AT HOME

indoors

white boxy house in the suburbs may not be everyone’s idea of living “in the

lap of luxury.” But that’s exactly how Jennifer Watty feels every time she

walks in the front door of her 1926 Colonial in Westfield, New Jersey.

“I feel like I’m successful and content,” says Jennifer, an interior designer,

who bought this house after her husband died and she needed to downsize.

Little indulgences like satin throw pillows and warm, vibrant color can make

house special, she reasoned. And though basic, she knew the home would

be a good place to raise her three kids and provide a blank slate for her colorful, sophisticated style.

“Orange is one of my favorite colors—bright, fiery, happy,” says Jennifer, who harmonizes its

many shades on her walls, furniture, and draperies. Natural textures—grasscloth wallpaper, sisal

rugs, and bamboo blinds—balance these bold gestures, and antiques add personality. “I’m not rich,

but these things make me feel I’m having a wonderful life,” she says.

EARTH TONES

For hiding dirt, nothing

beats inexpensive

brushed cotton, says

Jennifer, who chose

brown upholstery for

the family room sofa,

left.

Cinnamon-colored

wallpaper ties into the

orange theme that runs

throughout the house.

PEACHY KEEN

The entry’s apricot

wallpaper,

below,

has an

Asian m otif that works

well with bamboo blinds.

The Watty children—

Juliana, Alexander, and

Nicholas (in green)

— “ love that they live

among pretty things,”

Jennifer says.

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FEBRUARY 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS