A Texas Home With Bold Moves in Every Room

Located in Rollingwood, TX, a 10-minute drive from downtown Austin, the house was built in the late 1990s, but its Southern-style columns and wide porches evoke an earlier era. Other than painting the trim Dark Kettle Black by Valspar to contrast with the limestone, Katie and Greg left the exterior as is. A black-and-white-striped sofa and pink pillows from wayfair.com hint at what’s inside. 

Here are a few things you should know about Katie Kime’s decorating style. One: Her favorite color is pink. Two: Large prints do not scare this designer. And three: She’s a whiz at mixing fun, whimsical patterns.

So when she and her husband, Greg Henry, bought a house just west of Austin, TX, with uninspiring beige/khaki walls, Katie seized the opportunity to dive into a total transformation. Her mission: Make the two-story home burst with color, personality and one-of-a-Kime touches that would feel in sync with the young family of five (six including 75-pound Duke, their chocolate labradoodle). “The key is to trust yourself,” says Katie, who owns a home decor store in Austin. “If you like it and your eye says it works, then it does.” 

Daring decorating in the living room started with a neutral base: creamy white walls (Alabaster by Sherwin-Williams) plus gray Belgian linen sofas and white chairs from Restoration Hardware. The fun marched in with striped ottomans, gleaming metal accents and pink-infused pillows. The spiffed-up barn doors with black wood molding were inspired by paneling in BG Restaurant, homeowner Katie Kime’s favorite spot at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City.

Katie was determined to use the pink rug she bought on a trip to Turkey as the centerpiece in the foyer, but Greg was reaching his pink limit. Her solution: Soften the impact with a sleek white console with silver leaf doors from High Fashion Home, seagrass wallpaper and traditional blue-and-white vases. Dark-stained hardwood floors help balance the rug color, too.