I've talked before, hopefully not ad nauseaum, about my love of color in fashion and in decor. My childhood homes were filled with color - vibrant, energetic, happy colors. My maternal grandmother's homes were boldly colorful as well. Neither my grandmother nor my mother were designers or decorators but both women had a great sense of style. (I'd like to think that a little bit has rubbed off on me!)

I remember having friends over, when I was a child, who would look around our Fifth Avenue apartment with wide-eyed wonder. Where most of my friends had bland white or beige apartments, mine was as colorful as a jar of jelly beans. I think perhaps, the only white room I ever knew was our living room with its scenic views of Central Park, and even still, the large, black Steinway and the couches dressed in a whimsical, bold, blue and white Waverly pattern bearing birds and fruit took center stage. Our dining room was a masculine yet soothing grey flanked with white trim and a lavender ceiling. Our kitchen was green, like bright asparagus - my mother has always had green kitchens - and our built-in cabinetry was all painted a watermelon-like pink on the inside.

No wall was left untouched, from hallways to bedrooms, to offices to bathrooms. My mother loved color, the bolder, the brighter, the better! The long hallway in the back of the apartment that separated the master bedroom from mine was painted a deep sky blue. There were two large closets and a large bathroom off of the hallway. I remember those doors painted a bright yellow, but my mother recently told me that they were more chartreuse in color.The hallway and doors, as well as the kitchen were painted a high gloss. Not only does high gloss add flair and drama to one's living space, but these shiny walls are especially easy to clean. This is important in kitchens, as it was in that long, narrow hallway that my friend Jennifer Weill from Sunday School turned into an indoor playground of sorts as she and I used to spend hours at a time literally climbing those walls!

Following are some beautiful examples of high gloss in the home that I have curated for you. Some of these photographs are bold, daring and dramatic, perhaps too much for your style and taste or level of comfort. But I also offer some stylish alternatives for those of you who prefer to incorporate high gloss into your homes but in a more toned down manner.