‘Bright and cheery’ makes this a happy home
“I’m an Aries,” said Barbara Bentley mischievously. “I’m the kind of woman who would go to a wedding and tell the bride’s mother how to punch up the punch. Yes, I meddle.”
Bentley’s playful nature is evident in the decor she assigns every room throughout her 3,100-square-foot apartment. Explaining her choices of bright colors, Bentley said, “When I wake up in the morning I want to see a bright, cheery room with the sunlight pouring in.”
That is a description that would go double for her favorite place, the kitchen, if only there were more windows there. But what the kitchen lacks in windows and bright, natural light it makes up in the bold, blazing red vinyl tiles she chose for the kitchen floor.
Then there’s the golden-yellow doors and trim. And the paint-stroked wallpaper with a band of border that keeps one staring, mesmerized as if observing a Picasso canvas. Colorful striped fabric seat covers accent the heavy, wrought iron chairs that have been finished with a light green wash.
Bright was not the case when Bentley, 77, moved into the condo 10 years ago after her husband of 10 years died. A Baltimore native, she relocated to Pikesville from their home in Arundel on the Bay, knowing she wanted a really big apartment. “I knew I could not live in a one-bedroom condo. I would have been stifled.”
When she found her spacious place, the mission was to brighten it up. “It looked like Joe’s funeral parlor,” she said laughing. “The bedroom was black, and there were black curtains” in the hall.
With “brighten it up” as her mantra, Bentley, who works as a volunteer developing programs at St. James Enrichment Academy, went about bringing in the “happy” to her new home.
The kitchen got the most of it, serving as a welcoming place for her many friends, who visit to catch up on committee work, talk about the world and plan fun things to do together. “I surround myself with people who are old and fun,” Bentley said, “which could mean we go for ice cream at Maggie Moo.”
While the decorating of the rest of the apartment is complete, Bentley likes reinventing the kitchen. She is anxiously waiting for a photo of an apple she sent out to be enlarged as new art for the wall. “I just want a great, big red apple.” Hearing her words made her laugh. “It takes nerve to do this stuff,” she said conclusively.
