Applying courage with co By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Repor ter dangelo@usnews com MONIQUE Le Cavalier has a small galiey kitchen with plum purpie cupboards and sage green counter- tops. She chose the coiors her self. They look grear Le Cavalier’s kit 1s like every room in her Upper Lynn Valley home: colortul, co-ordinated, interesting and different. So what's her decorating secret? Le Cavalier is not afraid of color. “Some people stick to off- white and beige,” said the demure Montreal native. “You'd be surprised how nice a color can be that is not too strong and dramatic.” Le Cavalier says you can always paint over something you don't like. Decorating with paint is inexpensive. A failed color experiment wil! cost you about $30 for a gallon's worth of paint. Le Cavalier, 42, always uses latex paint, even in bath- rooms. The interior decorator said Jatex is now of a quality that makes oil-based paint unnecessary indoors. On rare occasions Le Cavalier uses oil- based products for faux fin- ishes. Le Cavalier advises that novice paint decorators forget about those Hide chip samples Gflered in paint: stores. Sach samples are pot big enouuh to visualite ene acofor will doak ‘eg ye Caraher ree oremends buving the smailes: quantity of paint possible in the chosen color and just slap a square card of itn the wall. Cavalier advises using fay orite colors on walls and in bigger picces and accent the rooms with “trends” colored items. That way, updating is fot expensive and a person will like the feeling i the room. Le Cavali favorite ¢ ors are yellow, bluc, sage green, wine red, terra cotta brown and raspberry red. She doesn’t like orange or cy. “Grey is dull, especially in Vancouver when it rains a lor,” said Le Cavalier. Le Cavalier has lived North Vancouver for four years. She put her paint brush away for a little while this past summer when she wed Mike Wood. The couole have a dog, Chip (no relation ta paint). Le Cavalier also does sten- cilling, cartoons and clouds in children’s rooms and the odd mural for customers. She con- sults customers on color choices and has even n calied in to arrange knick- knacks for clients. “I'd like to get more into pieces of furniture, antiquing, crackling and doing landscape scenes on doors of cabinets and armoires,” said Le 7 NEWS photo Miko Wakefield THE decorator “antiqued” the shelf and used knick knacks that pick up colors in the room. invest in your child's future for as little as $69.00 Wiz Zone olfers specialized computer classes for kids ages 3 to 93 and Vancouver's best selection of educational software. Call now to receive our program guide. Next session begins in October. VZ ZONE | RS FOR KIDS wo Om © 1487 Marine Drive 925-1440 Hours Mon-Sat 10 to §:30 Cee Sun 11105 pm _ ee Cavaher. Although paiinig mav be cheap, it can take alot of time to do a good job, Le Cavalier, who admits she’s a pertectionts1, estimates sponge painting ber living room, dining room: and hail- way took her 70 hours When Le Cavalier tirst saw the kitchen, the house was for sale. At that Unie, the cup- boards were stained brown with bone-colured doors and the counters were a fa arborite wood. A beige back- splash topped off the colur scheme, “St was really aw said © Lifetime Warranty Le Cavalier. Since the interview witl: the News. be Cavalier has applied her paint brush to the kitchen once more. The cupboards are now an antigucd pale veilow white on the edges counter and back sf plash y sponped 2 oro rone 5 reen which gives a rock ct “You should do what vou want, it's your house,” she concludes. Te Cavalier can be con- racted through her business, Accents For Living, at 988- 3722. NEWS photo Mike Wakefield THIS antiqued and crackled ochre yellow table was originaliy a glossy white. Optima 30 RN or TN Gas insert built in thermostat, 24,000 BTUs ARCHGARD INDUSTRIES GAS FIREPLACE UNITS Quality Design & Dependability © 78% Efficiency « Locally Made © Fully Automatic “with a touch of a switch we can warm your heart” “A Canadian Product Putting Canadians to Work” Optima 45 Free Standing Direct Vent 4 27,000 8TUs Come meet the most knowledgeable experts in the industry with over 35 years serving the North Shore