INTERIOR DESIGN by PATRICIA O'DELL
On Neutral Ground. As a child, my room was yellow. In the 1970s we were awash in yellow, orange, and avocado green. The walls of my apartments in young adulthood were always white, and I was forbidden to paint them. Nothing makes me twitch more than a rule that seems meaningless – the walls would be repainted on my leaving regardless. What would it matter to paint white over navy rather white over white? One coat. One coat too much, apparently. Once I was in a house I owned, I painted the walls myself, sometimes over and over again. My houses were full of color. Over the years my walls have worn butter yellow, regal red, and apple green, like living inside a bag of M&Ms. When I moved into my current home, my oldest son was beginning to drive. He’s an adult now and living on his own. This house has evolved since we moved in, and while there is still color, it’s calmer. The walls are white, cream, the blue of the sky in the morning before the sun is fully up. Only my office is a deep hue, the green of fir trees in sunshine. My shift to neutrals was unexpected and entered my life about the same time as a brown-eyed chef who is now my husband. When I saw his home for the first time, I was struck by sheer individuality of selections – and perhaps also by the fact that there was no milk cart storage in sight. Entirely neutral, it was sonata of texture, finish, and form. 44 | TODAY KANSAS CITY | SUMMER 2022
