Nisha Tailor had almost forgotten how very colorful color could be. After 18 years away from her native India, the interior designer, who owns Nisha Tailor Interior Design, recalls the “shock” of seeing the bold — almost garish — hues on every wall of every home she visited.
“I was so surprised how much color was everywhere. Orange, blue, red — every room a different color. Everywhere, too much,” Nisha says. “So, when I returned I brought back a little bit of that, but not so much.” Specifically, she imported the deep green that is so popular in Asia but underappreciated in the United States … and paired it and other shades with the neutrals that are underappreciated in her homeland.
Nisha's signature balance of exuberance and elegance is evident in her redesign of the guest bedroom of her Wentzville home. There, striking fabrics, distressed wood, antiques and, yes, strong colors mingle in a surprisingly symbiotic collection of design odds and ends. Somehow, the East-meets-Old West mishmash just works. “I wanted to bring the farmhouse thing in; that’s popular right now. I wanted to make [the space] very serene and relaxing but didn’t want to go with beige or gray.”
She did, however, begin with a clean palette of white, embellished with her own geode-inspired artwork painted directly on the wall near the bed. Right beside the rich green, blue and gold veining of the rock painting stands a rustic tree-branch table in gold and a banana plant that lends warmth and soft lushness.
Splashes of gold turn up tastefully in the lampshade, a throw blanket and in other small fixtures in the room. The geode painting is echoed in the throw pillows on the white-clad bed and upholstered corner chair, as well as in a green bike sculpture that adorns the wall over the bed. “I really like bicycles, so the theme is ‘Love your journey, enjoy the ride.’”
Clients of Nisha are enjoying this vibrant ride along with her. Her clientele, many of whom are natives of India, have been known to wait two or three years to work with her. She addresses their tastes in tincture with eye-catching fabrics and fixtures, and tones it down everywhere else. “I think they feel like I understand them,” she says. “They love my designs. They think, ‘Wow, I would never have thought of bringing in gold.’ They think it’s going to look like a temple. I ask them to trust me, and they see it works.”
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Nisha Tailor Interior Designs, 636-866-7601
