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BOSMXJ12

Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.

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portfolio Portico wall covering in Zinnia from Romo, available at Calvin Fabrics at the Boston Design Center bold as brass BOSTON'S TOP INTERIOR DESIGNERS REVEL IN THE RETURN OF BRILLIANT COLOR. by brooke lea foster F orget neutrals; these days everyone seems to want a little color in their home. "The economy is loosening up and people want their homes to feel happy again," says Patrick Planeta, a principal at PlanetaBasque in the South End. While safe colors like beige, tan, and white have dominated over the last several years, people are ready for a change. Today, say local designers, Boston homeowners are drawn to bright colors, shimmery fabrics and surfaces, and lots of peppy patterns—they want pieces and colors that lift their mood. Turqs and Tangos I t seems decorators can't stop upholstering classic pieces in vivid colors. Kate McCusker, one of two principal designers with Theodore & Company in Boston, says she's been incorporating color into many of her recent projects, such as a sofa she covered in blueberry velvet for a client. In her office, she has a hot pink silk throw pillow on a royal-blue-and-white toile French sofa. "Bold color is happy. It gives you a shot in the arm," she says. Some designers are using saturated colors on walls too. Kristen Rivoli, principal and designer with Kristen Rivoli Interior Design in Winchester, recently painted a bedroom in Benjamin Moore's Fiji, a tur- quoise blue. The clients had already decorated their living room in neutrals with turquoise accents. "They liked the accent color so much, they wanted it to be predominant in their bedroom," she says. Planeta introduced a couple in the royal blue and red scenes framed in cir- cles, which inspired them to incorporate the color scheme into their dining room. Planeta suggested that they paint the walls with wide citrine and chartreuse stripes. "During the day it looks like one color, but at night, you can really see the tones and values," he says. "It comes to life." They used the fabric to make the room's drapery. "There's definitely a lot of blue, turquoise, and green [this season]," says Rivoli, and red and orange radiate a certain cheerfulness. She points to Matthew Williamson's Sunset rug by The Rug Company, a watercolor- like, rainbow-striped floor covering, or Pierre Frey's Erevan wallpaper in cardinal red and Élitis grass cloth in Nature Précieuse, a rich red hue. Planeta often uses Gretchen Bellinger's Deluxe Blue Crab silk velvet fab- ric in upholstery projects, since its "lustrous sheen gives it depth." Rather than decorate an entire room in bold color, designers suggest choosing one 118 bostoncommon-magazine.com item—a chair or a sofa—and testing your choice first. Says Planeta: "Think of adding one or two pieces as punctuation." gold rush I n the last decade it was hard to find a redesigned kitchen that didn't have nickel or stainless steel hardware and fixtures, but now gold is showing up on drawer pulls—and in pieces throughout the home. "It symbolizes that the golden age is not behind us, it's before us," says McCusker. You don't need to use the high gold finish of Versailles to make an impact, however—today there are mellow golds that can be used with any look. In a coastal Maine house, McCusker is using brass hardware, door handles, and window fittings. "Gold is most effective in details," she says. In a traditional living room, you might incorporate a gilded mirror or frames, or even a Pantone named Tangerine Tango the 2012 color of the year. Interior designer Kristen Rivoli Aquagirl Blue from Hudson Paint Argonauta fabric, a beige textile with —kate mccusker South End to Stark's Old World Weavers " "Bold color is happy. It gives you a shot in the arm. Genius Pink Genius from Hudson Paint photography by greg premru (rivoli); courtesy of the romo group (couch)

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