Vivid wall color wakes up art,
such as the paintings over
the living room mantel.

Red in Any Form

Red -- in any form -- is especially welcome in the main living spaces, which are short on sunlight and need the extra boost of warmth. But orange accents add brilliance and interest, as seen in the vase of Chinese lantern flowers on the living room mantel and a bowl of tangerines on an antique scorched-bamboo cabinet.

Hints of the early blue-reds remain in fabrics, accessories, and artwork that the decorator has amassed through the years. The resulting layers of color allow her the freedom to build on her design, slipping in new finds and shifting old ones around at will.

"If you pick a color palette and stick with it, you have great flexibility in moving things around," Daily says. That versatility is important for displaying heirlooms and investment pieces. "You don't just throw out your Oriental rug."

 

For her, variety is key in layering tones and shades. A pair of items in dissimilar reds might appear mismatched; a dozen look engaging and diverse. "If you have a lot of things to look at, you don't analyze the colors," Daily says. "I used to be a real perfectionist about this stuff, and now I'm a lot looser. I think that if things are a little off, it looks less contrived."

Though red is definitely this home's signature hue, she explains that "I didn't want a whole red house. I was looking for opportunities [to add different colors]." In the sunroom, red plays second fiddle to ochre yellow. "I wanted the room to be light and bright. I like the way the color transitions to the outside." Red also appears merely as an accent in the master bedroom, where she focused instead on soft lime green.

For a smooth visual transition to views of the foliage outside, subtle ochre graces the sunroom scheme. Because the space opens to the dining room, the dining room curtain fabric was repeated at the windows. The chaise reflects an early preference for cool reds.

These are minor dalliances, however; Daily won't stray from her first love anytime soon. "I don't know where I'd go," she says. "I've found what works for me."