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An Article from The Buffalo News

Spring Shift : Fresh Start Decorating for Every Room in your Home.
Sunday, April 22, 2001

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Joanne Mitchell recommended wall-covering for this large space, rather than paint. "With wallcovering," she says, "you can see what you'll have."

"When my husband and I moved into this house 13 years ago, all the walls were painted white," says nurse practitioner Peggy Izzo of the 1929 Buffalo home she and her physician husband own. The old oak woodwork in the living room is so dark, the natural impulse is to try to lighten up the house by painting it white. But you can't hid the wood, and the wood is not that pretty.

"So I realized early that the living room had to be red."

She was apprehensive. "I knew it had to be exactly the right shade of red." They tried different paint samples for a year, then Mrs. Izzo started looking at wall coverings. "I realized that not only did it have to be the right color, it had to have dimension."

Interior designer Joanne Mitchell agreed. "With wall-covering, you can see what you'll have," she says. "Paint can change as it dries or look different on a sample chip than on a large wall. We chose drapery weight fabric in a true Chinese red and applied paper to the back, so the glue wouldn't come through."

The red lends warmth to the Izzo's contemporary eclectic decor, filled with objects they love. Sculpted cornices in bridge designs echo the doorway woodwork, and Oriental area rugs accent larger beige rugs.

With walls covered in Chinese red fabric and filled with loved objects, Peggy and Joseph Izzo's Buffalo living room combines dramatic style with warmth and comfort.

When Jill Arno moved into the Clarence home her husband had built and decorated in his bachelor days, she knew one thing.

"We needed some color!" she says, laughing as she cradles the couple's days-old baby on her shoulder. "It was very stark."

For Mrs. Arno and her husband, Mike, owner of Camair and Airtek, the color infusion started in the kitchen.

There, cream walls were faux-painted pastel teal and plum says interior designer Joanne Mitchell. Mauve, pearl and gray Corian replaced navy Formica on countertops and island. The same Corian was used in the octagonal dining table, also in the kitchen, custom made by Jill's uncle, Jerry.

Previously gray, the foyer is full of vibrant shades of purple from pale pink to grape. While woodwork defines the space, and wool Tibetan rugs in grape. Federal blue and grayed down teal warm the white ceramic tile floor. A wooden cabinet and table belonging to Mike Arno's mother add personal history to the contemporary decor.

The great room was also gray -- walls, carpet and furnishings. Austere mini blinds (bachelor window treatments) were the sole accent. "It was harsh and cold," says Mrs Arno.

"There was nothing that gave it any color."

Mitchell recommended that the couple add deep colors, starting with the plum purple carpeting and pale lilac walls. They loved the effect immediately, Mrs. Arno says.

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"Everyone that comes in there sees the purple change is floored," she says. "I would never go back to gray." The carpet is elegant but practical which is understandable to the young mother of three. "You can spill on it, and it just wipes up."

Contemporary furnishings in gray, taupe and tan are accessorized with pillows, art and floral pieces in plum, teal and grape. At the windows are simple pleated panels of plum silk taffeta with a soft, shallow swag. "It's dressy and gives privacy, without closing off the view," explains Mitchell.

"I'm adventurous," says Mrs. Arno. "If something doesn't work, you can always change it. And it doesn't have to be super pricey; you work within your means."

Mitchell agrees, "Let your decorator know your budget," she says. "There are low, middle and high ends in everything.