Colorful Kim

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Kim Gilhool, owner of one of our new favorite shopping stops, Market in Essex, applies her deft hand and keen eye to both her home and her shop.  A merchandising maven, I find her boutique packed with jewelry, home decor, and gifts irresistible, and when the opportunity arose to see her home, I jumped.

While I’m the girl that paints everything white and keeps to a mainly neutral palette, Kim is a brave and colorful decorator. I loved every nook and cranny of her charming antique home (and wish I had the courage to paint a room bright red!). That’s the library, which received five coats of red lacquer by Fine Paints of Europe. Paired with hot pink chairs, vintage portraits, and stacks of leather-bound tomes, the room begs for a cozy night curled up with a good book.
The dining room features a giant farm table, mismatched chairs, beaded sconces, and Kim’s collection of antique antlers. It’s a quiet room in terms of color but has a moody 18th-century vibe. The oversized living room is a mix of cozy seating and an unapologetic mammoth TV, perfect for a Sunday afternoon of binge-watching The Crown.

Kim unearthed antique cement faux bois panels on a junking jaunt, and they just happened to fit the walls of the brick-floored “conservatory” filled with over-sized urns. So lovely!

What I love best is that as “decorated” as this house is, it screams family and good times. No room seems untouchable or unused, and it’s extremely personal, packed with Kim’s collections of dog portraits, shapely lamps, vintage trophies, and plenty of art.
For those of us that are scared of color, she has some words of wisdom: “Start with adding shots of color through accessories. If you look at the cover of an interiors magazine that you really like, what makes it pop is usually the color of the type. So there might be a beautiful taupe room with oak floors, but the type is in chartreuse, and that’s an easy way to pick a color in incorporate into your room.”

Read about Market, here.