Our environment is the foundation of our life.

Boy, would I like to take credit for that little gem of a statement, but it belongs to designer Stephen Saint-Onge. In my hour-long conversation with him, I was acutely aware that I was talking to someone who is very much self-actualized. The way he sees it, home design isn’t something to inflict or dictate, but to empower and uplift and set the stage for a lifestyle. And he is clear about his role in that process.

“It’s a personal connection,” Saint-Onge said. “I’m not judging them. Homes are personal spaces. It’s up to me to help them make it better. Good design has the power to change people’s lives.”

This took on an enhanced meaning when the economy took a nosedive. Many people have had to shift from “dream home” mode to making improvements to their current home, while others who are selling their homes are trying to gain an edge through more stylish staging.

“You can’t control what’s happening in the outside world, but you can control your home,” said Saint-Onge, whose brand is all about family-friendly design. “Bottom line, people can make their home anywhere they want. It’s about what you surround yourself with. I’m a big believer in that.”

Saint-Onge – already a media splash with appearances on Oprah, The View, CNN, FOX News, ESPN and TLC as well as mentions in publications like House Beautiful, In Style, Real Simple and the Wall Street Journal – is now a regular contributor to Better Homes and Gardens magazine and has teamed with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate to do home improvement videos (http://www.bhgrealestate.com/Views/Live/Video.aspx) that have his signature warm, inviting vibe.

Someone who can’t afford to flat out hire a designer can get the professional touch by watching those and implementing his tips. Or they can take it a step further by having a sort of virtual consultation with him for $175. You mail in photos of a room, fill out the form on his Web site, and in two weeks you get “a specific list of what could be done with the room, a floor plan to illustrate what Stephen thinks you could do and even some products or services that he thinks might help you in your redesign plan.”

The beauty of working with Saint-Onge is his comfort level with doing what he was born to do as an artist. His eye and his sensibility have been very much informed by his passion for old movies and that World War II philosophy of appreciating simple things. He loves passing that on through his work. He recalled a moment that crystallized for him his true gift.

“Oprah said, ‘You can see the potential in any space,’” Saint-Onge said. “I can. I see the end result, beyond the clutter. I realized it’s something I can do.”

It is something he can do, in fact, that many people find stressful. He has been to homes where there are six paint swatches on the bedroom wall and they’ve been there for six months because the homeowners can’t decide.

“A lot of people have the same dilemma,” he said. “They can’t see beyond what they see every day. The energy or mood of a person changes when there’s somebody that says you can do this, this and this to make this room better. I leave them with a to-do list. Then they wonder, ‘What was I waiting for? Now I have a whole new space and I’ve done it myself.’”

The idea is to create moments. Do you see yourself writing a novel in that corner or baking a pie in that kitchen? Saint-Onge likes to ask people their favorite movie as potential inspiration. For example, the Hamptons-style beach house in the film Something’s Gotta Give is very popular and, in fact, its writer, Nancy Meyers, received a lot of interview requests about its décor. Saint-Onge also gets requests based on another Meyers movie, The Holiday, which features personality-filled homes for characters played by Jude Law and Kate Winslet.

“I tell them to freeze frame scenes and see what they like,” Saint Onge said. “The conversation begins. They’re communicating about design in a different way.”

That brings to mind for me a scene from the movie French Kiss, when Luc (played by Kevin Kline) gives Kate (played by Meg Ryan) the language to describe wine by having her smell various herbs, fruits and flowers while blindfolded. When she tastes the wine, she then immediately gets the subtle notes, like lavender.

Same concept for design. Saint-Onge finds if this approach doesn’t work, it challenges him to find a different way to communicate.

“They need to have an idea or an essence of what the room is going to be,” he said. “It could be tear sheets from magazines. Get a Look Book created. It could be a three-ring binder or a sketch book that includes settings you think are fantastic.”

The environment, the foundation, the life – they all flow from there.

Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com.