Q&A: Lucian Matis & his home collection

Lucian Matis is the designer of his namesake women’s fashion label, yet this season, he has launched his brand and designer skills into a new avenue – home decor. Inspired by the process of decorating his own home, Matis blends industrial design with cozy touches in his Lucian Matis Home Collection. Until January 5, you can shop his home collection, alongside his fashion line, at pop-up shops in both the Eaton Centre and Shops at Don Mills in Toronto. We had a chance to chat with the designer about his new line and what’s in store.

Lucian Matis Home 4 Lucian Matis Home 3

N: What inspired you to create a home line?

L: I bought a new home, and I was inspired to decorate my place. I had so much fun decorating, making it my own, and a lot of my friends said they loved it, that I have an eye for interior design, and suggested expanding into home decor as a collection. I gave it some thought, and it just happened I met one of my old coworkers from the Lucian Matis brand, and we came up with the concept of the Lucian Matis home collection. It was a very natural birth of the collection.

N: How was it different designing for the home instead of fashion?

L: I’ve learned a lot about having the two stores open, I find design, no mater fashion or home decor, it’s a learning process so that’s what I love about my job. Being able to actually communicate with the clients and see the reaction, it’s kind of immediate research for me, which I take into consideration of course, going into new collections. We have apparel and home decor, so I get to explore both worlds. I love the clientele here [at Don Mills]. It’s outdoors, so it’s more of a boutique than a mall. For me, it’s very interesting to learn about what the client needs and what they need in terms of home design. For example, the pouf in grey, I learned that people need more depth, and different colours, they want it to be off a little bit.

N: Who did you have in mind when you designed the home line?

L: The collection is industrial. I love industrial design to be more polished. A lot of industrial design is “new” made to look a little bit older, distressed. We have this cowhide collection, it’s actually one of my favourites. It just works because it’s neither masculine or feminine, you can design a room for a boy or a girl, and its a very cool concept.

N: Are any pieces similar to ones you have in your own home?

L: I actually have the pieces themselves! Because a lot of the testing I do, I bring them home in my environment. Like with the pillows, for example you kind of have to cuddle with it or test support for your back or neck, so I’m kind of trying to test the product before it goes on the market.

N: Was it harder designing for the home than your fashion line?

L: It comes pretty natural designing for home, and I wasn’t struggling with it. I know what i like, I have a vision, especially when it comes to interiors. I love starting with raw spaces and decorating, and that comes very naturally.

N: What is a great gift for the holidays this year?

L: We have so many beautiful gifts. A throw is a beautiful gift, it keeps you warm and feels loving. Also, the candles are 100 per cent organic soy candles, with fragrance from France. Those two [options] would be beautiful as gifts.

N: Are you planning a follow-up spring home collection?

L: We’re working on a collection for spring/summer. We went a bit more antique. I love telling stories with anything that i do. Home decor is one of the ways of telling a story, giving that sense of history and heritage and of course workmanship.

Images courtesy of Lucian Matis Home Collection.

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