Kitty Bartholomew 2/28/2002

HGTV: Welcome to HGTV's hosted chat room. Today's host is Kitty Bartholomew, interior designer and host of Kitty Bartholomew: You're Home. Just a reminder... please try to include as much information about your design dilemma as possible, such as all the colors in a room, how much natural light is available, style of home/decorating preference, use of the room (kids/animals/formal), etc. The more details you can include; the better picture Kitty will have of your room. Thanks! Welcome, Kitty! Thank you for joining us today!

Kitty Bartholomew: Thank you for inviting me, as always. I really enjoy hearing questions and comments!

Question: I am interested in getting pictures and how-to instructions of your TV shows. I checked our local library and they said that they don't have a "Design and Decorating" magazine. I am especially interested in children's rooms including painted murals and unique ideas. What do you recommend so that I can witness past programs?
KB: Please take a look at my show on hgtv.com. You can search for information on children's room and hopefully find something to help you! Videos are not available for purchase but many, many of the projects are available to view online.

Q: Hi, Kitty, from Portland, Maine! I love your show!! Keep up the great work! A quick question: I'm trying to pick a paint color for my small, dark bathroom. It has vintage '60s tile from the floor to about chair rail height. The wall above the tile is the question. The tile is pink with a gray border. Thanks!!
KB: Do you have any windows and is there a level above it? Is it on the first or second floor?

Q: (bathroom with pink/gray tile) There's one window in it, a small one. And the room is on the second floor.
KB: I have a personal love for the Portland, Maine area. because I've spent a lot of time near Raymond, ME in the summer. Would you consider a skylight in the bathroom? Or a Solatube? It's an Australian brand, essentially a cylinder, that's easy to install and takes reflective light from the roof. To simplify, it's like using a reflective mirror. They're usually not more than 12 inches in diameter and can add a lot of light. The website is www.solatube.com. I actually used one in a bedroom in my last house and found that it was a very cost-effective way to add natural light. As far as the walls are concerned, would you consider a wallpaper? Perhaps a stripe to integrate the color of pink (ignore the gray if you want)... But if you could find a combination of striped colors that pleases you it would add zip as well as additional colors to play off of. Hope this helps!

Q: Have you moved into another house, or do you still live in your cute bungalow?
KB: That's a very timely question! I sold that bungalow four years ago and am actually closing on a new fresh old house tomorrow. I will be doing lots of future segments from it. I am so excited because it was built in 1940 and only had one owner, so all the original charm is there. Stay tuned!

Q: Desperate! Have a small split foyer. I'm redecorating and have no clue what colors to paint living/dining rooms. Carpets are beige, and for next two years, I have a large, dark-beige, very comfy, L-shaped sectional. At top of steps, turn right into rectangular room, 24'x11'. The living room on the right (front of house), 10' window facing south. The L-shaped sectional is at railing and in front of window, and it faces a long wall with a large chestnut entertainment unit centered. The dining room is on the left (back of house) and has sliders to deck (no drapes) with two small corner cabinets on either side. In the room is an oak table with four chairs and a small buffet. I like bright colors. Would love to have contrasting color on a wall -- which one? I feel overwhelmed with beige, but am afraid of making small area look smaller. Having a total mental block and desperately need colors.
KB: You've given me lots of information, and I also love color... It's very difficult to suggest colors when all I know that you own is beige. My first instinct would be to perhaps go for a terra cotta on the split-level entry. Entryways are generally used as pass-throughs, so it's a great place to make a statement! In the adjoining rooms / connecting room, perhaps you could utilize a blue (navy to light blue) terra cotta, beige, perhaps a little green. And combinations thereof...when I mention green I'm thinking of live things, i.e. trees and plants. How about a blue for the living room... or at least a light blue ceiling with walls that are mottled in values of brown and beige, i.e. a glazing paint effect.. Pick up the terra cotta in throw pillows or a pattern that would incorporate blues, beiges and terra cottas... Hope this helps!

