Bold strokes of color transform a bungalow

Like a true modern woman, Christine Zellmer spotted her ideal match on the Internet. She immediately fell for the Long Island bungalow's glamour shot, but wondered about the rest. Preparing herself for the worst, Christine recalls thinking, "The house must stink on the inside." So she and husband Stefan weren't surprised when they toured the house and discovered a gloomy interior garbed in traditional style — which wasn't their style. But Christine could see past it. The former interior designer had a vision of a modern cottage.

She enlisted Oskar Torres, a design school friend, to help open up and brighten the cloying interiors. The team focused on sweeping cosmetic changes that helped stretch the home's 2,000 square feet, as well as the Zellmers' limited budget. Staining the yellowish wood floors a dark brown, while lightening everything else, created a dynamic backdrop for strokes of Christine's favorite colors: orange and red.

With 5-year-old twin boys, it was also important to keep the house kid-friendly. Inexpensive pieces from West Elm, CB2 and Urban Outfitters would be easy to replace if necessary.

"At the same time, I wanted to throw in some original artwork and unique pieces so it didn't look cookie-cutter," says Christine, who outfitted her mantel with a quirky quartet of paper lanterns purchased for a pool party. Scattered around the house are more party props that became permanent decor — call it accidental/on-purpose decorating.

"They're fun and playful," she says of the hangers-on, "and they remind us that life can be a party."