Non-traditional Approach
Kitty Bartholomew: You're Home : Episode KIT-1203 -- More Projects »
Designer Bill McWhorter broke from his normal traditional style and added in some unexpected touches to his California home.
Living Room
The living room walls are painted a cool gray, which works beautifully with the warm wood tones and provides the perfect foil for the unexpected touches of color seen in the accessories and artwork. Some non-traditional elements include animal prints on the sofa pillows and a flea-market chair, a contemporary coffee table with a crackled ivory top and bronze-painted base and a handpainted French screen in a Plexiglas frame. A pair of leather wing-back chairs and formal English chests make up the traditional elements. Black is used as an accent color in the rug and in accessories on the mantel.
Dining Room
A glass top on the table provides the unexpected touch in the dining room. McWhorter also brought exterior plants inside, like the potted agave on the buffet, which almost brings in a somewhat tropical look to the space. The walls are painted the same gray color as the living room. Red is the predominant accent color in the space as seen in the artwork above the buffet and in matching vases on the sideboard.
Kitchen
The small space is made to look larger with dark-painted walls and a diagonal pattern on the floor. Non-traditional elements include an overscale lamp (far away from the sink) and artwork. Molding and paint add flair to the plain-front cabinets. The same gray color used on the walls in the living and dining room was applied to the center of the cabinets to make the spaces relate to one another.
Breakfast Room
The breakfast room also doubles as a casual library and has a wonderful view of the garden. A wall of bookcases behind the table holds his collection of reading materials. The glass-topped circular table is draped to the floor with layers of linens. The overscale wicker chairs are a bit large for the space but McWhorter chose them for pure comfort. An animal-print rug provides a touch of the unexpected underfoot.
Master Bedroom
The wallpaper in the master bedroom resembles a Flemish tapestry and McWhorter says it lends a natural, serene feeling to the space. He's brought texture into the room with baskets on the armoire and at the foot of the bed, which double as storage for blankets, CDs and photographs.
Hallway
He installed a store-bought bookcase in the adjacent hallway to hold his prized collection of colorful pottery.
Guest Bedroom
McWhorter's collection of blue and white is the focal point in the guest bedroom. Straw-colored wallpaper provides the perfect foil for the cool colors. McWhorter's custom acrylic desk stands out as the unexpected element against the more traditional country and formal antiques. The two table lamps on either side of the bed are not in proportion to each other but McWhorter says the look is unified with the balanced display above the bed.
Exterior
The home is nearly indistinguishable from the street except for a shutter door that doesn't lead anywhere. The illusion is emphasized with a pediment for architectural interest.
Guests Bill McWhorter
Designer
Website:
www.mcwhorterdesign.com
Also in this Episode
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2003/03/14/kit1203_1_livingroom_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2003/03/14/kit1203_1_diningroom_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2003/03/14/kit1203_1_kitchen_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2003/03/14/kit1203_1_cabinets_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2003/03/14/kit1203_1_breakfastroom_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2003/03/14/kit1203_1_bedroom_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2003/03/14/kit1203_1_guestbedroom_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.hgtv.com/HGTV/2003/03/14/kit1203_1_fakedoor_e.jpg",350,450))
