You Ask, Vern Answers

For a master bedroom that feels inviting without being dark, select paint and bedding colors that have warm undertones in medium and light tones. Designer: Vern Yip

Q: I have a 19' x 19' master bedroom that has vaulted ceilings. What can I do to make the room feel warm and inviting without making it too dark?
— Kelly, Waukee, Iowa

A: Everyone likes different things from different rooms, and determining your personal style and how you want your room to feel is a key step toward creating a game plan. If you want a master bedroom to feel warm and inviting without being dark, select paint and bedding colors that have warm undertones to them in medium and light tones. Try painting your ceiling a slightly lighter version of your wall color. You can achieve this by taking your wall paint and cutting it with some white to give you a lighter version. Textured drapes that reach all the way up to your ceiling are another way to create warmth, as are throws and throw pillows. Additionally, overhead lights and lamps on dimmers can contribute to creating a warmer glow from your illumination sources.

Q: I live in a house with an open floor plan in the dining room, kitchen and living area. How do you choose paint colors that keep the rooms separate without looking like a color palette?
— Dawn, Bluffton, S.C.

A: Newer homes often are characterized by a more open floor plan, which is more conducive to the way many modern families like to live their lives. Painting the walls in these rooms, however, has become trickier since rooms are now visible from many vantage points. One approach is to select a neutral paint color to run through all of these rooms. Each room can then be individualized and given identity through curtains, throw pillows, rugs, artwork and decorative accessories. Another approach is to select varying shades of the same color for all of the rooms so that you have rooms that relate to each other but are still unique in their tone. If a big color variation is more to your liking, try making one of the rooms a distinct and bold departure while painting the other rooms similar tones of the same color.

Q: My family just moved into an 80-year-old house. The kitchen has an island and pantry that were added later and are different styles from the other cabinets. We're not planning on redesigning the kitchen for at least six months. In the meantime, would it be worth it to reface the doors so all the cabinets match?
— Alissa, Needham, Mass.

A: Quality is a big issue when making interim decisions on design matters, and this is especially true when you are talking about a costly item like kitchen cabinets. If the existing base cabinets are of exceptional quality (solid hardwood construction, dovetail joinery, etc.) then it may be worthwhile to preserve the cabinets themselves as part of both the interim and final kitchen game plan. Usually, if you think that you will be redesigning the kitchen in six months? time, you are better off leaving things alone and pouring your time and financial resources into your ultimate kitchen vision. Painting the walls a brighter or bolder color will draw the eye to the color choice and can often help to temporarily distract from the cabinet discrepancy. Additionally, investing in knobs or pulls that can unify your varying cabinet styles can also be a quick and effective solution, especially if you can then re-use that hardware in your new kitchen.