Gloria Gale Bill Mathews

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Leslie’s recipe for a bright mix: - Try out a variety of fabrics on furnishings first. - Use a neutral background then play up color in the fabrics and accessories. - A bright palette starts with complementary colors or opposites on the color wheel. - Mix patterns and scale; combine different shades within the same color family.

Big, bold and beautiful. That is essentially the formula that one local couple decided upon when their three daughters finally flew the nest, leaving them to dream about the delights of rural living. “We yearned to live in the country one day and suddenly that day arrived,” the homeowner says.

Both she and her husband decided the wide-open suburb of Stilwell would be the site. “We asked around and found not only the property but also our builder, Jack Fuller,” she says. “My husband had been tinkering with the design, so we already had something in mind. Our ideas matched Jack’s plan nearly room for room, which sealed the deal. One year later, we moved into a grand two-story and haven’t looked back.

 “As easy as it was to build, that’s how easy it was to decorate,” she continues. Her friend Leslie Holt, an interior designer and fellow native Texan, did the design work. “We have the same taste and I knew she would interpret my ideas perfectly.”

Once inside the home, guests go over the rainbow. Spaces are alive with bright in-your-face hues. Hot pink, tropical orange, deep purple and green — everything dances in a merry mix. “If you peeked inside my closet, you wouldn’t find anything brown or black; it’s all about the color,” the homeowner says. “I love it. That’s why it surrounds me and my family.”

“That was my total agenda when I first started working with this couple,” Leslie says. “I knew we would be on the same page; it was a total collaboration.”

When she met the homeowners, Leslie knew the direction they were going to take right from the get-go. “I brought in fabrics that I thought would be a good place to start,” she says. “In the living room, for example, we took our cues from a lavender and green floral-print ottoman that the homeowner owned. This piece set the tone for the rest of the room that we dressed with a lavender ultra-suede sofa, coral linen club chair, spring green walls and a vibrant handmade rug.” Even the elaborate framed mirror over the mantel was painted (at the husband’s recommendation) the same color as the living room walls.

The dining room, majestically anchored with a large round wood table that seats 10, is highlighted with the same green wall color used in the living room. “It looked so good that we even painted the built-in buffet the same color,” the homeowner says. 

The hearth room, adjoining the living room, holds both the kitchen and breakfast area. It was treated to a similar fresh palette but with a neutral, light taupe base color on the walls and floor. “When a room opens up to the next, it’s important to continue the flow, even if it’s in the accessories,” Leslie explains.

In this case, the oatmeal-colored kitchen cabinets are enlivened by the hot pink bar stools. This pop of color instantly links them to the open hearth room the kitchen faces.

The hearth room’s off-white tile floor, coupled with taupe-colored walls and stone fireplace, presents the perfect foil for the hot pink, green, lavender and orange fabric accents that cover furnishings and draperies. “Without that neutral background, the khaki-colored drapes with bright pink Gerbera daisies and bold floral-patterned rug would be lost,” the homeowner says.

A circus of bright color continues making a splash in the homeowner’s office, where lively pink walls surround white woodwork. “It’s so easy to do my bookwork in here,” she says amusingly. 

Similarly, she had the neighboring laundry room painted a robust tangerine color, again making a distinctive statement for this normally utilitarian space. “I even had the interior of my kitchen pantry painted in a bright pink,” she says. “The painters thought it was a mistake and repainted it white.”

While the main level of this home reflects a cheerful palette of fabrics and accessories, there are rooms in the home that do have a quieter side. One daughter’s bedroom has a subtle taupe stripe glazing the walls. Another is dressed all in crisp white, while still another bedroom has a soft blue-green tonality on the walls albeit punctuated with a hot pink polka-dot wing chair.

No doubt the buzz in the public rooms comes from the unexpected burst of color throughout. “All of this color actually begins and ends in the details,” Leslie says. “Specifically, you’ll see vibrant fabrics, intense draping, zesty wall colors and snappy accents. If you’re going to take the plunge and surround yourself with color this bold, make sure you absolutely love what you’ve chosen.”