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Open French doors in the living room invite a retreat to the sunroom. Pale cream walls and natural light make the room crisp. The sunroom leads to a ceramic tiled deck and boatlift.

By Diane S. Morales, Caller-Times

April 30, 2006

Eddie Seal/Caller-Times

In the foyer, a scrolled carpet pattern leads upstairs with ceramic tile floors along the hallway. A landing near the first flight of stairs offers extra space for bookshelves.

Returning to balmy Texas from Colorado’s bitter cold was a relief for Lisa Councilman. After living on Padre Island for about three years, the family has outgrown their home but not the heat.

Lisa and John Councilman and their three daughters downsized from a 4,000-square-foot custom-built log house in Crested Butte, Colo., to a 2,802-square-foot home on a canal in Padre Island.

“I needed warmth. The plan was to spend summers in Colorado,” Lisa said.

Island class

The Councilmans develop commercial property in Colorado and they created a fresh look for their island home with the help of designer Jennifer Wither, owner of JWA Interiors.

“I couldn’t have done it without her,” Lisa said.

Inside the caramel-colored brick home, the warm color of the exterior flows inside where comfort and traditional style aren’t tropical kitsch.

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The backyard deck offers a view down the canal. “It’s really nice to come out here in the mornings and drink coffee,” Lisa Councilman said.

Ceramic tile floors with a scalloped edge add a rustic touch to the clean lines of a cream ceiling, maize walls and coffee-colored pillars. Wallpaper with wide horizontal tan and gold stripes accents the dining and living room walls, drawing attention to the fireplace.

“I wasn’t fond of the wallpaper at first, but now it has grown on me,” Lisa said. “When I sit at night and watch TV, that whole area looks so relaxing.”

Adding to the relaxing view is a custom fireplace with a TV on the mantle. Lisa found the fireplace design in a magazine and carpenters duplicated it.

Black and brown granite tiles contrast with the off-white mantle trimmed with dental tooth molding. The granite mimics the counters in the kitchen, which overlooks the living room.

Matching pewter light fixtures from B L Guess Lighting dangle from boxed ceilings in the living and dining rooms.

Distinct design

A crisp kitchen is achieved with white cabinets and butter cream walls that would have remained hidden if a wall separating the kitchen from the living room hadn’t been removed.

“That wall served no purpose, so we knocked it down,” Wither said.

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Designer Jennifer Wither incorporated the family’s dining table and a family antique sideboard with new furniture and accessories. “The wallpaper was supposed to be hung up and down, but we railroaded it, which is hanging it the opposite direction that it’s supposed to go,” Wither said.

The dental tooth moulding around the fireplace is repeated around the top of the cabinets. Lisa wanted more seating in the kitchen, so a bar was built. A multi-colored, tile back-splash in varying shades of tan punctuates the kitchen’s natural palette.

“We wanted to do something different,” Lisa said. “So we had the tile moved this way, so it’s diamond shaped.”

Paned French doors in the living room and kitchen lead to a sunroom that was formerly the patio. A red sofa stitched with faint palm trees adds a tropical twist.

“When the kids are watching TV in the living room, I come in here and shut the door to read,” Lisa said.

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A sitting room between two bedrooms upstairs is accessible through French doors on each side of the bedrooms. The carpeted bedrooms transition to laminate wood floors in the sitting room.

Outside the sunroom, a ceramic tile patio leads to a wood deck and boat dock where the family’s dogs chase each other, and sometimes Pepe takes a dip in the canal.

Off on the horizon

Upstairs two bedrooms with French doors open to a sitting room with a view of the canal. Lisa said her daughters chose the red paint for the walls. Wither incorporated a black area rug, a red and yellow striped oversized chair and other accessories. The horizontally striped wallpaper accent is repeated in the girls’ sitting room, but with ivory and gold draperies that frame the canal view.

Lisa isn’t sure where the family will live next, but as long as it’s in a warm place she’ll be fine.

“I want green. I don’t want to see snow,” she said laughing.