QUARTERLY DESIGN TIP: THE POWERS OF PAINT This first tip comes directly from my own home, which, alas, is nowhere near as nice as Audrey Munroe's. It's widely known that the least-expensive way to give a space a face lift is with a fresh coat of paint. My monthly tip is: don't overlook the restorative abilities of paint for other surfaces, as well. As a case in point, I had several frustrating shopping trips, unable to locate the perfect sconce for my family room. Finding this sconce was especially tricky, because its wall space was very limited and was within a sunken room; the pervasive bowl-shaped sconce would draw the eye directly into the bowl and at the light bulb--not an attractive sight. I finally located an inexpensive and ideally shaped light fixture, but I hated its brown-colored metal base. The solution was to paint the base of the sconce a color that would complement the wall (a lovely, subtle off-white shade that is a cross between yellow and tan called "cracker" name after, I presume, soda crackers). As we all know, hues change remarkably according to whether they're being viewed in direct sunlight, in shadow, or in interior light, which cast a yellow tint. When painting a light fixture, extra care is needed to ensure that its color will look nice when the lamp is off as well as when it's illuminated. My family room has a border that looks wonderful (if I do say so myself) against the "cracker" paint. Therefore, I chose to unify the sconce on the wall by incorporating that color once again, rather than introducing yet another hue. With the use of paint samples, I was able to find an exact match to the base color of my border (a yellowish gold, regrettably called "squash") and purchased the smallest quantity the store allowed. I now have an almost-full pint of "squash" that is likely to remain in storage for years to come. However, I'm happy to report, that my extra seven dollars to paint my sconce was a wonderful investment and looks divine! Back to list of design tips.