(NAPSA)—Should your decorating goal be to make people smile when they enter a room? “We introduce humor because we feel that it relaxes people,” says A) Pamela D. Earnest, ASID, Albu- querque, N.M. Following a tradition started years ago, this interior designer dresses 24-inch paper mach penguins in her office to celebrate holidays. They sit on a formal sofa. “We also add whimsical accents to some homes because they say, ‘we don’t take ourselves too seriously, here.’ “Certain areas—kitchens and family rooms—lend themselves to humorous touches more than others,” adds Earnest. “In an ostenta- tious living room,silly things look out of place. “Unexpected wallpapers or fabrics can also achieve a sense of happy surprise.” She has turned to children’s motifs for kitchens. To make adult homeworka joy, cover a homeoffice club chair in Giddy Up, a bandannaprint with coordinating pillows in Star Bright, both from the Waverly Story Time II fabric collection that was designed for children. From Story Time wallpapers, Dress Up’s paper doll clothes and accessories would be as charming an addition to Mom’s walk-in closet as in little girl’s bedroom. Leap into breakfast surrounded by Ribbit fabric and Ribbit Border’s lattice of mini leaves with ladybugs at the corners and frogs in each center. Rather than adding humor, Tamara Scott-Anderson, ASID, Contents Interiors, Tucson, Ariz., prefers to think of including whimsy and light heartedness, but only when it’s appropriate. “Interior designers should reflect the personality of each client, so whimsy works only if the fun touch plays off the homeowner’s sense of humor.” She uses artwork and accessories. in your dining room. This one’s decorated in a country style yet there are fun, surprise-elegant accents. Chairs are covered in Bee-de-Lys, which joins an Empire beein a laurelleaf, alternating with a fleur de lis. Also from the Waverly French Accent fabric collection, Coq-a-Doodle Do’s roost- ers strut back and forth on a checkerboard print on the ottoman and table round. “To an otherwise serious space with traditional art, I chose to add Peruvian ceramic sculptures of roly-poly musicians that were my client’s favorite souvenirs. Elsewhere, one of the designers on my staff put a faux cowhide print and red stars on what had been a tufted Victorian heirloomchair,” said Scott-Anderson. Sometimes a fabric collection, like French Accent, is laced with a sense of humor. Saucy roosters strut their stuff in two directions on checkerboard squares in Coq-aDoodle-Do. The unexpected can also achieve a grin. Introduce a classic rose bouquet motif, like Limoges, to a mudroom. For more information about Waverly, call 1-800-423-5881 or visit www.waverly.com.
