by Abigail Brown

On May 16, 707 Pape became an eyefeast for those craving colour, life, and beauty in home decor! Local artist and home consultant, Jane Hall hosted the grand opening of her store by the same name, launching a bold new line of home furniture and accessories, Jane Hall, the Voice of Colour.

Each section of the store was a room with its own particular emotion, presence, theme, and personality, drawing people's eyes through colour. A room meant to exude "Warmth" saw soft but ever-present pinks, golds, and browns, dance across a painting, bedding, and pillows. Yet another room, boasting "Playfulness," displayed bright oranges, reds, and mangoyellows on its bedding and chairs.

Above these "rooms" read the banners, "We've taken Warmth and given it a Voice," or "We've Take Playfulness and given it a Voice". Other thematic schemes in Hall's line include "Tranquility," "Simplicity," and "Elegance" all given a voice through colour.

The use of colour is core to Hall's creations and is virtually unseen in the furniture and home decor industries.
Granted "ruby reds" sunset-oranges, mango-yellows, and courageous pinks and golds, may have made their way into haute-couture designs worn by models in Paris and New York-but on your mother's couch? Your bedroom carpet? Or your sister's living room?

Not very likely! Hall thinks the main reason for this is fear. "When consumers go into a paint store they see about 6000 different choices. They don't know what to choose when thinking of ways to decorate their homes. Usually, they end up choosing beige, or something safe and neutral, because they're afraid..."

Afraid, Hall means, that they will make an expensive mistake with colour that will end up being an embarrassing eyesore. As an artist and home decorating consultant, Jane wants to encourage her clients not to fear colour, but to explore it, and to use it to bring the life and emotion to their homes that they truly desire but cannot uncap.

Colour as medium has always taken precedence over the object of the art with Hall's creations. At the opening she said, "It's actually going back to something I did 13 years ago when I sold jewellery and other accessories. I merchandised everything by colour and my pieces always went to the stores by colour groups." Now with home furnishing she's done the same thing.

Using an exclusive palette of colours from Pittsburgh Paints and with the design and production expertise of her partner, Ian Levack and the accomplished Zerick Garner, Hall's work comes in many forms: a table, a chair, or a pillowcase. Her art is not only something you hang in a corner on the wall, it's the bed you sleep on or the carpet you walk on. Some of the seats on her chairs are actually made of hand-painted canvasses!

Friend Sandra said Hall's concept of home furnishing is total, "She doesn't just want you to buy a painting. She's created a total concept to run through your house, with not just a painting, but all the other furnishings there to enhance it."

One Danforth resident exclaimed, "I love the concept. Her furniture is marvellous and works so well with her paintings!" Another observer at the opening told ete... news, "Stunning. I find it stunning, the colour, the sari fabrics, the textures, and how she puts it all together."

Liz Shaughnessy, another impressed patron said, "She's been able to bring design to the streets... bringing the comfort of design to your home so that people are not intimidated by it..."

And Hall will come right to your door too. She says anyone interested can visit the store on Pape and make an appointment for Hall to personally visit your home and provide consulting and other home decor services for your designing needs. Now that's `taking art to the streets' indeed!