Variatons on a theme

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jul 5, 2003 by Lisa Sandmeyer Capital-Journal

A dresser was turned into a vanity in the bathroom.

Daryl Hendrix can be seen making over rooms each week on "Decorating With Daryl," which airs on "Talk of the Town" at 5 p.m. on KTKA, Channel 49.

Hendrix chose an Americana theme for the family room. The rug comes from Tammi's Antiques and Florals, 811 S. Kansas Ave.

The dining room has a wine theme and a view of the park across the street.

In the living room, designer Daryl Hendrix found hardwood floors under the green shag carpeting. He particularly likes this space because it allows him to display his antique barrister's cabinet.

The makeovers at designer Daryl Hendrix's home continue into the yard. The tilting flowerpot has water running through it.

The guest room has a safari theme.

African animals walk the wall border in the guest room.

Variations on a theme

Designer takes technique to every corner

By Lisa Sandmeyer

Photographs by Nick Krug

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Metallic green wallpaper and green shag carpeting in the living room might send some prospective home buyers running for the door.

But even the orange indoor-outdoor carpeting in the kitchen couldn't faze Daryl Hendrix.

"When I walked in the front door, I had a feeling," Hendrix said. "I just knew."

The space was right, the lot was right and the view --- a park across the street --- was right.

He also knew he could make it look the way he wanted. Hendrix has made himself Topeka's answer to HGTV. He has a segment on decorating each Thursday on "Talk of the Town," the 5 p.m. show on KTKA, Channel 49. "Decorating With Daryl" segments have included demonstrations of techniques in home decorating as well as makeovers of both residential and business spaces.

In July, KTKA is adding a second segment of "Decorating With Daryl" on Mondays.

The house he bought two years ago on S.W. Billard is on an odd- shaped lot that has only one direct neighbor and allowed for the garage to be built as a drive-through.

Inside, he found enough space in the living room to display his antique barrister's cabinet on the wall opposite the fireplace, one of the items on his must-have list.

The green shag carpeting in that room was hiding hardwood floors, which Hendrix redid and has accented with a floral area rug. A neutral tone paint now covers the walls where the metallic green wallpaper was.

Hendrix likes to theme his rooms. The guest bedroom has a safari theme, the family room is Americana, the dining room has grapes and wine colors, and the kitchen has gone from glowing orange to red and white.

Hendrix chose a Coca-Cola theme for the kitchen. The orange carpet gave way to black-and-white tile reminiscent of a '50s era soda fountain. He is using bottle openers from old Coca-Cola machines for the drawer pulls, and he keeps his collector editions of Coke cans and bottles are among the accessories.

The kitchen had a built in range that was stainless steel, so Hendrix added a stainless steel refrigerator and microwave to match.

The safari room was paneled. Rather than ripping it down to the walls, Hendrix used a wallpaper designed to cover paneling. The embossed patterns of vining leaves on the paper is painted green and bordered with a menagerie of African animals.

In the dining room, Hendrix built a shelf wrapping over the top of the bay window. Grapes drape on top, and a valance hangs from the front. The wallpaper shows clusters of grapes.

In the family room, flags adorn pillows, wall hangings and rugs. One of the subjects of a "Decorating With Daryl" segment also is in this room, a wooden table with red and blue stripes stained onto its top. Hendrix said he used varnish as the finish to give the piece an antique look.

All of the work --- including breaking up the yellow-green tile in the foyer and the cast-iron pink tub in the bathroom was done by Hendrix and housemate Joe Stirton with some help from friends.

"The bathroom came all the way down to nothing," Stirton said.

The pink toilet and vanity were passed on to a friend who was doing a flamingo theme in a bathroom.

The tub was replaced with a modern, built-in version, and large, textured ceramic tile went around the tub and on the floor.

Hendrix said he got his early inspiration for home decorating when he was in college, and his grandmother would come in and fix up wherever he was living.

He has been transforming other people's spaces for about 15 years now, from suggesting simple fixes to helping design whole room makeovers.

"You can have $40 in paint and $60 in border and transform a room," Hendrix said.

He keeps his eyes open whenever he is shopping --- at the mall or at a garage sale --- for items that might work in his current projects.

"It's so much fun to make the client happy," he said.

Lisa Sandmeyer can be reached at (785) 295-5619 or lisa.sandmeyer@cjonline.com.

Variations: Designer had to undo before redo

Please see VARIATIONS, Page 19

Continued from Page 18