Until recently, when Jessie Miller decided to coat the walls of her city condo with the Sherwin-Williams paint color Priscilla, she was known for fashioning bold interiors based on her use of black, white, and a touch of gold.
“I don’t typically work with color,” she says. “That’s why my clients are drawn to me.”
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But of late, Miller says, she’s been nudging those same clients to experiment, and she has found herself growing restless with an all-neutral palette. She says it’s important to demonstrate that it’s OK—even a wise choice—to step outside one’s comfort zone.
She began her journey by choosing a carnation-inspired pink because it’s so different from what she’s used to. “Using an outlandish color is like taking a risk,” she says. “But why not experiment with color? Paint is one of the least expensive decisions you make.”
On a fall evening, Miller invited a group of friends to take a look at the transformation. Just before sitting down to dinner—a main course of black spaghetti from Katie’s Pizza & Pasta—Miller stood to speak. She toasted one of her closest collaborators, artist Ted Collier (husband of the aforementioned Katie and co-owner of the restaurant), whose signature circle-motif painting lends a graphic contrast to the soft feel of the room’s pink walls.
“Four years ago, we were both very up and coming,” began Miller, lifting a glass of rosé. “I needed to borrow art for the show I was doing on HGTV, and I reached out to Ted.”
As the light from the chandelier danced across the walls, the guests raised their glasses in unison.
