This Lively Texas Home Has Every Color of the Rainbow

Friends who visit Genie and Randy Norris’s house often walk in and say, “It’s so happy!” — and that’s exactly what Genie was going for. As the owner of a color consulting firm called ColorGenie, she spends most of her time thinking about how to infuse bold palettes into clients’ homes. Her biggest project to date is her own: a remodel of her 4,500-square-foot house in Austin, Texas. “It was really important to me that we not go out and buy a lot of new stuff,” she says. Except paint. She bought plenty of that, using her textile collection as color inspiration. “I spread paint chips out like a beautiful flowchart, then just adjusted and tweaked as you would a quilt pattern.” In the end she used 60 paints throughout the house. Look around, then pick up some tips for bringing happy hues into your own home.

Working with CG&S Design-Build, Genie and Randy completely updated the 1979 Craftsman, opening the layout and creating fun nooks for Genie to fill with thrifted, vintage and handmade treasures. The anything-goes palette starts here with the pink front door (Loveable by Sherwin-Williams) and mossy green porch trim (Winding Vines by Benjamin Moore).

“Why wouldn’t you use your favorite color on kitchen cabinets?!” asks Genie, who picked a turquoise that reminds her of the ocean (Composed by Sherwin-Williams). She chose a cherry red Bertazzoni oven that pops next to the blue, then used a runner she has owned for a decade to tie it all together. The watermelon art is a roadside sign from the 1930s.

"The colors may look like they were chosen randomly, but I put so much thought into each selection," says Genie. This quilt from the 1970s served as the color inspiration for the whole main floor.

This curved banquette is modeled after a booth from the restaurant Randy’s family owned when he was a kid. Genie painted the woodwork a pale mustard (Bee’s Wax by Sherwin-Williams), then added a custom seat cushion.

The design-build team created a niche under the stairs for the couple’s prized piano. “We extended the paint (Really Teal by Sherwin-Williams) out in a circular design to call folks in to come play,” says Genie. The light fixture is from Sazerac Stitches and the mirror is from Target.

Genie searched for weeks to find a riser pattern that would unite all the colors in the house. She finally found Faye Jennifer Vinyl Design, which sells floor-grade vinyl designed by artists. “I actually did a happy dance in my office,” she says. After a quick tutorial from Faye, Genie installed the vinyl in a weekend. The banister is painted to match (Gypsy Red by Sherwin-Williams).

“Blue and orange are opposite on the color wheel and always pack a punch when paired,” says Genie. They’re also Randy’s favorite colors, and this room doubles as his office. Genie topped the Murphy bed with a quilt from 1890. A painted semicircle headboard helps soften this room’s angles. “I love the idea of a guest pulling the bed down and getting a surprise.” The carpet is from Kane Carpet.

One of Genie's tips for brightening your space: Think beyond your walls. "Believe it or not, the vast majority of the walls in our home are still white," she says. Instead of painting a whole room, consider a vibrant door, trim, shelf, cubby or ceiling — like she did in this spot. Nine doors open onto this stairwell, and each one is a different color. (These two are painted Golden Plumeria and Aloe, both by Sherwin-Williams.)

When people need to find the bathroom, Genie says, “all we have to say is ‘the yellow door.’” Terrazzo tile on the floor and walls creates a neutral backdrop for fun pieces like an Urban Outfitters mat and a 1960s Sol-O-matic laundromat sink.

Everybody uses the back door at the Norris house, so Genie wanted to make a statement in this area. She worked with CG&S to design custom built-ins and painted each element a different color, tying them into the wallpaper. “This is what I imagine the inside of my brain looks like!” Genie says of the pattern from Bluebellgray, which matches the seat cushion in the breakfast nook. The cubbies at the top display retro ice buckets.

Yellow zigzag planters from Pieces form a barrier between the pool and gate, which is a metal reproduction of the main door on the house.

Even the waterline tiles (from Crossville) are multicolored!