Brian and Bobbie Burnette at home with son Chaney, age 3
When you’re custom-building a new home, you must make hundreds of design decisions. From flooring and tile to plumbing fixtures, window styles and the location of electrical outlets — to say nothing of furnishing the new space — the choices can be overwhelming. For Bobbie and Brian Burnette, there was at least one decision that came easily when they were building their Chesterfield County home last year: It had to be colorful.
“I think a pop of color in every room is necessary,” Bobbie says. “Color makes me happy.”
Visitors can’t help but smile, too, when entering the Burnettes’ house. The flamboyant foyer, featuring Osborne & Little’s “Sunbird” wallpaper in tropical tones, instantly sets the scene in this exuberant home.
The wallpaper makes a bold statement, but it was a natural choice for the affable couple. “The foyer is my favorite,” says Bobbie, who works as senior director of admissions for South University’s Richmond campus. “It reminds me of Key West, where we got married.”
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Osborne & Little’s “Sunbird” wallpaper frames the dining room, painted in Sherwin-Williams’ Day’s End, a dramatic charcoal. The original art is by Bobbie Burnette. The table and chairs are family pieces Bobbie painted white, and the chandelier is from Ferguson.
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Perkinson Homes built Bobbie and Brian Burnette’s new Chesterfield County house. A stucco exterior, spacious front porch and metal roof give it the appearance of a modern farmhouse.
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Knowing that the playroom would be full of colorful toys, Bobbie chose a more subdued hue for the walls. She created the original painting to match the bench and turquoise overdyed rug from One Kings Lane. The drum table, a family heirloom, is paired with child-sized Eames-inspired chairs.
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Anything goes in the eclectic and colorful living room, where a vibrant blue Jonathan Adler sofa is paired with orange-and-white floral chairs from Home Goods. The gold stump tables are from One Kings Lane; the side tables are from Verve Home Furnishings. Succulents are from Gather Home and Garden, and planters are from 68 Home.
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The Burnette family loves to gather for meals on their relaxing porch decorated in earthy hues.
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The kitchen island is a focal point, painted in Benjamin Moore’s Nile Green. The light fixtures are from Ferguson.
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Cole & Sons’ “Woods” wallpaper sets a serene backdrop in the master bedroom, which is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Newburg Green.
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Bobbie’s fun office features Thibaut’s “Tanzania” wallpaper on the ceiling. The pink chair, artwork and lamp are from Home Goods. The light fixture is from Decorator’s Outlet.
The foyer leads to the dining room, painted in Benjamin Moore’s Day’s End, a deep, dramatic charcoal. An arched opening frames a beaded chandelier and a triptych of original paintings created by Bobbie specifically for the space, their colors echoing those found in the wallpaper.
Bobbie’s vibrant artwork is found throughout the home. She began dabbling in painting in her previous house, and has now fully embraced the hobby, creating site-specific works for nearly every room. Across the foyer, in 3-year-old son Chaney’s playroom, a large canvas hangs above a Midcentury-inspired tufted green bench. Turquoise-overdyed Oriental rugs cover the floors of both dining room and playroom, tying them together visually. The playroom is painted a quiet gray, “because I knew there would be a lot of colorful stuff in there,” Bobbie says.
The Burnettes built the house with Perkinson Homes, co-founded by Brian’s brother Shane, who now works with new-home builder Schell Brothers. Previously, they had lived in the Highlands and began looking for a larger home once son Chaney came along. “We wanted to upgrade,” Bobbie says. Shane suggested that instead of buying and updating an existing home, “Why not build new?”
“I think a pop of color in every room is necessary. Color makes me happy.” —Bobbie Burnette
The couple chose a 5-acre lot in a small Chesterfield subdivision, Kimlynn, near Pocahontas State Park. “I wanted a modern farmhouse,” Bobbie says of the home’s aesthetic. “I love mixing vintage and classic pieces with more modern stuff.”
Brian, who is vice president of James River Exteriors, oversaw the home’s stucco exterior, metal roof and patio installation. Designer Shannon Tootle assisted with the seemingly endless choices inherent to building a custom home. Tootle, whose previous work on model homes for Homearama and Massey Street of Hope has featured a bold sense of color, was a great match. “We lucked out with Shannon,” Bobbie says. “She was a good sounding board.”
In addition to helping with construction choices, the designer indirectly had a hand in selecting some of the home’s furniture when Bobbie bought a number of pieces from the Homearama show house Tootle designed for Perkinson Builders. “I went to Homearama to support my brother-in-law,” she says, “and I walked out with new furniture.”
The home’s great room comprises a large kitchen, family room and sitting area where shades of emerald green, tangerine and turquoise harmoniously coexist. White-painted brick and graphic black window trim create a neutral background and help it all work together. “Too much color can make your eyes go crazy,” Bobbie admits.
“There is something to be said for classic, clean looks, but that isn’t me,” she says. “To me, that’s boring. I tried to limit myself [to a few colors], but I couldn’t make it happen. I think it’s important to incorporate your style.”
Here are five rules Shannon Tootle uses when considering color in her designs:
1. Use the 60-30-10 rule:
Sixty percent is the dominant color of the room, 30 percent a secondary color such as drapery and accent chairs, and 10 percent an accent color with throw pillows and artwork.
2. Follow the color wheel to generate beautiful color combinations.
Complementary tones are directly opposite each other on the wheel. From red to green, blue to orange, the colors can be intense, but the combination will create a cohesive look.
3. Consider the mood you want to reflect in each room.
Specific hues can evoke feelings of being excited, social, dramatic, restful and formal. Psychological properties of some popular colors are: blue, intellectual; yellow, emotional; green, balance.
4. When selecting paint, testing your colors on each wall will give you confidence in your color choices.
Consider how lighting from day to night will change the hues and affect your final selection.
5. Start your design by selecting a fabric, wallpaper, artwork or rug that sets the tone for the room.
Play off the colors of your inspiration piece to complete the room’s color palette. Select paint last to make sure the wall color complements all of the elements in your room.
