If These Walls Could Talk...

They’d tell tales of eye-popping colour and larger-than-life patterns used in ways that are surprisingly easy to live with. See how an American designer, Heather Hogan Roberts mixes the bold with the beautiful.

- Kathleen Hackett

It takes guts to paint giant palm trees on the walls of a small room. It takes even more chutzpah to do it with rich chocolate and creamy white. But Atlanta, US, interior designer Heather Hogan Roberts says, “I have a go-big-or-go-home attitude.”

The 1941 Colonial she shares with her husband, three young kids and two dogs, showcases her approach. “Every room needs something in it that immediately catches your eye. But it shouldn’t begin and end there,” she says.

“A space should intrigue beyond that fi rst glimpse.” Indeed, Heather scattered dramatic moments throughout her home, but she also knows when to tame her impulses.

In other words, she loves a healthy dose of white paint. “Just like all things in life,” she says, “balance is the key.” And with that lesson in mind, class is in session. Take notes and start using colour, texture and pattern to dress your walls like a fearless pro.