LIVING IN COLOR

DESIGNER KARA MILLER STEEPS A WEST PALM BEACH FAMILY HOME IN HAPPY HUES AND THOUGHTFUL PATTERN PLAYS, ALL WITH ROOM TO GROW

- PATRICIA SHANNON

When Kelly and Steve Colamarino brought designer Kara Miller on board to create magic with their new build in West Palm Beach, Florida, they gave her every designer's greatest wish: their trust. "I can't even articulate how every single element of this project could not have been more perfect," says Miller. "There are jobs that just have fairy dust on them, and this was one of them." Because the couple had the utmost confidence in Miller, she was able to run wild, creating a home that's at once whimsical and well thought out, colorful and cozy. "The whole house is a really fun mash-up; it was sort of an anything goes," she says. Family-friendly fabrics, happy colors, and stress-free finishes were key as Miller designed her way through the space, all the while keeping a bird's-eye view on color play and pattern. "I always want there to be this subtle little dance throughout the floor plan of thoughtful transitions," she says. With special care for how she could tie it all together, Miller worked with architect Michael Perry and Baldwin Innovative Builders to dream up a charming, playful family home that the couple and their two young children could grow into and cherish for years to come.

THE LIVING ROOM

The doorways on either side of the bookcases serve as a kind of thoroughfare, so Miller broke up the space into two zones: one centered around the TV and the other focused on conversation. She added a pair of vintage bamboo chairs (one shown here perched in front of the console) for portable seating and to help keep the space from feeling too composed. "I often like to layer in vintage pieces to keep spaces from feeling too formulaic," she says. "They also add a bit of charm."