HGTV Designers Answer Your Questions

Read on to find answers to some common decorating questions answered by HGTV hosts and designers.

How do you compromise between country and contemporary styles?
Michael Payne: I believe when you have two completely distinct styles, such as country and contemporary, the most successful way to integrate the two is to do it subtlety. For example, I would take a room and make it primarily one style or the other - let's say contemporary - and then introduce some country-styled pieces in key locations. For example, in a contemporary room the sofas, the chairs, the side tables and suchlike could all be really slick contemporary design, and a single piece, like a large armoire could be pure country. What this achieves is the contemporary furniture will look more contemporary, and the country pieces will look even more country. There will be an exciting juxtaposition, but not a mish-mash.

When starting with a new design for the room, should you find colors for the wall on other objects that are going to be in the room or should you just pick some random color?
Michael Payne: I typically look for colors in a room from fabrics that I am going to use in that room or maybe an area rug to be used. This way the paint color will, of course, relate to all your fabrics. It is far simpler to choose your colors this way than to pick a color out of the sky and then find fabrics to match it.

Can mixing different types of wood furniture be confusing?
Michael Payne: You must be careful because if you have several different woods in a room, it can be very confusing. Sometimes, such a mixture can be done on purpose and can be very effective. For example, I have mixed cherry and maple, and it has been most effective, however, this was by design. A mixture of, for example, pine and walnut and mahogany and suchlike, is more than likely going to look awful. Better to keep it simple, and if you are going to mix woods, try to keep them in the same hue.

What is the best way to add organization to a small apartment/studio?
Michael Payne: Treat the apartment like a boat. A place for everything and everything in its place. Make use of every square inch of your home. Coffee tables should be storage chests. The space under beds can have drawers. Hire a closet company to maximize the storage of your closet space. If you work at it, you can find storage space in the most unlikely places. And just like a boat, it can be beautifully neat, clean and organized even though you own a ton of stuff.

How do you safely paint the interior walls with different colors?
Michael Payne: If you can see the colors of the adjoining rooms, I suggest that you get the paint chips that you are considering and lay them down in order that you can see if the palette works. There are many color combinations, which work beautifully together, for example, sage greens and yellows and blues. However, there are some color combinations, which in my opinion, don't work well at all. For example, browns and reds, or pinks and salmons. So, collect the colors you are considering. See them all together. That way you won't make a major color faux pas.

Do you have a suggestion as to how to use Oriental carpets but not have them "take over" the room?
Michael Payne: An Oriental rug only takes over a room when there is simply nothing else to compete with its colors and design complexity. If you have fabrics with various designs and colors on draperies, on throw pillows, on upholstered furniture pieces, and, in addition, have colorful paintings on the wall and colorful accessories, the Oriental rug will truly take a back seat to the overall scheme.

I've noticed you use different shaped night tables (one round, the other square). We may be buying a new bedroom set soon. Is there any danger that this style will be unfashionable in a few years?
Michael Payne: No, do not necessarily consider that all the pieces of a bedroom set all have to match. I actually believe that this makes for a less-than-interesting bedroom. I think the best look is to have a beautiful bed as the centerpiece, the nightstands can be any size and shape that they want to be, as long as the style is not too dissimilar to the bed. And if there is a dresser, it can even be yet another styled piece of furniture. I have used desks as a nightstand, and round tables as the opposing nightstand. This approach makes for a very interesting, if not eclectic, look in a room.