Steve Sabados has launched a new lifestyle website and has rereleased the home decor brand that he and Chris Hyndman started in 2007.
A year after the death of his husband and business partner, Chris Hyndman, Steven Sabados has returned to the public eye with a renewed sense of purpose.
He launched a new lifestyle website this month and has rereleased the home decor brand, the S&C Collection, which he and Hyndman started in 2007.
Formerly the co-host of the Steven and Chris show, Sabados is also returning to daytime television in the fall as one of four hosts on a new, as-yet-unnamed CBC lifestyle program.
In an interview also touching on art as therapy and why renovating is still the best way to invest in your home, Sabados called the relaunched S&C Collection a passion project that is equal parts homage and inspiration. "Design was at the heart of so much we did together, and I have always been proud of that," he said. "I felt I owed it to Christopher to keep our dream alive."
Here's more of that interview:
It's been a tough year with the loss of your best friend, husband and business partner Chris Hyndman, but you've found a light at the end of the tunnel. Has relaunching the S&C Collection been part of the healing process?
There is no question that this has been an incredibly difficult year for me, but I am pushing through and staying positive. Chris and I first started the S&C home collection in 2007 and each year we've worked to create designs that are classic and timeless – but also affordable. I have relaunched the S&C home collection for fall 2016, basically following the same approach. The collection includes furniture, lighting, rugs, linens and decorative accessories.
I've also just launched stevensabados.com, which is filled with photos, videos, inspirations and fun. If there is one thing that people have told me over and over about Christopher, it's that he made them laugh. I have tried to collect clips, design inspirations and memories so we can all have a little of that back.
The revamped collection features a mix of lifestyle pieces, from traditional cut-glass Scotch glasses to industrial-style lighting. What and who are your design influences?
It sounds so cliché, but I really get inspiration from everywhere. Binge watching TV series is my new hobby, and even on an episode of Ray Donovan I was inspired by one of the light fixtures in an office, and then designed a light fixture for the new S&C collection. It is appropriately named the Ray light.
We also have a tidy, masculine, Fifties-inspired chair in our line called the Draper chair. Guess where the inspiration for that one came from?
You turned to painting, your first love, during this past year of tremendous personal and professional change. What did being a creator yourself and not just a curator of other people's design ideas, tell you about yourself?
I was originally a fine-arts major in college and I have always loved to paint. I find it very therapeutic and it has offered me an outlet over the last year to express myself. As I continued to work with colour and silhouettes, more design inspiration came and I felt it was important for myself – and for Chris's legacy – that I relaunch the S&C home collection.
Your comeback includes a new daytime lifestyle show on CBC where you will be one of four hosts. Tell us more about that. What will you contribute?
I am excited to be returning to daytime television at CBC in the fall. With this new show, I am one of four hosts who is an expert in their field. My area of expertise is, naturally, home decor and design. The show will have three other hosts, including [Canada's Smartest Person host and eTalk contributor] Jessi Cruickshank, who is a lot of fun. We will be bringing on a food expert and a health and wellness expert and we'll each bring our unique perspective to the trends and stories which affect our everyday lives.
Kitchens and bathrooms have typically been the big reno projects in a home. Is that still the case? Or is there a new trend set to dominate home decor right now?
I would say that there is still a strong trend toward any sort of home renovation. That is evident by the type of programming seen on HGTV and other networks. People want knowledge on how to improve their home for as little cost possible.
Do you have any favourite pieces in your own S&C collection?
I really love the new sofas and tables we have in this collection. We have a sofa called the Eastbook, which is double-wide chaise with a relatively narrow width. It's perfect for condo living but still big enough for snuggling. It's made in Canada and the hardwood frame is guaranteed for life.
If you could share your top tips with people wanting to decorate their home on their own what would they be?
First and foremost, have a plan and stick to it. I find a lot of people get sidetracked when decorating their homes and start to make impulse purchases that throw the design off, and costly mistakes are made. Start with the sofa, it's always your best investment. Good rugs can also play an important role in creating the mood and helping to define a colour scheme. People often tell me how they find rugs among the biggest design challenges so I am excited about the new S&C custom rug collection that we're launching with Hellenic Canada for spring 2017.
Tell us more about that.
We created a series of approachable designs that can be mixed and matched with a palette of up to 160 colours, and the size is completely customizable. People will be able to go online and create their own rugs and then order them directly – a service that was once only available to professional designers. People are smart and they know what they like; they can trust themselves.
You are a fount of ideas. Have you always dispensed design advice?
Ever since the days of the Designer Guys [his TV series in the early 2000s], people have come to me with their design challenges and queries. I've been in the unique position to offer advice and ideas – and hopefully a little fun. This is the essence of the new S&C home collection – and the custom rug program is a direct response to that.
What's next for Steven Sabados?
I am taking it one day at a time. I am excited to be working with a very talented design team right now, and going back to television in the fall will be like a family reunion. I am not sure what else lies on the horizon, but I take comfort that Christopher is always with me, guiding me along.
This interview has been edited and condensed.