HGTV Designers Answer Your Questions

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 type 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.

What is the best way to add color to an apartment you can't paint?
Michael Payne: One clever way that I did a long time ago at college, where it was also not allowed that the walls be painted, was to take pieces of fabric, which is typically 54-inches wide, and pinned them to the wall in the corner, where the wall meets the ceiling. The panel of fabric then runs to the floor, where you can pin it once again at the floor line. The fabric is therefore stretched and reads like an 8-ft. high, 4-1/2 ft. wide band of color. By overlapping such panels, or even sewing them, you can introduce color into the room, and there will be essentially no means of detecting that the fabric was ever there. Just tiny little pinholes.

Is it better to paint ceilings light colors or dark? I'm wondering what shades work best for nine-foot ceilings and what works best for high ceilings. Any ideas?
Michael Payne: There really is not a golden rule here. I typically paint ceilings a lighter shade of the wall color. I simply think this looks best. The exception being when I paint the walls deep red. In certain circumstances, when the ceiling is painted the same color it makes the room feel particularly special. You might want to try this, and if you do not like the effect, just paint it a lighter shade of the same color. Remember: it's only paint

We're in the process of picking everything for a house we want to build. Right now, we're thinking about the kitchen. Could you suggest process to follow to make our selections?
Michael Payne: You need to put together the materials, which you will find for every kitchen. They include the cabinets, surfaces (counters and floor), appliances -- stainless steel, white, black -- and a wall color. These variables must all work beautifully together. So, if you loved stained cabinets, decide on which wood you want to use and whether the stain is light or dark. However, as you know, cabinets can be painted. Then decide on a color. Your counters can include granite, marble, plastic laminate tile and so on. And of course your flooring choices can include tile, wood, linoleum, stone and such like. Make these decisions together and get samples that you both love and put together a beautiful palette. You'll be well on your way.

My husband has a 65-inch TV in the family room. Can you please give me some inexpensive ideas for making the TV not stand out as much?
Michael Payne: The best approach, which is unfortunately not the cheapest, is to put the television in a cabinet with pocket doors. However if this is not possible, I have seen other ways of hiding the television by mounting a decorative screen on the ceiling, which comes down and covers the television. Other methods I've also seen are draperies that slide across the television, and you may want to even consider placing a decorative three or four panel standing screen in front of the TV itself. The TV cabinet with pocket doors is the best solution.

Do you feel it is necessary to have some sort of common thread throughout a home, or is it perfectly ok to have different decorating styles in different rooms?
Michael Payne: If the rooms are distinct, it is absolutely fine to have different decorating styles. Most bedrooms are distinct because they have a door to them. However, those rooms that are oftentimes open to each other, like a dining room, living room, family room, should have consistent styles. So, in most houses, you can have both.

Are there any furniture styles that definitely don't work together? Also, I have a collection of McCoy pottery. What's a good way to display them without it looking cutesy?
Kitty Bartholomew: I feel that almost any number of styles can work together, if you have the right "glue." "Glue" can come in many forms, whether it be a uniting fabric, pattern, on the floor, or softening with natural materials, such as trees and plants. It can be tricky but there's no question in my mind that the most successful and interesting rooms are a clever mix of different styles. This usually, but not always, stems from objects that have been inherited, as well as acquired as a family evolves. "Cutesy" is often associated with gimmicks. Assembling a collection in a no-nonsense placement really makes a statement. The best way to display is always on a vertical plane. Take a bookshelf, armoire or shelving and place them, tightly, together. As opposed to scattered about the room horizontally. Don't integrate other objects within the collection. Just a strong statement of the pottery, while keeping the colors together.

I enjoy decorating in black and white - are there any tips you have for making that color combo work? How do you decide correct scale and proportion when designing the decor of a room?
Kitty Bartholomew: That is a huge question and is very difficult to describe when I can't use any visuals--but I will give you a couple tips. Obviously black adds a great deal of weight to whatever if covers. Whether it's a lampshade or a wall. Can you imagine a black airplane?? I wouldn't trust it to fly!! So black can be a good anchoring color, particularly below eye level. White can be a very hot color because the color white is a combo of all the colors. When placed side by side, for instance take a circle and cut it in half, the black seems so much heavier and stronger than the white. Play with pieces of paper in various shapes on a white background. This will help you get your personal feeling of balance and help educate yourself on scale/weight/balance. Black and white is fine and if you choose not to use a third color as a catalyst don't feel that you need to. But when you restrict yourself to solid colors and just two, it works only when you vary the texture within the color. Let's say you have a black sofa and you want a black covering on the floor. Perhaps a shag or texture would be a good choice. A nubby throw on the sofa would work as well. Remember to vary also within the texture concept, finishes--high-gloss, such as vinyl, leather, lacquer with matte finishes.

