Shine's Decorating Guide

From the use of bold and bright pattern to walls painted in zesty colors, these joyful designs will make your home happier.

1. Welcoming Entry

A strong color-Benjamin Moore's Fresno-keeps the mudroom of this New Jersey home by designer Mona Ross Berman alive. Bright accessories and a yellow light fixture add warmth to the room. The anchor pillow is by Jonathan Adler.

Related: A New Jersey Beach House












2. Mix of Patterns

For a Wisconsin lake cottage, designer Carleton Varney mixed pattern gaily and deftly. The sofa is covered in Lysette Reverse in magenta from China Seas, with pillows in pink-and-white Lysette and green-and-white Lysette. The walls are painted Farrow & Ball's Calamine.

See More: Inside a Lake Cottage












3. Lively Red Accents

Red chairs and a wall accessory add the perfect amount of punch to this white dining room in Bridgehampton, New York by design consultant Ellen O'Neill. The walls are painted Benjamin Moore's Linen White. Red chairs from Design Within Reach. Curtain

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With the creative help of New York City textile whiz Thomas Paul and Blackberry Farm founder Kreis Beall, Country Living magazine constructed a 250-square-foot guest bedroom cottage. Our goal: To cram as many smart decorating and storage ideas into one tiny space.

1. Friends don't let friends live out of suitcases. Which is why this cottage provides a wealth of clothing-storage options, including the dresser, built-in shelves, and a convenient row of hooks.

2. Ask more of accessories. By topping a luggage rack from Ballard Designs with a flea-market tray, Paul devised a nightstand capable of serving breakfast, too. The lanterns are from Etsy.












3. Make a blanket statement. Paul customized this Ballard chair, upholstering its cushions with Pendleton throws. Paul left the floors, from Lumber Liquidators, unfinished to underscore the rustic vibe. He painted the paneling around the window Plantation by Benjamin Moore. The wood sconce is from Etsy.














Plus: 6 amazing storage solutions for smal

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For the home office of Country Living's 2012 House of the Year, designer Barbara Kurgan, along with experts Shauna Alterio and Stephen Loidolt from the blog Something's Hiding in Here, created an artfully organized, thought-provoking studio for a husband-and wife team who work side by side, all day long. Here are 8 tips to pull of an enviable home-away-from-home office.

1. Elevate a standard desk. Explains Stephen Loidolt: "We prefer counter-height surfaces that encourage us to stand and move around, instead of just sitting and stagnating." Barbara Kurgan fashioned a tall, partners-style setup by pairing two Ballard desks and topping them with a custom box that provides a stealthy spot for stowing files and books.

2. An enlightening path to a clear desk? Ground table-hogging task lights and choose floor lamps, like Ballard models. The Smith + Noble shades open from the top and bottom to offer greater control over natural light, while the floor is painted in Crisp Linen by Benjami

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Color has the power to heal your spirit: It can be soothing, healing, and make you feel reborn. In shades of soft green, blue, and pink, professional interior designers share their favorite feel-good colors.

Stillwater 16-4610

"There's something in the color blue that triggers a relaxation response. It makes me feel as if I'm floating in a boat, looking up at the sky. Everything about it speaks of a gentle, tranquil, Zen state of mind. This is not an aloof blue. It's a blue that gathers you in." -Leatrice Eiseman. Paint by Pantone.





See more: Designer Living Rooms

Delicacy 11-2409

There's a softness to this cream, with a touch of red, that attracts me. That bit of warmth makes it more uplifting. It's like a blossom in spring. I would do it in a bedroom with olive, navy, or eggplant. It's gentle and clean and optimistic - a fresh way of being Zen." -Brett Beldock. Paint by Pantone.

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