DILEMMA
How do you open up a long, narrow room?
SOLUTION
“Keep the walls light to open up a room-even if you have the right scale, the wrong colors will defeat the intention. I like the middle-tone to subdued range of colors to keep such a room open.”
MORE ABOUT LORETTA WILLIS
Willis has owned Loretta’s Interior Design, 1586 Pine Lake Drive, Naperville, since 1989. Her focus is on residential work.
– Area covered: Hinsdale west, with concentration in Naperville.
– Early influence: Willis’ love of fabric was instilled by her mother. “It still carries over in so much of the work I do,” she says, “coming up with unique textiles that aren’t the run of the mill but meet the client’s needs. I do a lot of window treatment work.”
– Pet project: Her own green and white kitchen. Because she works out of her home, her kitchen has sold many a client on her taste and style.
– Style: “Traditional but with a flair.”
– Essential ingredients: Willis considers how a client uses a room, not just how it looks. She also likes openness and symmetry.
– Emphasis: Turning bedrooms into studies, TV rooms into sewing rooms–changes that best satisfy a client’s evolving lifestyle.
– Design philosophy: To make a room elegant but, more important, usable.
– Battle plan: Willis begins by looking at the entire home and seeing what colors already are used. “I don’t believe in scrapping everything and starting all over. I develop a color scheme that can flow throughout the house. I like to start with the rooms that are used the most–the kitchen and the family rooms–then the more formal rooms.”
More Top Picks Best Flannel Jackets For Older Women
– Pet peeve: When clients seek direction, but refuse to let go of things that get in the way of the desired result.
– Call: 630-898-2504.