Ray and Sandy Green have lived in their Victorian home just north of Frederick for 19 years. In designing their dream house, they carefully developed an open floor plan and ensured that rooms flowed into each other and exploded with color and light.
As the design trends of the ’80s and ’90s, such as floral wallpaper and faux finishes, began to fade, they identified a few areas in need of a face-lift.
They’d grown weary of kitchen walls overgrown with morning glories, and the pink roses and candy cane stripes in the master bedroom. The runway lighting in the master bath gave it the feel of a soap opera star’s dressing room.
One of the biggest annoyances was a bare corner between two windows at the kitchen sink.
“I liked my two windows, but I never could figure out what to do with that corner,” Sandy Green said.
Meredith Ericksen of Tuscan Blue Design devised a new approach.
“We wanted to make the spaces feel fresh and new,” Ericksen said. “We designed a tile pane to create a focal point behind the corner sink. We then continued the tile and border on the backsplash throughout the rest of the kitchen.”
She chose a tan-colored tumbled stone tile, and the resulting corner mosaic features squares and diamonds framed by a darker inset border of ivy. She added crown molding to lend distinction and definition as well as new window treatments and lighting.
“Scalloped valances soften the windows and mimic the lines of the glass shades in the new light fixtures,” she said.
A soft greenish-blue paint color connects the space both to the rest of the ground floor and to the softer tones used in the master bedroom and bath.
In the master bedroom, the pink stripes and roses have been replaced with yellow-gold tone-on-tone striping. The custom-designed window treatments and pillowcases contain rich and muted floral designs. The carpet and bed skirt also work to lessen the effect.
The master bathroom carries over the color palette from the kitchen, and the runway lights have been replaced with glazed iridescent fixtures. The focal point of a framed wreath on the wall above the tub adds a unique meditative dimension similar to the frame in the kitchen corner. One last vestige of the 1990s was preserved. The pinkish bathtub tiles survived the makeover.
“I’ve watched enough HGTV to know you have to wait for it all to come together,” Sandy Green said. “I just could never figure out what to do.”
With softer colors, light fixture glazes, subtle striping and tiles adding texture, the open plan and natural light reclaim center stage.
“Gone is the bright, patterned wallpaper of the past … and in its place is a more neutral, gentle color palette with pops of accent color that brings a fresh new look to their home,” Ericksen said.
