Grand Entrance

Walls coated in soft yellow-gold then antiqued around the doorways and moldings imbue the two-story foyer with a sense of drama. Less intense than the living room's mural or the dining room's stripes, the entry balances the two and introduces the home's vibrant character. Plus, it puts a visual break between the more graphic treatments in the rooms on each side of it.

"The entry hall's yellow is like a sunrise," Peggy says. "In the early morning sun, it's vibrant; by evening, it's calm." Peggy and Kramer sampled five yellows before making their choice. "One was too fleshy, one too blah, another too baby yellow; another didn t meld with the rooms on either side of the foyer," Kramer says.

A ledge stretches across the entry wall, above the door and below the second-story windows. Kramer suggested a faux-weathered-stone paint treatment to give the ledge texture and definition, drawing the eye up toward the pottery and plants it holds. Random-size stones were first outlined in pencil, then layered with sponged-on color, and finished with freehand grout lines.