TRAY CHIC

This quick little mini make-over proves that even cookie cutter construction can be interesting.  In any home, whether a two-hundred year-old farmhouse or two-year old boring box, I like to emphasize the positive design elements by making them more prominent.  In an old home with gorgeous molding, for example, I paint around it to make it pop (the walls and ceiling to make it "pop").  If your home as archways, paint them, if you have angled walls, paint the angled wall a contrasting color (if the majority of your walls are tan, make the angle a bit darker).  So, in this otherwise drab master bedroom in a new construction home, I did a few things to jazz it up a bit.  With the help of my handyman, I installed a chandelier above the bed (purchased at Capital Lighting in Paramus, New Jersey for $199!).  Contrary to what most people think, adding color does not make a room look smaller, it makes it more interesting, so to draw attention to the tray ceiling I painted it! Because I had paint left over from a project in another room, this little addition subtracted nothing from our budget!