Design Happy: Colorful Homes for the Modern Family by Betsy
Wentz.
In Design Happy, Wentz gives readers valuable professional
tips and design lessons while detailing renovations of twelve homes. Many of
the houses are from an affluent area in Pennsylvania but some are vacation
homes. In each of these homes Wentz brings vibrant colors e.g., fuchsia, kiwi,
turquoise, and citron. The colors, however, flow naturally from a carefully
orchestrated plan she makes with clients.
Though she loves bold colors Wentz always starts with
something the client loves—a color, a rug, or a piece of art. In the Rabbit
Hill house, for instance, she chooses design palette from the colors of the
client’s existing art collection. In the Bunker Hill home, she uses a client’s
album collection for inspiration.
In addition to beauty, Wentz’s designs are functional. She
chooses vinyl wall coverings in colorful patterns or grass textures for their
durability. Vintage rugs provide softness and color, especially when she has
them vegetable dyed for a startling effect. She employs pops of color except
for bedrooms where colors tend to me more muted. Walking space is an important
part of her designs as well.
Readers can learn much from Wentz’s book even if these homes
and renovations are beyond their budget. A complete list of sources for
furnishings and textiles is included.