Stepping into this unique midtown Memphis home can be likened to a scene with which most of us are very familiar. Imagine how Dorothy felt when she emerged from her mangled, monochromatic house into the wonderful Land of Oz. This rich, bright fantasy land was very different from Dorothy’s black and white world – everywhere she looked she encountered the lusciously exaggerated tints of a Technicolor landscape.

This 2,800-square-foot Mediterranean villa echoes the beautiful bold colors and whimsy of Oz. After 10 months of renovation and design, the home was completed in early 2011 by Cheryl Lee Smith, who served as the general manager of the design, architectural and contracting processes.
“Being able to fashion and create an entirely new environment that would house my client’s possessions and reflect her playful and generous spirit was my favorite part of this design process,” says Smith. “On this project, I used saturated colors that were beautiful and had lush qualities. The purpose was to create an exciting background in which all the colorsof wood, carpets, artwork and furniture would stand out yet be harmonious.”
Lighthearted from the start, the home’s foyer features a special guest. A life-size mannequin, handmade by SICIS/Italy and purchased locally from Henry Tile, wears hundreds of tiny, quarter-inch, cabernet-colored mosaic tiles. Light bounces all around this long, narrow passage – from the polished black marble tile floors to the harlequin mirror on one end of the hall to the contemporary mirrored drawer chest on the other end.

Moving into the brilliant yellow living room, one can get a glimpse of the starting point of the home’s layout and design through the French doors and window at the back of the room. Framed in the glass is a Four Seasons Fountain from Waterworks, designed in the spirit of European fountains. The water feature brings the outside into an already sunny room. Candy purples, clear teal blues and touches of black and bright white are brought together by kaleidoscopeprint couches flanked by two black fretwork armchairs with loose purple pillows trimmed in teal Houles fringe.

It’s challenging to decide where to look first in the room as it boasts many eye-catching aspects. A custom-designed fireplace mantle in the shape of a roaring face framed with loose hair was inspired by the renowned man-like carving “The Mouth of Truth” on the portico of The Basilica of Saint Mary in Cosmedin in Rome, Italy. The mouth surrounds the open fire and the light of the flames dances off the shadows of the marble-like stone face.

Next to the fireplace, “Sonny Boy Williamson,” a three-dimensional piece by Memphis artist George Hunt, reflects the homeowner’s love of the Mississippi Delta and the blues music that is rooted there. An oil painting of a Chicago theatre marquis by Designer Cheryl Lee Smith turns one homeowner’s eclectic art collection and love for lush color into a vivid and vibrant habitat of many hues.

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