Pops of color: Check out 3 colorful home remodels that can breathe life into any space

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According to color psychology, bright, warm colors like reds, oranges, and yellows stimulate energy while cooler, subdued hues like blues, greens, and purples have a calming effect. Warm or cool, all colors are a welcome reprieve after recent rainy winter days. 

These previously featured homes boast bold pops of color that have us ready for sunny skies and warmer days ahead. Take a peek at three color Home of the Week's in the Louisville area.

Playful pops

When Nancy Gordon Moore began planning her new residence, she knew she wanted it to be different than her former home in Washington, D.C.

“My last place was all neutrals,” she said, “and when I moved here, I was like, I need some color in my life.”

An artist for more than 30 years, Moore knew how to combine old and new furnishings, artwork, and other artifacts to create a cohesive look.

In the living room, a red sofa sits across from two blue chairs. Opposite the fireplace, a blue throw pillow rests upon a tall, red wooden chair.

“It’s an antique Chinese official chair,” she explained. “Apparently, the more important the official, the taller the chair.”

The room is filled with numerous other unique pieces, including a large Chinese chest, a Venetian Murano hand-blown glass chandelier, and more than a dozen hand sculptures of varying sizes, colors, and materials atop the fireplace mantel.

Moore explained that the wide assortment started with three hands she purchased years ago.

“I absolutely loved them,” she explained, “and then I started finding other hands, and you know what happens — people start giving you hands. So, I’ve collected these over the past probably 15 years.”

Of course, the house also features Moore’s artwork. All except one painting is hers. 

Colorful creations

Scott and Linda Klosterman were living in east Louisville when they began their search for a smaller place. It took a while to find the right home, but as soon as they walked into what is now their shotgun house in Tyler Park, Linda says they knew it was the one.

“The whole house was dark taupe when we moved in, and I was like, that’s not going to happen,” she said of the space.

Its formerly plain interior is now filled with pops of color. From bright blue cabinetry and red bar stools in the kitchen to bold floral wallpaper in the living room, every color of the rainbow is represented.

The Klostermans’ use of vivid hues isn’t limited to the inside of the house — outside, the garage has been painted shades of blue and yellow, with matching stepping-stone-like pieces of wood leading up to it.

Most of their color choices are based on aesthetics, while others have a deeper meaning. The ceiling, for example, was painted with Behr Seaglass to mimic haint blue, which is often seen on porch ceilings in the south.

“Traditionally, the color is thought to discourage spirits from crossing because it looks like water,” Linda explained. 

Brilliantly bold

When Bethany and Joshua Adams purchased their Italianate abode in Old Louisville, they knew it would need a lot of work before they could call it home. The 1,600-square-foot space had fallen into disrepair, but as a seasoned interior designer, Bethany wasn't afraid of a challenge.

"It had been a rental and had tons of structural and water damage," she explained. "It was in rough enough shape that I felt, as a designer, I could go in and truly make my mark without destroying anything of historical importance."

In the family room — technically one of the home's four bedrooms — Bethany opted for a blackened teal blue by Benjamin Moore, dubbed Gentleman’s Gray.

"(The room) had these huge bookshelves when we bought the house," she said. "They were wood, and everything was in really rough shape, so we painted it all one shade, (and now) it’s just a wonderful, cozy room with a ventless gas fireplace."

Above the fireplace hangs a brightly colored elephant mask that Bethany found at an antique shop in her New Hampshire hometown.

Other unique design details are sprinkled throughout the house, like the Schumacher Birds & Butterflies wallpaper in the hall bathroom, which is derived from a hand-printed 1960s wallcovering in the Schumacher archives; and the Serena and Lily wallpaper in the primary bedroom, which complements the antique nightstands and Crate and Barrel bed.

The Adams have since sold this home and moved into a bigger space to accommodate their growing family, but the project is a permanent part of Bethany’s interior design portfolio. After all, it won awards for Best Residential Design and Best in Show from the Kentucky/Southern Ohio chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers and was featured on the American Institute of Architects tour.

"It's such a good mix of historic, original details — like all that fancy crown molding and the beautiful mantels," Bethany said, "and all the new stuff we added, like the windows in the kitchen and the lights and everything."

Know a house that would make a great Home of the Week? Email writer Lennie Omalza at aloha@lennieomalza.com or Lifestyle Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@gannett.com.

nuts & bolts - Playful pops

Owner: Nancy Gordon Moore. Moore is an artist and retired clinical psychologist.

Home: This is a 2-bed, 2-bath, 1,780-square-foot, early arts and crafts-style home that was built around 1890 in the Highlands.

