 When Dolores Malkan’s daughter Susan told her to lighten up, she wasn’t referring to her mother’s attitude but rather the rooms of her house.“When Sue encouraged us to weed out what we had in order to create a cleaner, more spare look, we were a little hesitant at first,” admits Dolores. “Sue loves white mixed with pale green, pink and blue—the Shabby Chic look is her style. My palette is much broader, but I decided it was time to edit out the mustard yellows and deep greens,” she says. “I had trepidation at first, but now I love the clean, fresh feeling that lightening up has brought to the house.” Here are Dolores’s top three tips for brightening your look:
 Start slowly. Lighten up just one room—or a corner of a room—to see if you like a paler, sparer look. If you do, continue throughout the house, painting deep-hued walls white or beige,
whitewashing dark wood furniture and ridding rooms of
anything that does not suit your new style.
Replace deep reds with paler, rosy pinks; hunter greens with soft celadon shades; mustard yellows with sunshiny, lemony ones, and navy blues with gray-tinged French or sky blues.
Study the many shades of pale. White is a blanket name that really includes many variations. Spend some time looking through color charts at your paint or hardware store, and consider using a few different shades of white in a room for a richer, more visually layered look.
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 After:
The same room was lightened up with whitewashed furniture and vintage chenille. Dolores stuck with Ralph Lauren prints, only these are much more soft and subtle. Dark lampshades were replaced with white ones; the plate above the bed was swapped for a mirror framed in old ceiling tin, and surfaces were swept clean of clutter.
Photos: Bradley Olman
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Country’s fresh face is whiter, brighter and less cluttered. See how one homeowner made the transition
