Designing Duo: A rich, creamy foyer

THE ROOM

A beautifully appointed grand foyer. Floor-to-ceiling painted paneling. Crown molding, wainscoting, inset panels ... the whole nine yards.

THE CHALLENGE

n How to warm up a fairly cold space. After all, there are very few opportunities for textural warmth in a foyer.

n How to create interest in the foyer while drawing your eye into other rooms.

n How to give a current or transitional twist to traditional architecture.

THE SOLUTION:

n Upholstery and carpets are the two main ways to bring warmth to an architecturally detailed space. Many clients love their hardwood floors and want to leave as much of them exposed as possible. However, from a safety point of view ... especially if you have children running through the house in stocking feet ... you want to carpet the stairs. You can always leave a five-inch border of exposed wood going up either side so that you don't lose the beauty of the wood. Plus carpeting will help with the noise and the echoing in an empty space. Of course, you'll also want to use an area rug to anchor the foyer itself ... in this case a lively cream and mocha colored abstract Tibetan floral.

n Round center hall tables are great if you have a very large foyer. If not, they can create an obstacle course. In this home there was a double foyer ... with a large space beyond the front foyer, which was perfect for such a table. Most foyers have room for upholstered furniture ... usually a pair of occasional chairs ... or even a single if that's all the room you have. We loved the designer's use of this space ... a large settee upholstered in a fabric with geometric circles ... playing perfectly off the wooden circles of the settee's arms.

n Nothing about the design of this foyer screams traditional. However, nothing could really be termed contemporary. A perfect definition of transitional. The wooden pieces in the foyer are stained a darker ebony or cappuccino color ... avoiding the redder tones of more traditional woods like mahogany. Floral patterns are abstract. Geometric shapes are repeated. The artwork ... although representational, has a clean, crisp feeling. All in all, a nice counterpoint to the very traditional details of the architecture of the space.

RESOURCE GUIDE:

Designer: Carey Karlan of Last Detail, 203-921-5151

Fairfield County and Palm Beach, Fla., interior designers Margi Vorder Bruegge and George Snead wowed "The Oprah Winfrey Show" audience with their room makeovers in a day. Contact them by phone at 561-459-7214 or by e-mail, roommakovr@aol.com.