Categories: Design

This Designer’s Decorating Process? One Historic Home and Three Very Different Color Palettes

When designing a historic home, modernizing it for life in the current day is a must, but a general rule of thumb is to never entirely rid the home of the character or charm that comes with its old age. So, when self-proclaimed maximalist interior designer Lisa Sokol finally moved into the circa 1908 Georgian from which she grew up around the corner, she followed said rule of thumb. One of the ways she honored the home’s history (which sits just outside Baltimore, Maryland) is by assigning each room a specific color theme, a design technique that was most popular throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Sokol’s home features a lilac living room, a dark aqua library, and a high-contrast black and white entry hall. Though the colors themselves are more contemporary than what may have been available back when the home was built, the concept of color-drenching is as old as the house itself.

Though the tradition has nearly fallen out of fashion, Sokol is doing her part to bring it back with unique colors that reflect both her own personal style and the home’s beloved standing in the neighborhood. Keep reading to discover why you may want to consider giving each room—at least on the main level—its own hue. One of Sokol’s primary reasons for indulging in color-drenching is to keep the look interesting rather than “boring beige,” as the kids say. “Make the space your own by having something that’s representative of your own personal style so it doesn’t look like a showroom.”

Photos: Hayley Ellen Day

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Take Color Cues From What’s Already There

Though it’s not visible from this angle, the 1950s-era Gracie wallpaper that adorns the living room dictated Sokol’s choice of paint color in the living room. “I absolutely still can’t get over the wallpaper because I love it so much,” she insists. “We then took a background color in the wallpaper and decided to lacquer the rest of the room in it. Here, it’s a sort of lavender-pink color.” The great thing about this specific color is that it changes throughout the day, depending on where the sun is.

As for the rest of the furnishings, they came after the color theme was established, and only enhance the totally enchanting nature of this space. “I just sort of layered the room with different art: I have art from my grandfather over the mantel, and then I’ve got a [Paul] Wunderlich, who is a modern artist.”

Embrace the Power of High-Gloss Paint

While Sokol’s favorite space in the house is easily the living room, the dark and moody library is where her husband likes to spend most of his time. “When we bought this house, it was a classic pine library, and the pine was in really bad condition. We had two choices,” Sokol starts. “One was to refinish all of the pine. And the other was to just lacquer it from ceiling to floor.” They chose the latter.

Though it took a minute to discover a color she and her husband both loved, they finally landed on a deep high-gloss teal, which was a custom hue from Fine Paints of Europe. “The calming effect in here definitely makes this a place where we feel like we can completely detach from the rest of the world.” Darker, more saturated colors tend to do that. Plus, this room gives off a specific vibe that, while not exactly what Sokol was going for, gives it a warm and cozy feeling. “We did this almost 15 years ago, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

When in Doubt, Keep It Classic

Some of the room’s design processes started with the wall colors and followed with furniture selections, but in the foyer, arguably the most important room of the house, Sokol reversed the order. In here, the rug, a Union Jack to honor her husband’s English heritage; the art; and the furniture were bringing a few different vibes to the party, so Sokol opted for a more neutral color scheme that still had plenty of personality. The high-gloss black doors, the stairs, and the casings give the space a certain drama without making it dark or gothic, especially when paired with the pale walls.