Wish List: Martin Potter and Jon Hattaway, MJ Berries

The exuberance with which Martin Potter and Jon Hattaway approach both life and design shows up in living color in their work. Their Web site, for example, shows a sitting room in a combination of sunny yellow and luscious raspberry that’s as lovely as it is unexpected. Just two colors, red and white, dress a bedroom in the same house, but the blending of toile, floral, stripes and gingham creates a mood both playful and romantic. Much as they love color, though, the point is creating a space that suits their clients.

“One of my favorite projects ever is a house on the Cape that we did in about fifteen shades of gray,” Hattaway says. “We pay such close attention,” Potter adds. “If you look at one of our projects you learn a great deal about the inhabitants.” He cites the time a client walked into the bedroom of his newly designed house and asked, “How did you know I like my closet on the left?” It’s a basic instinct, Potter says. “I had paid attention.” The work of MJ Berries (the name comes from their fondness for antique berry spoons and their love of berries—raspberries for Potter, blackberries for Hattaway) is as vibrant as the designers themselves. But make no mistake—in the end it’s the client’s personality that shines through. BOSTON, (617) 423-6100, WWW.MJBERRIESDESIGN.COM

Losa Corti Quilts “Tablecloths are in, and it’s a great opportunity to return your grandmother’s fine linens to their rightful place. Re-purpose old, embroidered sheets or an amazing quilt for covering a festive table. For spring, we love these vivid quilts from Lisa Corti to use as tablecloths. Don’t fret about matching a tablecloth to your room color. Go with riotous color, energy, vitality. Drab is out.” BELLEZZA HOME AND GARDEN, NEWTON, MASS., (617) 244-5330, WWW.BELLEZZAHOME.COM

Sonia Rykiel Maison Fabric “It is said that stripes reveal at much as they hide, and we love this floral-on-stripe. Fiercely strewn across the romantic, sensuous velvet, roses fall in both color and design as random as the stripes are regimented. The roses are scrubbed-on as if with pastel crayons, and the painterly style updates florals and stripes. STARK, BOSTON DESIGN CENTER, (617) 449-5506, WWW.STARKCARPET.COM

Painted shelves by Gilberto Palacios “Since interior design is becoming utterly democratic—John Derian for Target, and Martha everywhere—there’s no reason a not to give a simple, dorm-room bookcase stylish treatment. For the artist or artisan, art is always democratic. The creative desire to enhance is artist’s work. It’s the idea of seeing something additionally.” GATEWAY ARTS, BROOKLINE, MASS., (617) 734-1577, WWW.GATEWAYARTS.ORG

Sala di Justicia, Alhambra, by Truman Seymour “Nothing brings vitality to an interior like original art. Never choose art to match sofa fabric. Always hang art that makes you utterly happy, or romantically overwhelmed, or absolutely drains you of every tear you will ever shed. Seymour’s look and style reflect a kind of exotic romanticism prevalent now in design. And the medium—watercolor—reflects a kind of quick, energetic quality that feels modern.” MARTHA RICHARDSON FINE ART, BOSTON, (617) 266-3321, WWW.MARTHARICHARDSONFINEART

Nessa Sidetable from MacRae “We like this table—which comes in cherry and ebony finishes—for both its convenience and the simplicity of its design. It brings new meaning to the axiom ‘Form over function.’ Here the form is the function.” LEE JOFA, BOSTON DESIGN CENTER, (617) 428-0370, WWW.LEEJOFA.COM