HOME IN THE HUES

What started as a muted, wood-on-wood retreat nestled in the mountains of Asheville, NC, slowly transformed into a symphony of color—all thanks to a 4-year-old’s artistic vision.

- ELLA FIELD

No trim, surface, picture frame, vase, or lamp goes unnoticed in this North Carolina mountain cottage.

Elizabeth and Alex Brooks' family home is a lesson in how to decorate with color, energy, joy-and your kids. The family started with small pops, like painting the living room trim in lively Farrow & Ball Card Room Green, opposite, but now they embrace color (and fun) everywhere.

A distinct color palette and a strong undercurrent of whimsy tie together each room in Elizabeth and Alex Brooks’ home.

Alex dreamed up (and built) the breakfast nook, above, in an unused corner of the dining room. Then he and Elizabeth punched it up with three shades of Farrow & Ball paint: India Yellow on the trim, Matchstick on the walls, and Card Room Green on the banquette and sideboard.

“It doesn’t feel like a preschool,” Alex says, “because we use subtle, muddy colors—not bright versions of the shades—and wood tones to balance it all out.”

Elizabeth and Alex, left, are a strong duo: Alex's background as an engineer and contractor helps him envision spaces and then build them. Elizabeth handles the aesthetics: Her prior roles in packaging design lend themselves to helping her create the family's signature, cohesive look.

In just over five years, the couple have transformed their 1990s bungalow from a one-note, wood-drenched space into a place that reflects the family’s collective personal style.