We want to design a third bedroom into an office/guest room but are having a hard time on deciding which is more important. It's a very plain and not too large room with two average-size windows, beige carpet and very light beige walls. Can you suggest room arrangement, furniture to use, best colors, etc. to efficiently use the room in both capacities?
Kitty Bartholomew: You need to furnish the room with pieces that are multipurpose. I would start with a purchase of a daybed. If you expect to have many guests there are some wonderful styles available with a trundle hidden underneath. There are so many classic styles available in catalogs in every price range from IKEA to Pottery Barn to Room and Board, etc. Obviously, shelving is important. So, bookshelves, as well as a desk that could also have a companion or extension piece that would be a dresser or side table for guests. I would think of the room primarily as an office/library concept because you , as the owners, will be using it far more often than the occasional guest will.

Is there a way to "revitalize" brass finishes, i.e., fireplace surrounds, carriage lights?
Matt Fox: There is a paste you can make with baking soda and lemon juice. And you can make a pulp mixture that can be brushed on with a toothbrush. And then let it set for a couple of minutes and then buff it off with a clean rag. And I don't know the name of it, but there are many brass cleaners that you can purchase that work wonderfully, but try the home remedy first.

Is it possible to paint a laminate bathroom counter top ? We have a large double basin vanity with a solid white counter top. We are wondering if it possible to prime / paint maybe stencil & seal the top. If so what would you recommend to use and what steps would you use to prep?
Matt Fox: Yes...first, clean the countertop with warm soap and water. Lightly sand with a 150-grit sandpaper, remove the dust with a damp cloth, and then prime the entire surface with a bonding primer. Bonding primers allow paint to adhere to almost anything. And then you can apply your topcoat, and I like an oil-based paint for that. Good luck—great project!

I want to paint my kitchen with a southwest theme. I want the colors to have the look of rust or a terra cotta pot. But I don't want to stucco or plaster but still have the look and what base color do I use and glaze color? have any suggestions?
Shari Hiller: Well the washing technique is Matt's favorite choice for the pottery look. We start with a bright gold in a latex satin for the base coat, and then a rust in a latex satin for the washing coat. Don't dilute the topcoat, just use an old white athletic sock dampened into the straight topcoat paint. Take the paint to the wall and rub it into the gold base coat. Your arms will get a workout, but the finished look is worth it. Try it on a sample board to get your technique down.

I've seen you and others do a lot of textured walls. How do you remove the texture in the future if you want to change the look? Or can you prep the wall somehow before you add the texture?
Matt Fox: That's always a big discussion with homeowners before we attempt it. The only way to remove it is either to scrape it off or sand it off. That's why I normally apply it over a primed wall. Be forewarned, it's a bear of a job. So, if you are thinking of using a texture, plan on keeping it for quite a while.

I have a paint question. I am redoing my hunter green kitchen chairs to black. I have painted them a flat black but want to go to a semi-gloss or a satin. My question is what is the difference between these two finishes and do I have to use a poly when finished?
Matt Fox: Since you have already painted them flat black, why not consider using a satin or semi-gloss polyurethane for a topcoat? That'll give you the sheen and protection you desire. Satin and semi-gloss are just a type of sheen. Satin being less glossy than semi-gloss.

What kind of primer do you suggest in order to paint over a paneled wall?
Matt Fox: A latex primer will do just fine. Just something to get the wall sealed and for the new topcoat to bite into.

My question is about putting texture into paint. Is it an easy thing to do? How much do I put? It's only for the top, where there was a border.
Matt Fox: You want to start with a separate plastic pail. Pour in just a small amount of paint and slowly add the texture to get the consistency you want. That will be your formula, such as a cup of paint, and a cup of texture. Then, once you have your formula, you can make a batch big enough to cover the area. Practice on a piece of cardboard until you have the texture you desire.

I've noticed that sometimes when hanging wallpaper, you advise a sizing and activator. Are these two items needed when the paper is pre-pasted?
Matt Fox: Sizing is needed anytime you paper. It helps you move the paper around on a wall, and it helps for removal. And the activator is specifically for pre-pasted. It creates a consistent bond between the wall and the paper. Sounds like extra work - but you'll be so happy you did both.

The only wall in my bedroom where I can put our king-sized bed has two windows about the window's width apart. What can I do for a window treatment?
Shari Hiller: If it is necessary for your bed to be placed in front of the windows, then how about a large drapery that covers the windows and the area in between to create a large colorful background for the bed? If your bed isn't over the windows, it is okay to treat them separately but alike. They don't have to be tied together, but decorated the same.