Nancy Golden's assignment -- turning a dreary basement den into a family game room -- presented several challenges. First was the room itself, with its dark wood paneling and skinny baseboards. There were also problems with the windows: dark and uninteresting, they too had practically nonexistent casings. And perhaps the biggest challenge: in the middle of the room was a weight-bearing column that was impossible to ignore.
Golden's first step in the redesign was to lighten the entire space, a feat she accomplished by applying a golden-straw-colored flat paint to every wall and replacing the thin baseboards with new, wider ones that she painted white.
The dark, depressing windows (figure A) had their inadequate millwork replaced with more weighty trim, also painted white to match that around the perimeter of the room -- a simple addition that gave the windows weight and importance (figure B).
Golden met with the homeowners to learn their tastes and interests. A number of their possessions -- an old cowboy boot, a length of rope, a selection of fabrics ranging from burlap to bandannas, and especially a large heavy wagon wheel -- served as inspirations for her redesign. And because she didn't want to turn the room into a museum of the old west, she opted to add other accessories such as vintage travel postcards that would give the room a "Route 66" feel.
The Bare Facts To get a different look with wood paneling, you can use several techniques -- try everything from painting to stucco.
RESOURCES :
Colors for Your Every Mood : Discover Your True Decorating Colors
Model: 189212338X
Author: Leatrice Eiseman
Capital Books Inc, September 2000
The Perfect Palette: Fifty Inspired Color Plans for Painting Every Room in Your Home
Model: 0446675199
Author: Bonnie Rosser Krims
(April 1999)
Little Brown and Company (Time Warner, Inc.)
New York, NY 10020
Phone: 212-522-8700
| 
)
)
)
)
