When faced with vast empty rooms in enormous houses, homeowners sometimes panic. In their frantic attempts to fill these voluminous spaces, they can make big mistakes—or freeze up and do nothing.

Professional designers survey these scenes daily, and many have made a career of righting the wrongs. But bad interiors still can take even the most seasoned by surprise when the outside of the house has all the right stuff.

Pamela Hastings, ASID, walked through the front door of Dr. and Mrs. Isaac Barpal’s newly acquired home in The Oaks and stopped in her tracks. The window treatments were all wrong. An absence of color made the rooms appear lifeless. Above the dining room table was an empty ceiling with no chandelier. And a horribly amateurish mural covered one entire living room wall.

Hastings. “The exterior had such strong curb appeal, while the interior was suffering from neglect.”

The Barpals were in the process of relocating to Sarasota from New Jersey and, as luck would have it, they sold most of their furnishings with their home. The significant pieces remaining included a few fine antiques, her accessories in a beloved bird motif and his collection of South American art with several paintings by Argentine artist Molari. Such a clean sweep provided Hastings the freedom to create on a fresh canvas.

“The owners wanted an elegant space that was formal without feeling stuffy,” says the interior designer. “Guests would enter the home via these rooms, so we wanted to make a strong first impression. And I felt sure we could accomplish a result deserving of such a beautiful architectural surround.”

The renovation started from the ground up. Hastings determined that the marble floors were in excellent condition and would stay. She located a gorgeous needlepoint area rug featuring flowers, fruit and tropical birds to anchor the living room and then found a similar rug for the dining room. When the second rug proved slightly too small, Hastings commissioned a company to create a border and enlarge the floor covering until it was a precise fit.

Painting was next, and Hastings selected a creamy pear tint with hints of yellow and green. She felt strongly enough about the color choice to engage in a bit of a battle. “Dr. Barpal is a very dynamic, highly intelligent person, and he was not the least bit impressed with my paint selection,” she says with a laugh. “I had to work very hard to talk him into trusting my decision. Ultimately, he came around.”

Handsome wooden plantation shutters replaced the woefully inadequate window treatments, and suddenly the etched-glass front doors worked. “Formerly, the front doors seemed a bit busy and out of place,” explains Hastings. “Once the windows were balanced and the walls painted, the etched glass and natural light reflections looked good.”

A smart sofa and loveseat by Kravet in sculpted chenille provides ample seating in front of the fireplace. Two Swaim chairs in pumpkin orange silk dots brighten the room, while Century end tables with accent lamps accommodate drinking glasses and offer soft illumination. Hastings mixed finishes, using various woods in a rich espresso patina along with antiqued gold and some glass.

Impressive display cabinets showcase Mrs. Barpal’s personal collection of objets d’art, and Hastings used several family heirloom porcelain pieces, an antique clock and a heavy mirror to dress the mantel and wall above the fireplace. “I believe in using some of the owner’s own pieces and combining things in new ways,” says Hastings. “When everything is new, you lose the sense of familiarity. A blend eases the transition and makes the room feel more comfortable.”

The adjacent dining room was designed to surround dinner guests with comfort and opulence. The impressive dining room table has a curved base of wood and metal topped by a gleaming burled wood surface. Dining room chairs are upholstered in different materials, with armchairs covered in imported French fabric with sophisticated black, taupe and green checks, and side chairs covered in very smart taupe suede. The oversized Hickory White bow-front sideboard has carved detail work, and the room’s centerpiece is a massive multitiered chandelier in a pewter finish with alabaster bowls. Linen and dish storage closets are conveniently built into the dining room walls and concealed behind a painted screen. The last piece of the design puzzle was an alcove, which Hastings adorned with a Vietnamese urn and some antique Burmese scripture panels.

“Pamela was able to find distinctive pieces and then put them together in such an innovative fashion,” says Mrs. Barpal. “The finished rooms are elegant but not too formal, still fresh and airy. The furniture lives comfortably, and Pam was even able to halt my tendency to ‘over-bird.’ Our home’s interior design is exactly what we wanted.”

Hastings admits to being challenged by such large rooms, so she’s especially pleased with the outcome. “We were able to soften the sheer volume of the space and anchor the furnishings anchored for rooms that are ultimately very livable,” says Hastings. “Now the inside of the house befits the outside. This wonderful house with its good bones deserves to be dressed appropriately.”

Design Team: Design by Pamela Hastings, ASID; customized rug by Norman’s Designs.