DECORATING ADVICE : For an Inviting Foyer, Scramble Colors of Ukrainian Eggs

Question: The foyer in my new home is 5-by-7 feet wide and 13 feet long. The walls and woodwork are antique white. The parquet floor is a chestnut color. A neutral carpeting, which can be seen from the foyer, covers the floors of the living and family rooms. In one corner of the foyer, I have a curio cabinet that has a collection of Ukrainian Easter eggs. How I can make my foyer look warm and inviting?

Elizabeth Patnychuk

Answer: Your collection of Ukrainian Easter eggs interests me. Find some great color from one of the eggs--perhaps bluish purple, lime green, bittersweet orange or blazing pink. Paint the walls above the white woodwork in the Easter egg color of your choice. Use that color for the pillow and accessory accents in your living room. Look for a flower print with a background color that matches the walls; use them for draperies and a club chair or two.

Q: My twin sons have grown and moved out of the house, leaving a big empty bedroom. The room has red carpet, and one wall is covered with a large-scale red, white and blue plaid wallpaper, which I would like to keep. The other three walls are light blue.

Could I paint the three walls a darker blue, maybe even navy? The two sets of double windows keep the room well-lit. I also have a queen-size bed, which I would like to use.

Phyliss A. Hufford

A: Paint the light-blue walls sparkling white. Then paint the woodwork and window trim rich navy blue, the same blue found in your wallpaper. On the two sets of double windows, install navy louver shutters. Over the shutters, hang a white linen swag and jabot valance, trimmed with navy braid and lined in red. Use a white-linen bed skirt on your queen-size bed, as well as a quilt of red on white. I hope the quilt is an antique!

Q: I would like to display my grandmother’s quilts. Can you give me any suggestions?

Janna Brent

A: Quilts are an American favorite. And as a collector of quilts, I find that they can be used in a variety of ways, all of which will add charm to your home.

Even if the quilt is damaged or worn, you might be able to make that quilt a point of interest in your home. The good sections could be transformed into a few pillows, a set of place mats or a handkerchief top for a skirted table. They could also be framed for wall decor.

Bed bolsters and pillow shams are other possible products of an imperfect quilt. An antique American quilt is an eye-catcher on a bed, a wall in the family room or a table in the dining room.

Here’s a scheme for a sun room decorated with quilts: Picture a sun room with aqua-blue walls, white trim and a ceiling painted soft, petal pink. A pink-and-white quilt is draped over a white wicker sofa. The sofa accents are quilt pillows in pink and white, Kelly green and white, and aqua blue and white. The woven rug is made of green and white cotton. The white wicker lamps are shaded with white linen. This a classic American look that won’t go out of style.