Distinctive elements: Open concept; four fireplaces on first floor with original mantels; 10-foot ceilings; original hardwood floors with oxidized hardwood nails; original tile on three fireplaces; one fireplace has Motawi handcrafted tiles with pine tree design; two fireplaces have vent-free gas coal baskets; three sets of pocket doors; new mullioned back door; antique hand-painted fire screen; three chandeliers; Venetian Murano handblown glass chandelier in living room, antique Neoclassical brass chandelier (1890-1910 era) with classical women’s faces in dining room; Hunter Douglas 10-arm brass chandelier in foyer; new Italian handmade dining room chairs with embroidered fabric; 10-foot white kitchen cabinets; white quartz countertops; waterfall island over blue base cabinets; blue denim-look subway tile; laundry niche with unique decorated laundry chute; first-floor bath with antique mullioned-door, stainless steel shower with rain head, and original wooden chandelier; stained glass window; five oriental, hand-knotted wool rugs - Persian Heriz (dining room), Tibetan Tribal (front room), two Hamadan (foyer and kitchen) and Indian Sacred Cow (living room); antique Chinese official red wooden chair; antique black Chinese armoire; two red Chinese chests; kitchen chest with original collage designs by Caroline Waite; collection of original oil paintings by the owner; collection of hands (ceramic, wood, cast iron, porcelain); collection of miniature Chinese teapots from Beijing; collection of antique birdhouses; rebuilt rear porch/ veranda with railing, Haint blue ceiling; and blue-green floor; front porch with Haint blue ceiling.

Applause! Applause! Special thanks to general contractor Henry Wetherby, who kept Moore laughing throughout the renovation; Charlie Williams for sage advice and architectural drawings; the now-closed Joe Ley Antiques for various furnishings; Chair Whimsy and Boone Fabrics for dining room chairs; Rick Suel at Budget Blinds for smart shades; Mary Jo Shircliffe, Amy Lowen, Leslie Millar, SYB advisors Damon Massey and Neil Byrne, and Clayton Gentile and Sandy Gulick of KY Select Properties for advice and support.

nuts & bolts - Colorful creations

Owners: Scott and Linda Klosterman. Scott is a senior writer at red7e Advertising and Linda is an emergency services liaison at Norton Audubon Hospital. Also in the home are the couple’s cats, Monkey and Bean.

Home: This is a 2-bed, 2-bath, 1,078-square-foot, shotgun-style house in Tyler Park that was built in 1900.

Distinctive elements: Original transom windows; 11-foot ceilings; 60-foot-long hallway, used as an art display wall; faux brick backsplash and primary bedroom wall outfitted with inexpensive vinyl painted by Scott; electric company cabinet found on Main Street by Scott mounted over the kitchen sink; willow cutting from a tree Scott's family planted at former house after Linda’s father passed away, dubbed, "Willard the Weeping Willow;" cabinetry painted bright colors and walls painted white to accent art; front arch and back pergola covered in hyacinth runner bean that began growing 25 years ago from seeds from Linda’s late father; front metal table from Scott's parents dates back to the 1960s and is painted Behr Integrity, the same color as the front door; bourbon barrel lid on garage was refinished and gifted to the homeowners by Linda’s brother-in-law, Rob — lettering purchased from Etsy; sofa table found in alley behind the house painted fuchsia; tiny backyard garden.

Applause! Applause! The homeowners would like to thank Ruth Kilchenman from Keller Williams Realty for being patient in negotiating the right house for them in a hot market; their parents, Dave, Carolyn, Willard, and Laura for all the great furniture pieces; Work The Metal for having fantastic things to buy every time they visit; Keith's Hardware for helping them find things when they don't know what we're looking for; Highlands neighbors, especially on junk days, for leaving fabulous items on the curb for them to adopt; and numerous family members for gifting their leftover treasures. Linda would also like to thank her late father, Willard, who grew up without, for teaching her how to do things herself and how much fun it is; and her mom, Laura, a wonderful decorator, for her philosophy that you can put together pieces from different styles and times and if you love them, they'll work together.

nuts & bolts - Brilliantly bold

Previous owners: Bethany and Joshua Adams. Bethany is an interior designer and Joshua is an English professor. Also in the home was the couple's then-4-year-old daughter, Evelyn.

Home: This is a 3-bed, 2-and-a-half bath, 1,600-square-foot, Italianate home in Old Louisville that was built in the 1870s.

Distinctive elements: Completely renovated kitchen with new windows, slate flooring, a farmhouse sink, walnut butcher block countertops, full-height subway tile, and a black honed granite island; dining room with Saarinen tulip table, faux leather chairs, and floor-to-ceiling window treatments; primary bedroom with Serena and Lily wallpaper, vintage nightstands, and a Crate and Barrel bed; living room with Vintage Henredon Folio Collection chairs, coffee table from CB2, framed Josef Albers portfolio pages, original mantel, and antique brass bolection.

Applause! Applause! Mahonia for the flowers, and Bethany Adams Interiors for the interior design and decorating.