Who: Tamara Bowman,interior design consultant & owner of Metric Design Centre. Where: Metric Design Centre (160 2nd Ave. N.). Clothes: Postella shirt dress, $129, San Francisco; Hotlook pants, $70, online. Footwear: Seychelles heels, $65, San Francisco.Accessories: Guess watch, gift; bangles, $20, Tonic (122 2nd Ave. N.); necklace, $40, Tonic; earrings, $20, Mexico. Hair:Ruth Halyk from Absalom Hair (323 6th Ave. N.).

After successfully running an interior design business for over 11 years, Tamara Bowman took her career to the next level by opening up a retail location, called Metric Design Centre. Tamara says her main purpose was to make design accessible and unintimidating while showing people that good design can be achieved in many ways and on budgets, as long as it’s done right.

How would you describe your personal style?
“Outside the box” — I try to think of what’s normal and then step beyond that. In both my fashion and my design, I love to create both interest and drama by mixing together prints, colours, mediums, layers and textures.

Where do you get your fashion inspiration from?
I know it’s really cliché, but I have to say that I’m a huge Sex and the City fan and I adore Carrie’s fashion sense (or lack thereof). When it comes to fashion the thought “Would Carrie wear this?” really does enter my mind ― and if the answer is yes, then I’m good to go!

What do you think is the worst or best fashion trend right now?
I think that the wearing-socks-over-tights thing is genius! How great is it that we actually have fashion trends going on right now that [work in] our climate? Finally, people in California can look silly for a change, wearing their Uggs in the hot weather!

What’s your favourite item in your closet?

Hands down it’s my brown three-inch-wide punched leather belt that I picked up in Greece last year. It’s so unique and versatile ― I can wear it with anything!

Tell me about Metric Design Centre.

Metric is all about good design. We offer one-stop shopping for everything for the interior — kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, you name it ― plus the design services to put it all together.

What’s your best piece of decorating advice?

Mix it up! Don’t be afraid to mix and match woods, metals, fabrics and so on. Go after items that you’re drawn to and that you love, and bring them together all in one space — carefully, mind you — as that’s not only what makes a space interesting, it makes the space about you. This is where a good designer can help you to make these favourites work!

Favourite colourcombo?

Dark charcoal or brown mixed with navy, teal & mustard ― pretty much any colour that you can find in a peacock feather!

Anything else?

Be bold; make it personal. When it comes to the space around you, don’t settle for average — let the areas that surround you inspire you every day, by reminding you of you and of what inspires you to be great. Put some time into a space so that it can represent your unique qualities and needs, and let that come through in every way that you can. Life is about us, not the generic representations that are laid out easily before us.