Q: (in the split-foyer, beige house) I like the idea of painting the opposite, large wall a dark color but that would make it appear smaller, right? Maybe a taupe. And I do like your idea of light blue ceiling. If we do those two primary colors of light blue and beige/tan, can I throw in accent pillows of blue and maroon? Or would that be too much? I was planning on plants where ever possible. It's a large combo living room/dining room (no eat-in kit), and we rarely entertain. It has no doors, just doorways. Our family has two high school-aged kids. We decided to go very casual like a family room/great room. Minimal furniture right now. Have a really cool, 8'w x 6' h entertainment unit facing sofa. No other furniture yet. Everything is very simple (plain) with no woodwork, just baseboards. You suggest cool colors to minimize?
KB: Yeah, sounds great! If you go with the maroon color ignore my suggestion of terra cotta! Unlike many designers, I don't mind a room looking smaller... for my two cents I prefer cozy to colder and larger.

Q: My problem room is the den. It's located in them middle of our house and is 12'x16'. The problem is that each wall has a doorway in the middle, making furniture placement a nightmare. Any ideas?
KB: What is the primary use of the room? You said it was a den? Is also used as a family room, with children, for TV watching? On the walls that afford the least amount of space for furniture, I would consider building bookshelves, really making it into a library / den. Or all the doors used as access with equal frequency? It might serve you well to have a few pieces of furniture that work, i.e., at least a sofa, a loveseat and coffee table and store an ottoman or two under the coffee table for additional seating when needed. It's really hard for me to suggest furniture placement when I don't know what kind of space you have between the doorways.

Q: I just adore the antique looking cross-stitched sampler that hangs in your workshop. Is there a chart available so that I can make one just like it?
KB: Not that I know of...it's actually an antique. (I'm not sure it's an antique, but it's old!) I found it years ago and had it framed. I could have a picture taken of it and send you a copy that you could enlarge and have your own pattern made if you like. As luck would have it I'm on my way to my studio after this chat and can take it home and get a picture for you. Send in your address like you would send in a question and I'll send you the picture!

Q: please give me the name of the book you used on today's program with the stencil designs. and where can the book be purchased?
KB: It's called Painted Furniture Patterns: 34 Elegant Designs to Pull-Out, Paint and Trace. Unfortunately, it's out of print, but check on www.amazon.com because they often have out of print books. The ISBN# is 0525486194.

Q: Kitty- I just watched your show featuring the little bungalow you did for your girls. Can I find some specifics on that on hgtv.com?
KB: It was also in a former issue of Country Living magazine. I can't put my finger on the month, but you can call my dear friend, Stanley Hura in NY, who I worked with to coordinate the design and photo shoot. He's a great friend and will not only have copies of the article but sources. (tell him Kitty sent you!)

Q: I have a fairly open concept Cape Cod style house. My kitchen, dining and family room are one big room and all painted a buttery yellow color. They are also on the back of the house. Should I paint my front rooms to match or just coordinate?
KB: I think it would be more interesting to coordinate. Definitely having the buttercup yellow playing an important role, but secondary...

Q: I'm still trying to find the projector that was used on a show last week.
KB: Most libraries and schools have the projector. Keep trying. -- you shouldn't have that much trouble locating one.

Q: Kitty I have just purchased a new, dark-sage loveseat and couch. I already have a mauve recliner. I want to paint my walls burgundy and the ceiling sand. I have oak trim and floors. My room is 20'X15' with lots of windows. Will this be too dark?
KB: Probably not, because of the windows. Remember the darker the value, the smaller the room feels, but the cozier! "Too dark" is a matter of personal taste, and only you can say if it's too dark. Why don't you buy a small can of the color and paint two coats on a long strip of heavy-duty shelf paper or the solid side of an unused roll of wallpape?. Tape it up and live with it for a few days and nights to see how it makes you feel. You didn't mention where you live, so I don't have a sense of your climate. If you lived in Seattle vs. Florida, the dark color could matter because of the average amount of sunlight vs. overcast days. Good luck!

Q: I recently saw your show about dog houses. When you were going into your back yard, I saw your gate. Did you paint that yourself?
KB: No, I actually had a friend paint that. I hope it made you giggle! I love to incorporate humor inside and outside!!

