Going bold with color isn’t about splashing color against color for color’s sake. The new American way has the dynamic sensibility of an artist twisting a kaleidoscope, turning a collision of colors into a tour de force. “Color makes more traditional pieces look fresh,” says designer Miles Redd, who pulled together this vibrant look for the living room of a Manhattan apartment. “When you take a staid piece of furniture and put an unusual finish on it that’s brash yet sophisticated, it feels modern and American.”

When the walls started coming down between the living room and the kitchen, we were left with a vast space that no one wanted to be in. Finally, a few designers – like Myra Hoefer, who’s responsible for this comfortable space in California – have figured out how to wrangle the great room. The solution? Break it down into small, intimate areas that are separate in function but connect visually. At long last, the big, open room has a new intimacy – and usability.

The latest trend in kitchen design? A cozy but dressed-up dining alcove, like this one by designer Steven Gambrel. It’s a cross between a breakfast nook and a dining room, with coffee-house and cocktail lounge thrown in. Comfortable and versatile, it’s informal enough for cozy family meals, chic enough for a dinner party, and an irresistible place to hang out with friends for hours. “I liked the idea of creating a dining area where the chairs aren’t so upright and stiff, and you can lean back,” says Gambrel.

Banish the stark, the severe, the oppressively industrial. Try modern with a soft side. It’s still about clean lines and pure geometric shapes, but to get the look right, think organic materials, handcrafted details, and a seamless movement between indoors and out. Warm modern, like this kitchen by architect Cary Tamarkin and designer Suzanne Shaker, is tactile and sensual and embracing.

“Eclectic” is an overused word that has come to mean a random jumble, or anything goes. Designer Tom Scheerer put together a disparate mix in the living room of a coastal Maine house, blending modern and antique furniture. It’s a coherent assemblage of different styles and periods that looks like it though it has been collected over time, but still has an improvisational air. It’s the sense of a real life being lived.