A House of Color and Pattern

A designer transforms a young family's first home with happy hues, charming prints and cheerful furnishings.

By: Brian Patrick Flynn

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Photo By: Rustic White Photography

Meet the Family

The Monteith couple spent the final three months of her pregnancy prepping their 1950s Atlanta ranch for their first baby, a smiley little guy named Flynn. Knowing they'd be spending many hours in the house with a newborn, making the home happy with bright colors was a must. And of course, since pets are family too, their new home needed to also be a comfy fit for their two dogs, Jeff and Huck.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Living Room With Happy Hues

The most memorable room in the house is the technicolor living room. Filled with colorful accessories, the room's walls are painted a dramatic yet neutral shade of navy blue that creates a beautiful contrast to the cheery shade of red in the dining room just beyond.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Room-to-Room Harmony

When choosing colors for rooms that open up to one another, consider how the colors and patterns will work together. Here, the dark navy walls of the living room created a moody vibe, but the cheerful cherry red just beyond it in the dining room helps balance out the darkness.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Gallery Walls

When arranging gallery walls, it's best to edit the pieces down to those that are the most personal. Then, it's all about finding the balance of color, texture, subject matter and the proper spacing between each piece.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Lighten Up Dark Rooms

A good tip for helping dark rooms feel brighter is to paint the ceiling bright white, especially if there are plenty of windows in the space. A white ceiling will help bounce light around the room.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Create an Entrance

Before the remodel, the home's entrance was forgettable and bland. Honshu wallpaper from Thibaut dramatically brightens it up and brings a smile to both the homeowners' and guests' faces.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Cheery Colors

From the moment you enter the Monteith home, you're introduced to bright, happy colors. The bold red of the front door is echoed in the wallpaper, while the paper's blues are reflected in the campaign-style console table and area rug.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Restful Bedroom

The master bedroom's design plan leans heavily on layering to create a look that's cool and calm. All elements in the room are shades of gray, blue and white, but they're not all the same tone. This gives the room depth and more of a collected-over-time vibe.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Classic Blue and White

One of the big benefits of a blue-and-white color scheme is its versatility. As long as you don't choose blues with green undertones, you can layer as many shades of blue as you like and the room will still feel balanced.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Minimize With White

For some people, ceiling fans are a design don't while others couldn't sleep through the night without one. An excellent way to turn these necessities into decorative features is to choose a model with sculptural lines and in the same color as the ceiling. This helps minimize the fan visually so it can serve its necessary role of improving the room's air flow.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

The New Neutral

Sick of beiges when it comes to neutrals? Consider shades of gray instead. More elegant and crisp, these colors mix with just about everything but don't take on the yellow or brown undertones that come with beige.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Bright White Backdrop

Got a room with dark, dated wood paneling? Save yourself the headache and cost of a messy remodel and simply paint it bright white in a semigloss finish. This will dramatically brighten up the room and allow you to bring in colors, like this cherry red, that wouldn't have paired as well with orangey wood.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Lively Shelves

To breathe new life into the formerly dated built-ins, the shelves were painted bright white, then the back panels were fitted with solid 1/4-inch boards that were covered with a bold botanical print in shades of hot pink and aqua.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Bold Front Porch

Although short on space, the front porch is overflowing with personality. The door is painted a showstopping red and the shutters are a deep shade of navy. To help coordinate the exterior with the interior, throw pillows with the same pattern as the entryway's wallpaper cozy up the Adirondack chairs.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Bright Red Front Door

Rather than replace the existing front door, a fresh coat of paint gives it a new lease on life. To really stand out from others on the block, the door was painted with Sherwin-Williams Hearthrob (SW6866) in a semigloss finish.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

All White Exterior

If your home's architecture is a bit lacking or the brick is beginning to look a little basic, consider painting it pure white for a refresh that also feels classic.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Statement Shutters

Instead of black, the shutters were painted a true navy blue that works with the bright red front door to create an Americana touch.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

The Dining Room Gets Fresh

Looking for wallpaper with a timeless pattern that's neither too trendy nor old-fashioned? Modern florals are an excellent option. This Sakura cherry blossom wallpaper from Thibaut adds a cheerful vibe with its bright backdrop. Design tip: When choosing floral wallpaper, opt for patterns that are more botanical in nature rather than fanciful florals like roses or daisies.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Crisp White Drapery

A designer trick for helping tone down spaces with a lot of saturated colors and busy patterns is to outfit windows with crisp white drapery. This neutralizes the overall energy of the room and allows a moment of visual rest.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

All About the Mix

Instead of favoring just one design style, mix it up for a more interesting look. Here, since most of the dining room's design elements are traditional, a touch of modern, represented in the white half-dome pendant designed by Leanne Ford, is a nice juxtaposition.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

White Trim and Ceilings

It can be intimidating to paint connecting rooms different colors because you'll need to find obvious breaks in the color. Painting trim white is a huge help. It helps frame the walls and create visual points for stopping and starting new paint colors or wallpaper patterns.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Simple Subway Tile

To update the kitchen, the Monteiths added basic white subway tile to their backsplash, but to make it unique, they opted for black grout rather than white. This creates a nice contrast and adds a modern, graphic touch to the kitchen.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Harness the Power of Paint

Rather than remove the existing cabinets, the homeowners refreshed them with a coat of sage-green paint. This grayed-down color is actually a neutral and it's a great option when you're tired of the standard beiges and tans.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Room to Grow

Flynn's nursery is the one room where textural wallcoverings were used. The sandy grasscloth wallpaper is a neutral backdrop that will work with any future color or design themes as the baby grows and his interests evolve.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Bold Closets

If you're eager to try a bold color in your home but worried about committing to one in a large, communal space, take baby steps and try it out in a nursery or kid's room closet. Here, baby Flynn's clothes pop off the saturated coral walls of the closet.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Pattern-Rich Powder Room

Since the tiny powder room doesn't have any natural light sources or architectural interest, the Monteiths decided to add character with walls covered in white subway tile and dog-themed wallpaper. This tiny space may be short on square footage but it's big on personality.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Texture Play

In rooms that use a tone-on-tone approach, break up the monochromatic look by layering different textures to prevent the space from falling flat aesthetically.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

A House of Color and Pattern

Related To:

Shop This Look

Meet the Family

Living Room With Happy Hues

Room-to-Room Harmony

Gallery Walls

Lighten Up Dark Rooms

Create an Entrance

Cheery Colors

Restful Bedroom

Classic Blue and White

Minimize With White

The New Neutral

Bright White Backdrop

Lively Shelves

Bold Front Porch

Bright Red Front Door

All White Exterior

Statement Shutters

The Dining Room Gets Fresh

Crisp White Drapery

All About the Mix

White Trim and Ceilings

Simple Subway Tile

Harness the Power of Paint

Room to Grow

Bold Closets

Pattern-Rich Powder Room

Texture Play

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