Getting to know us – Marisa Lupo, Interior Decorator and Co-owner of Lumar Interiors
What our business bio doesn’t tell you:)
Marisa Lupo, co-owner of Lumar Interiors in Richmond Hill, Ontario shares some of her favourite things:
Guilty Pleasure: Shoes – how can you have enough? and magazines – I eat them up like chocolate:)
People are surprised to know: I’m only 5’1″ – I’m always in 3-4″ heels.
Favourite Quote:
My Inspiration to be the best: My kids. If I can model the behaviour I would like to see in them I feel I’ve done my best. Sometimes its a challenge but its a challenge I take every day.
Favourite book: Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay – a beautiful story that moves back and forth into two separate times in history exploring our shared humanity.
Favourite Shop: Anthopologie or Teatro Verde – I love to poke around in this kind of shop losing my sense of time.
Favourite Perfume: Bulgari for Women
Favourite Artist: Raoul Dufy – a french artist whose style is whimsical and colourful.
Favourite City: From my limited experience … I would have to say its a tie between Paris and Rome. Paris’ architecture is so beautiful and Rome’s history mesmerizing.
Favourite item in our shop: Original photograph on metal by our favourite photographer, Karen Merk. Its the famous clock in the Musee d’orsay – one of my favourite museums in Paris!
Person of Interest whose style I admire: Michelle Obama: elegant, intelligent, warm and comfortable in her own skin.
Secret to Success: “Inch by inch its a cinch; yard by yard its hard”. Small efforts taken every day add up to a lot in the end.
Favourite Project: My favourite projects are ones where the homeowners really LIVE in their homes. Their decorating plans always include how they use their home with their friends and family. This might include making it comfortable for their teenage kids and their friends or dining rooms that are decorated for real use; or a collage of family pictures on a wall. My favourite homes are spaces that are filled with life.
Signature Look: Though I love a classic traditional look, I don’t want it to look like my grandmother’s living room. So I love to throw in something unexpected. Perhaps its a fabric pattern that someone wouldn’t think of adding to a room or a more contemporary piece of art.
My living room – my favourite place to sit and read
Contribution to Community: I was heavily involved in our kids elementary school for about 12 years. I wore many hats from Treasurer to Fundraising Chairperson to Stage Designer for school plays – many fond memories there.
When I’m not in the office I am: cooking non-stop it seems. With 3 kids (ages 18, 21, 24), hubby and a dog, meal preparation is a going concern. My favourite part of the day is sitting down to eat where we love to share our stories from our day. (and yes, we set the table every night and whoever is there eats together. We did this even when we had 3 kids in after school activities. Don’t ask me how because its a blurr…lol…)
