In Living Color - The Bend Magazine

In Living Color

How Susan Gonzales curated her dream home with color, texture, and patterns galore.

By: Kylie Kinnett  Photos by: Jason Page

Susan’s home is set in the heart of the picturesque neighborhood of Lamar Park. The traditional, mid-century modern ranch style home was built in 1954 and had the perfect mix of character, solid bones, and eccentric nuances she and her husband were in search for. While they made plenty of renovations and updates since the original owners, they appreciated the character of the house and knew it was what drew them to the home in the first place. “They don’t make homes like this anymore,” Susan says, “everything is so modern and open now and I needed individual rooms.” 

Her need for visible boundaries between rooms has a lot to dobrwith her love for color. If there is one thing each room in the Gonzales’ homebrhas in common, it is color—and lots of it. Susan’s philosophy when it comes tobrcolor is to not be afraid of it. “I love color on so many levels,” she saysbrwith a laugh as she looks around and realizes she has the ability to point outbrat least fifteen different hues in her living and dining room alone. “Withbrcolor, you are able to create a feeling and evoke an emotion. With eachbrdifferent room, I have tried to curate a different experience through color, themes,brfabrics, and textures.” 

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There are modern pieces and antique pieces. There are cleanbrlines and ornate lines. There are Chinoiserie jars filled with pink rosesbrsitting atop a Mexican embroidered runner, and as if that wasn’t enough, goldbrcrane candle sticks grace the center of the table to bring it all together. Therebrare not many people who would look at these items as individuals and picturebrthem cohesively existing all on the same table—but Susan had a vision, and whenbrSusan has a vision, she executes it perfectly; curating a picture-perfectbrspace. “Don’t be afraid to take chances,” says Susan in regard to her daringbrhome décor choices. “I don’t really have one style, I just put the pieces Ibrlove together and it works. I try to use my home as a way to show my love forbrbeauty in everyday life—not just in one facet, but in every way.”

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Her color philosophy is brought to life in each room in the home.brThe formal living room has a decadent feel. The richness of the pinks, oranges,brand greens vibrantly bounce off of the more muted charcoal colored walls. Withbrgold accents and plenty of textures, the room makes you feel as though you mustbrtake your shoes off before entering and carefully place yourself on the couchbrjust right. Moving into the dining room, a bold emerald green splashes thebrwalls and takes you to an entirely different place. Chinoiserie pieces and goldbrcandle sticks line the extended dark wood table to create a mood of a lavishbrdining experience that makes you crave a good glass of pinot and some type ofbrexpensive cheese.

Stepping into the kitchen and family living room area, abrmore open concept is set into play (this is also one of the only areas of thebrhome in which you will find the color white). However, the white was very muchbrso a conscious choice on Susan’s part. White suggests the feeling of cleanlinessbrand airiness. By knocking down a wall that once separated these two rooms,brSusan is able to prepare food in the kitchen while her kids start theirbrhomework at the bar and her husband sits in the living room. “We are inbrseparate rooms, but still get to see each other and that is one area of thebrhouse where I like to be able to do that,” Susan says. 

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All three bedrooms in the house follow Susan’s color theorybrclosely as well. Both of her daughter’s bedrooms are filled with vibrant colorsbrthat relay a playful and fun vibe, while the master bedroom has various shadesbrof plum and blush which come together to create a warm and cozy atmosphere.

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While Susan might not have one particular style throughoutbrthe entirety of her home, there is no shortage of juxtaposing themes andbrelements that come together perfectly in order to create her family’s idealbrdwelling place.

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Regardless of which room of the Gonzales’ home you are in,brthere is one common thread. There is thought and care placed into every wall color,brevery throw pillow, every light fixture. While this can be credited to Susan’sbrsecond-nature of fine tuning details, it can also be attributed to how shebrviews a home in the first place. “Your home should be reflective of you, itbrshould make you feel loved,” Susan explains as she takes one final look aroundbrthe house on our tour. “When I walk into my home, I know it loves me. You havebrto make time for your home, because if you do that, if you put time and lovebrand care into your home, it will give all of that back to you.”

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