Q: I am trying to do a primary TV room, mainly with the wall color. I have oak flooring, doors and trim. The couch will be a denim slipcover, and I have a separate chair that is primary yellow with red and blue pinstripe plaid accents. I have put a yellow up on the wall and am not sure if that was the right color to do
KB: Yellow can be a very difficult color to live with. It's ideal when used in a temporary space, i.e. an entry, hallway, etc. Studies have shown that the color yellow can create anxiety, particularly when in the presence of it for long periods of time. Also, the stronger the yellow, the higher the possibility of anxiety.

Q: (more information) I am trying to do a room in primary colors mixed with antiques. I have a denim slip cover sofa, a yellow chair with pinstriping of blue and red, and red and beige checked curtains. My floors and doors are colonial wood. What color can I put on the walls?
KB: I like the idea of a light blue ceiling, perhaps a soft, buttermilk yellow. Since you've already painted the walls yellow, perhaps you could tone them down with an ochre tinted glaze, which would tie in with the antiques and crisp feeling of the furniture. Good luck!

Q: Hi, Kitty, love your show! Can you give tips or recommend a book on painting furniture? I want to update my French provincial dresser and vanity and am not sure how to paint it. Thanks.
KB: There are so many books on the market. My favorite on painting techniques is Paint Magic by Jocasta Innes. She also has a book, which in an earlier viewer inquired about, called Painted Furniture Patterns that has some great ideas for painted furniture. I consider Jocasta Innes the guru, but there are many others who have written useful books on paint techniques.. Another one is called PaintWise also by Jocasta Innes, it's for decorative effects on furniture. The copyright is 1991, and it was published by Reed International Books...

Q: I plan to decorate my soon-to-be 3-year-old daughter's room. the room has 9' ceilings, pale yellow wall, plantation shutters on two large windows and pale Berber carpet. I want to do two twin beds in perhaps fabric head toile? Any suggestions on colors, other furniture etc...
KB: I don't think you can make a mistake with painted white furniture for a little girl's room. I recently, with my 14-yr. old daughter's help, re-did her bedroom with Pottery Barn kids furniture. I love the idea of a toile because it's timeless and classic, and also, French! Please bear with me as I look for a catalog... There's a catalog I love called "French Country Living", phone is 800-485-1302. They have some great looks you might like. Ballard catalog also has great looks, phone is 800-367-2775. You can great ideas out of these, and both offer various price points and lots of great ideas.

Q: I would like to wallpaper my kitchen over the wallpaper that is on there now. How should I prepare the wall. The old wallpaper is in good shape.
KB: Do you intend to do the wallpaper yourself? If the new wallpaper has a lighter background than the older you could run into problems over time with the former pattern showing through. If the new pattern is darker in background I wouldn't worry about it. Make sure all the old seams are nice and flat to the wall, not peeling. Worse case scenario you might want to put an under-liner paper, which is very affordable and available at all wallpaper stores and home centers. Read the directions -- it's often applied horizontally, as opposed to the vertical wallpaper installation, which goes over the top of that. To be on the safe, safe side, that's the ideal way to install your new wallpaper.

Q: Do you have any ideas for a fireplace mantle for Spring?
KB: I suspect you mean dressing it? A fireplace mantel is a great spot to showcase a new season, whether it's Autumn colors and materials or Christmas greenery and motifs. Spring feels like tulips, daffodils, large branches like forsythia, dogwood, or whatever is blooming in your part of the country. Lighter baskets will make the room feel fresh as well as pastel or sunny plates and items that take you away from winter...and into the sunny days ahead. What's really fun to watch is the wheat grass -- it grows really fast and can be planted in a flat basket or cachepot for a spring, Easter look.

HGTV: Well, everyone our chat hour has ended. Thanks for joining us and asking such great questions. And thank you, Kitty, for spending time with us this afternoon.

Kitty Bartholomew: Thanks for joining me! The people from Cunard Lines wanted me to let you know that I will be giving guest lectures on a cruise from NY to London May 12 to May 18. If you don't have anything else to do, come join us! When we land in land in London, the Chelsea Flower Show will be going on, which is the greatest and most anticipated flower show in the world! Thanks again!