and design) category, and we just got along like a house on fire. So we got busy and in record-breaking time we created a show.
We take these headlines and then we find real homes and real situations where this matches up. Then we ask people, ‘What is your favorite public space?’ We take that space, then choose a very specific room in their house that we can use as a template throughout the house.
Read more about Christopher Lowell’s books, television appearances and design projects at .
Elana Ashanti Jefferson: 303-954-1957 or ejefferson@denverpost.com
