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