Personal Questions

Your name:Christa Fairchild

Where were you born?Montreal, Canada

Where do you call home? Montreal

How long have you lived there?Born and raised. Studied abroad. I spent a 5-year stint in Europe as a young person.

How would you describe yourself?a Bohemian Sherpa… a guide to the pursuit of good taste and the arts.

Who influenced your tastes the most? My wide range of studies and I think all that travelling and adventures I’ve lived. My parents had a profound influence as well.

What is your favorite color, and has it changed over the years? I used to love greens and still do. Now I’m crazy for hot pinks, vibrant corals and reds. Grey of all things has really started to creep in there. In my photography, I tend to lean towards big color, and in my interior design, more muted, sedate, calm spaces. A good compliment for one another I think.

What do you consider to be your greatest skill or expertise?My greatest skill has been leadership and courage.

What is it that really makes a décor great?Great décor reflect the true personality of the people it’s designed for. Creating a great décor takes good listening skills and attention to details: how they live in their space, the image of themselves they want to project, and how live able is it.

What is your least favorite part of being a decorative artisan?Sometimes I don’t get to participate at a high enough level in the design process.

Travel

Where would you most love to live?I would love to continue to live in Montreal but with a place in Europe. That was I would have my access to outdoors and laid back North American style as well as my access to culture and craftsmanship.

Where would you most love to visit?My next trip will likely be a long visit to Asia: like Korea or Vietnam. I want to immerse myself in something completely different. Spending 10 hours a day shooting in a totally different environment will push me out of me zone of comfort. This helps me see through the lens in a totally different way.

What item do you consider to be indispensable when you travel?My camera

Would you prefer to travel

by car, train, boat, plane or bike? Once I get somewhere I like being outside as much as possible, so trekking is my preferred method.

to the mountain, sea, desert, new city or old city?To any body of water but the ocean is my choice. I used to love to play in the tide pools as a child.

Cooking & Recipes

Do you like to cook? Yes but only if I’m entertaining. I’m a grazer by habit – picking at things during the day.

What kinds of foods do you gravitate toward? American, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Greek, or something else? Anything that is full flavored or spicy, but Indian, Thai, Middle Eastern, and Mexican have the right blends for me.

What staple items do you keep in your refrigerator? Condiments and flavor enhancers: lots of dried peppers, spices from all countries, coriander and parsley, and lemons.

What one kitchen gadget could you not live without? My lemon press by William Sonoma.

How often do you entertain? Casually or formally? I like to host cocktails a couple of times a year at my place. I think I am a blend of both casual and formal. But I always make sure that there’s a good blend of personalities so everyone enjoys themselves.

Lifestyle

What activities or hobbies do you enjoy outside of work? I enjoy cooking, reading, sports, and attending festivals. Summer is a very busy time in Montreal – so much to do in a short period of time.

What is your favorite charity? Why?My volunteer work is largely based around promoting entrepreneurs and mentoring. Having gone through this process recently I appreciate all everyone gave to me – now I do the same in turn.

Do you have pets? No, pet-free zone I’m afraid – too many allergies.

Do you enjoy reading? Have a favorite genre? Author? Book? Well I either read leadership books, the as The Success Principles by Jack Canfield, or science fiction: such as Terry Prachett or Neil Gaiman. I like to loose myself in other realities.

What style of music most resonates with your creative personality? What style do you actually listen to? Favorite artist or album? Like my taste in food: anything with wide a range music styles: I recently started listening to Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar’s daughter. She plays lounge music with a strong Indian twist to it.

Do you have a favorite artist and/or piece of art? I always liked the Romantics Symbolist and the decorative arts. There was something magical and bazaar about what they painted.

What would you consider to be the perfect day of relaxation? Sitting on a deserted beach: hearing the waves and the cries of the birds, and watching the cloud shadows play across the bright blue waters. OK so if I’m not in paradise: I’ll enjoy taking in a drink on a restaurant patio in Montreal and people watching.

Decorative Artisans are Real People Too

What is your foremost pet peeve?Someone who is not true to their word.

Do you have any phobias?Absolutely not – I’m a pretty stable person.

What year of your life would you most like to re-live? Why? I don’t think I would relive anything. I’ve had the good fortune of working on personal development early on in life. I’ve done the best I could with the knowledge I had at the time. There is only “now” anyhow, so living a full life today, everyday is all I want to focus on.

What historical figure would you like to meet? Why? William Morris and Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier. They were all men of many talents and were respected for them. I think that’s the direction I am heading. My grandfather died young during WWII, but he was an up and coming architect in Hungary in his time and worked for Le Corbusier. I would have loved to have met them both.

Both personally and professionally, what would you like to leave behind when you are gone? Inspiration: both on a personal and professional level. What we create in art does live beyond us. I feel it important to keep that in mind continually.