Color Contrasts

When envisioning décor for beachfront homes, few would consider black as the prominent shade in the color palette. But that’s exactly the kind of unexpected touch favored by Bethesda, Maryland-based designer Kelley Proxmire. She believes in tailored designs splashed with a bit of the wow factor. “I love the traditional blue and white for waterfront homes; it’s classic,” admits Proxmire, who grew up in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, a small town on the coast about 60 miles south of Boston. “But I think you can go bolder and more sophisticated.”

Kelley Proxmire sits next to the fireplace in the gentleman’s bedroom she created in the Spring 2007 Design House

A regular on the designer show house circuit—she’s participated in more than 12 over the past four years—Proxmire created the sophisticated gentleman’s bedroom for the spring 2007 Design House, sponsored by The Washington Design Center and Home & Design magazine. It challenged conventional design wisdom about warm-weather spaces in its mostly black décor, brightened with vibrant reds and oranges.

Waterfront interiors by the designer, who is married to financial analyst Theodore Proxmire, son of the late Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire, are scattered from Annapolis to Newport and Hilton Head. But regardless of the home’s geographical location, she believes in taking chances with bold color, whether it’s black and orange or a twist on the traditional blue and white. “Where there is a lot of sunlight coming into a room, I like a harmonious flow from the outside to the inside space,” Proxmire says. For waterfront homes, she often opts for aquamarines and greens recalling the hues of sea glass, and rather than contrasting those with the starkness of white, will juxtapose them against creams and tans. “These are softer, more natural tones, like the color of sand,” she says.

create an aquatic display. Shams and a bed valance

Accessories can also help convey a maritime mood, especially textured accents of bamboo or raffia that express an island-getaway atmosphere. The designer, however, warns against putting everything you own out for display. “I tell my clients to showcase their collections as a group rather than randomly placed throughout the home,” Proxmire says. “It’s much more dramatic.”

Home design catalogs are excellent sources for decorating ideas, she notes, because their items are available for order by anyone, as opposed to the trade-only furnishings offered by designer showrooms. “I don’t usually shop from catalogs for my clients,” says Proxmire, who prefers designer-specific retailers, “but I really do like the items I’ve recommended [on the following pages] and would use them myself.”