AT HOME

indoors

C ristin a’s exuberant influence on th e in terio rs helped to up th e

w arm th factor even m ore. “I grew up in South A m erica, so I adore

big, b rig h t color,” she says. “I think color m akes a house happy, and

I also th in k it is very good for children to grow up w ith.”

H er biggest stroke w as staining th e kitch en ’s birch cabinetry

orange. T he disarm ingly friendly hue is a good backdrop for the

w ell-used space—w here th e fam ily shares casual m eals, teenagers

M ichael and M ayra do th eir hom ew ork, and 4-year-old Sofia

colors. “M y w hole house is fun,” Sofia states firmly. “I never, ever

w ant to leave.”

ORANGE TR EA T

“I first thought of making them green, then blue,” Cristina

says of the stained birch kitchen cabinets,

above.

“But in the

end, I thought orange would be the happiest color of all.”

W ELCOM E HOME

Robert designed a redwood “bridge” leading to the front

door,

left,

where a tall, narrow window pulls light into the

foyer. The oversize door matches the warm woods used

everywhere inside.

72

MARCH 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDE NS