Kelly takes decorating to a new edge on television show

Deepa Bharath

It’s almost as if Kelly Edge’s eyes were made to spot decorating

flaws.

All it takes this Newport Beach-based designer is a glance here

and a look there, and she knows exactly what’s wrong.

On Wednesday, Edge was redesigning the Seal Beach home of Jackie

and Tom Payne for “Decorating Cents,” a show broadcast on Home and

Garden Television.

Edge has been an important part of the show over the last two

years, producer Stephanie Halleen said.

“Kelly’s got the expertise and the personality,” she said.

“She’s good on camera. She’s engaging and shows a lot of

enthusiasm for what she does.”

Edge redesigns rooms using things people already have in their

homes -- furniture, rugs, art and accessories such as bowls, vases,

candle holders or just about anything she can find.

“For me, it’s like I’m shopping around people’s homes,” she said.

“And the beauty of it is that it’s done with things people already

own and love.

“I don’t make them get rid of things they already have or make

them buy new things.

“That’s what makes it fun.”

With the Paynes’ home, Edge had the task of redesigning four

different areas, which were essentially one large room -- the living,

kitchen and dining areas and a sun room.

“Jackie is going for that beach-cottage look,” Edge said.

“So, that’s what we’re going to try to create for her.”

The first thing Edge did was move a 52-inch, big-screen television

from near the window to the other side, where it wouldn’t block the

window. The television was placed inside a wooden cabinet.

“I wasn’t sure about that,” Jackie Payne said. “But when she put

it across from the window, I realized it works that way.”

Edge also removed a bamboo rug from the backyard patio and brought

it to the living area.

That was pretty drastic for Payne to digest initially, but she

liked the way the rug looked in her living room.

“I’ll have to replace it on the patio,” she said. “But that’s OK.”

The Paynes also had contemporary blue leather couches in the

living area, which Edge said she planned to “accessorize” with throws

or whatever else she finds to give the room a warm glow and

cottage-like feel.

“I did another home in Costa Mesa a few weeks ago, and we ended up

putting a surfboard we found in the garage on the wall,” she said.

The challenge was to find the right kind of bolts and screws to

make it stay on the wall, Edge said.

But now that the monstrous television was out of the way, Edge was

going to put no-sew drapes on the windows.

“I’m coming in with fresh eyes,” Edge said. “So, I see things

differently.”

From Payne’s point of view, she was looking to Edge “to bring it

all together for her.”

“I’d bought things for the house,” she said.

“But I just can’t seem to figure out where to put them. I don’t

have that vision Kelly has.”

Costa Mesa resident, Elke Barras, whose living room Edge

redesigned on Sunday, said she was happy with the new look.

“She rearranged the sofas and put it at a different angle,” she

said. “She put art on the walls. She rearranged book shelves. It

looks great.”

The show is a useful learning tool for people looking to

redecorate, Barras said.

“It gives other people ideas about what they can do with what they

already have.”

Edge has done a majority of these shows in Southern California,

but the show has taken her to New York City, Boston and Denver.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” she said.