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The remodeled dining room was inspired by the lobby of the Viceroy Santa Monica hotel.

There are certain absolutes for designer Erinn Valencich. Hang the draperies close to the ceiling. Paint the ceiling the lightest shade in the palette of the wall color. And if the walls are a deep or dusky hue, make sure the moulding is white. "That's non-negotiable in my book," says the HGTV host. Those rules came into play when Valencich remodeled a 1930s, Spanish-style home in the Hollywood Hills. Inspired by the Viceroy Santa Monica hotel, she repainted the faux-finished orange walls a rich charcoal and the dark moulding a lively white. Fabric she'd picked up as an impulse buy - "it was so cute, it showed monkeys climbing on trees"--was used to make generous drapes. "Hang them 4 to 6 inches from the ceiling and extend the rod at least

10 inches wider than the window," she advises. "When you open the drapes, it makes the room look grander and more spacious." Citrus green and turquoise accents carried through into the home's redesigned entryway, where Valencich hung Osborne and Little wallpaper adorned with hummingbirds. "People go wild for that pattern," she says. "It's whimsical yet subtle. And the colors change as different light strikes it throughout the day."
Erinn Valencich
Omniarte Design
818/849-5003
omniartedesign.com