A California Home Decked Out in Happy Hues

You could say I had fallen out of love with my house,” says Teresa Kelleher of the 3,600-square-foot Palo Alto, CA, home that she and her husband, Brian, bought back in 2002. It wasn’t the structure itself Teresa was weary of — it was the way she had decorated it 15 years ago. “My style back then was heavy, bulky furniture and lots of deep reds, greens and golds,” she recalls. After living with that look for more than a decade, Teresa decided she had gotten tired of the dark, dramatic decor. “The house doesn’t get a lot of natural light, and the color scheme was just depressing,” she says. Moving was out of the question, so in 2012, she gave the home an energy boost with help from designers Tiffany Mansfield and Lisa O’Neil. While the kitchen and her daughters’ bathroom got top-to-bottom renos, most of the house was transformed with just paint and bright fabrics. “I’m absolutely back in love,” Teresa says. “It’s light and cheery, and it really reflects who we are as a family.”

Teresa and Brian with (from left) Sofia, 11, and Ana Isabel, 8, holding Luna, their black Lab puppy.

Pre-makeover, the dining room had olive-hued walls, a clunky dark-wood table and high-back velvet chairs with brass upholstery nails. Teresa gave everything the boot and restyled with her favorite colors. The Loewenstein chairs are covered in lemony vinyl, the turquoise silk Cowtan & Tout curtains feature multicolor tassel trim and a Cisco Brothers bench is covered in burnt orange Designtex fabric. The pendant is from Arteriors, and the walls are painted Jute by Benjamin Moore.

While on vacation in Spain, Teresa picked up a home magazine that featured pretty, tiny, iridescent pink tiles. She was thrilled when designers Tiffany and Lisa found a close match at the Country Floors showroom in San Francisco. But on the day of installation, Teresa freaked out. “It was so pink, I panicked — I hadn’t shown it to Brian!” Luckily he was on board with the color, since it’s toned down by the white oak cabinets and the creamy white quartz counters. The nickel dome pendants are from Tech Lighting, and the lightweight aluminum stools are from Advanced Interior Designs.