Big Room, Bold Color

Want to go beyond beige on your walls? Let this living room be your guide.

It's so easy to play it safe. You go to the paint store, pick out a lovely shade of eggshell, and roll it on your walls without much worry. Just like that, your room looks shiny and new.

But then there are people such as Kathy Lowry of Austin who always fall hardest for stand-out, saturated, wear-your-sunglasses-indoors colors. And that requires a lot more thought because a lot more can go wrong when working with bright shades.

Kathy's first choice was a bold green, so interior designer Linda McCalla of Georgetown, Texas, put on her thinking cap. "My biggest concerns were picking a green that didn't knock you down when you entered the room and making sure the trim and ceiling colors were right," she says.

Which Way on the Color Wheel?

After the green wall color was selected, the next step was to choose complementary colors for the ceiling and window treatments. To dial down the intense hue on the walls, Linda and Kathy decided on a soft wheat for the ceiling and for the Roman shades. A common mistake would be to paint the ceiling white, which would create a stark contrast.

Two Rooms in One

Kathy and her husband, Tim, had recently downsized to this townhouse, which meant their blue sofa, patterned chairs, Oriental rugs, book collection, piano, and dining room table would all be arranged in one room. The secret to avoiding a hodgepodge look? Linda and Kathy created two distinct areas within the room-one for dining and one for lounging, each with its own rug to anchor the space.

Shedding Some Light

Because the room is full of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, Kathy wanted the perfect lights to shine on her collection. She knew she'd hit the jackpot when she found halogen lights that are strung on parallel cables about a foot from the ceiling. They can be adjusted to spotlight anything in the room, including a novel 9 feet up that might otherwise go missing. Another neat idea: A tall, narrow closet stores a stepladder out of sight. SARA ANDERSON

Page 130: Designer was Linda McCaIIa, Linda McCaIIa Interiors, Georgetown, Texas, (512) 930-9987; architecture by John L. Carlson, Architect; green paint is Woodland Sage #KM3311-3 by Kelly-Moore Paints, www.kellymoore. com; halogen lights are Kable Lights from Tech Lighting, www.techlighting. com (M).

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Oct 2004
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