DECORATING ADVICE : Tile Away the Hours in Kitchen

Question: I am an avid reader of decorating magazines, and for years I’ve dreamed of having a beautiful kitchen featuring European-style tiles.

Now I’m finally getting the chance to add some tiles to the kitchen of my new condo, and I’d like to have the country kitchen of my dreams.

My favorite colors are yellow, rose and white, and I love a neat, organized environment. This will be a real working kitchen, because I love to cook and entertain. How should I get started?

CAROL RICHARDSON

Answer: There are many different tile designs on the market. Try the bath and kitchen departments of your nearest store, or write to Country Floors at 15 East 16th St., New York, N.Y. 10003; (212) 627-8300. If you like the floral look, you’ll find tiles that feature an array of flowers. If you like fruits and vegetables, you’ll find a host of fashionable fruit and vegetable tiles on the market. But try to stick with one look.

Q: I have a large collection of Hollywood movie memorabilia: photos of stars, movie posters, framed and unframed movie props, old camera parts, etc. I would like to use them as accessories in my den, where I have a large TV/entertainment wall unit.

I want to give the room some old-time Hollywood glamour. The wall-to-wall carpeting in the den is midnight blue and must stay. I need colors for walls, draperies, a sofa and two large club chairs. The room is 21-by-15 and has two windows and a sliding door.

ANDREW GENSKI

A: With your midnight-blue carpeting, paint the walls a Jean Harlow white satin (lacquer). Because the room is a den, find an upholstery for your sofa that combines midnight blue with golden yellow. Paint your ceiling bright yellow, too.

For club chairs, I’d suggest a yellow golden Hollywood tweed. And try a golden or white star pattern on navy blue for the pull-up chairs. On the walls, hang enlarged pictures of your favorite stars, matted in orange and framed in white. Pillow accents on that blue and gold sofa can be rich, tangy orange. And hang drapery of the star print on brass poles with brass rings.

Q: Faux animal prints are hot right now in clothing. Are faux finishes?

BETTY ANDERSON

A: Faux finishes are big these days. Faux means false or fake, and it is the current word in decorating. Many artists have caught onto the craze and are going faux.

Believe it or not, I recently saw some old suitcases in a Boston shop that were painted with zebra, leopard and tiger designs. The cases were definitely from the ‘50s, and they were very handsome.

The animal finishes were done by an artist in Atlanta. Although they could be taken on safari, I think they would be better used for a store display or a coffee table. One could create a very casual “gone to Kenya” look.

Faux finishes are used all over the house, even the ceiling. Try a marbleized finish on the walls in your living room for a very contemporary look. Pair peach-and-white marble with white semi-gloss trim in an overall decor of soft celadon green, buttery yellow, coral and bright green.

Or try a wood grain finish on the walls in your boy’s room, or a wood grain finish on the walls in your den. This way you won’t have to buy paneling.

There are faux finishes that look like stucco, too. For a living room with the Santa Fe look, cover the walls with faux stucco, in a rich terra-cotta color. Paint the trim a creamy white, and cover the floors with terra-cotta tiles. A sofa can be covered in an aqua, peach, pink and terra-cotta print on a cream background. Pull-up chairs can be covered in Santa Fe aquamarine. Use natural bleached wooden tables and lamps of pink terra cotta. Decorate the lamp bases with cactus flowers.