But whatever furniture is chosen has to be the right scale so it doesn’t overwhelm the space or make it difficult to pass. That’s why she designed a bench covered in Merlin Morpho by Rogers & Goffigton just for the show house area at the top of the stairs. Above it are four copies from her Karma grouping for Trowbridge that are played against a wall painted in a blue paint with a hint of green from Benjamin Moore’s Historic Colors Collection (HC 149).

In the narrow hallway, Paladino featured the Sooz Console with Greek key detail she designed for A.J. Victor. It is flanked by her Billy Screens, which will be introduced at the High Point Market this spring. The screens have raised panels molded in a composite material and hand carved. Her round Billy Mirror above the console features the same design. Under the console is a Boreal Bench in burnt silver from Ironies covered in Cowton & Tout’s Oceana Aqua. Two Pendolino Sconces from Porta Romana are on either side of the mirror.

CLASSIC KITCHEN

When Melissa Guerra first saw the 10-by-15-foot kitchen space, it was empty except for the flooring. The finished room features top-of-the-line Electrolux Icon appliances, custom cabinetry from Signature Cabinets and glass tiles from Crossville.

Guerra’s design offers some ideas to steal:

The Shaker-style cabinets added a more rustic look because the specialty finish was brushed to remove some shine.

Two 30-inch gas ranges were put together instead of using one large range.

She hung an old paddle above the cabinets and lit it from above instead of cluttering the space above the cabinets with baskets or pottery.

Instead of the ubiquitous high-top counter with bar stools, she created a built-in breakfast table with Chinese Chippendale chairs.

The most significant change was the use of concrete countertops with a slightly speckled finish rather than using granite, which she says is declining in use. Concrete can be created with custom edges and are about $80 a square foot installed.

“You can use a dye and pigment to get a large range of colors,” she says. “There is not a single seam and you can do built-ins on the countertop like this cutting board. The [fabricator] is local so there is not a large carbon footprint.”

The show house sponsors are American Red Cross Palm Beaches-Treasure Coast Region and Traditional Home Magazine.

Charlyne Varkonyi Schaub can be reached at charlynedesign@aol.com.