Staged for Living - Page 4

Room transitions

Being mindful of any breaks in your Eichler's flow (or transitions) from one space to another can also help to show it off better. "Let's say you have a home in which two adjacent rooms have different types of flooring, interrupting the flow of the home. You could counter-balance it by having some area rugs to draw your eye away from it [the break in flooring]," suggests Boyenga.

Color and texture

A timeless, classic design or decorating theme that has proven to work well through the decades is referred to as a 'proven dish.' Janelle Boyenga likens proven dishes to a pair of jeans: "Everybody has a pair; and while other colors of denim (white, black) may come and go, the original denim is classic. It goes with just about anything and never goes out of style."

Using proven dishes can help simplify tough home design decisions—especially when it comes to using color. Staying aware of your home's outside-in structure—including walls and ceilings, and posts and beams—as it relates to interior paint selections, are important for continuing openness and flow. Whatever you start inside should also be carried to the outside, and vice versa, to avoid breaking up these prominent architectural features.

Designer Rachelle Padgett has found that fine-tuning color selection is often "where the benefit of hiring a specialist is really advised. In fact, the fear of making a [color] mistake has led a lot of people to [have to] live with relatively restrained or muted color palettes, when that [color choice] might not be what they love or what inspires them."

According to Janelle Boyenga, the original Eichler colors from the '50s and '60s have given us great proven dishes. "Now we're using them [Eichler colors] again. They're proven, right? We're going back to the orange doors, the beautiful blue doors. So, proven dishes in this context would be the colors; the contrast; the textures from tile, stone, or wood; and the overall effect.

Finishing touches

Adding artwork, textile accents, and throw rugs are marvelous ways to begin experimenting with color, pattern, and texture. They are more economical and less permanent than painting or, say, changing out countertops.

"Putting some art on the walls is a wonderful way to make your home feel warmer, more personal, reflecting your taste," Padgett notes.

Strategically selected and located pieces of art, including prints, paintings, textiles, and sculpture, can help provide a finished feel. They are also excellent vehicles for repeating a favorite accent color throughout multiple areas, giving your home a cohesive look. A simple piece of colorful fabric laid across the back of a chair or couch is an easy way to add color, texture, and visual interest.

When buying art, Secret often encourages people to seek pieces from local artists "because they're local, they're interesting, they have a story—and you're helping the local economy," she says. "They are also expressive of who you are."

The ability of rugs to improve a space should not be overlooked, says Secret: "I think oftentimes people underestimate the value of a nice, good rug. The right rug in a room will make it look grounded and finished."

In the end, the architectural canvas is yours, but drawing on both time-tested and newly evolving design techniques can go a long way towards making your home look as special as it really is.

"You drive by that orange door, and you've seen it a hundred times, but you still love it," says Boyenga. "I love the colors that were used in the original Eichlers! They were brilliant."

Photography: Mariko Reed, Steven Dewall, Peter McMenamin, Eric Rorer, James Fanucchi; and courtesy Renee Adelmann of EichlerForSale.com, Claudia Desbiens of Modernmecca.com, Laura Martin Bovard of LMBInteriors.com, Camila Baum of Redux Stage Co., Lucile Glessner of Lucile Glessner Design, Klopf Architecture, Matt Kahn Historic Trust

STORY RESOURCES

Janelle Boyenga • Boyenga Team
Eichlerliving.com

Severine Secret • Go2 Design Studio
Go2designstudio.com

Lucile Glessner • Lucile Glessner Design
Lucileglessnerdesign.com

Rachelle Padgett • Synthesis Interiors & Color
Synthesisinteriorsandcolor.com

Camila Baum • Redux Stage Co.