Your Family Decorator: When it came to decorating, this ‘Golden Girl’ did what made her happy

The late actress Betty White lived a full and long life, and fans worldwide mourned her death in December, just a few days short of her 100th birthday. Animal shelters have since been flooded with donations in her her memory. And flowers were placed at her home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.

But the house where she and her late husband, Allen Ludden, lived for many years is not a mansion nor a villa.

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Built in 1952, the two-story house is an example of the New England Colonial-inspired style that inspired so many homes of its era — so light and charming. Surely there must have been a white picket fence at one point around the property.

The house sold this month for around $10.68 million after being listed by Sotheby’s International Realty - Pacific Palisades Brokerage.

The home is the picture of happiness, with its stonework, white clapboard, and canary-yellow shutters and front door. I would love to see the buyer keep it intact, although it was marketed for its land value and press reports say it’s likely to be razed.

I recall visiting with Betty in 1991 when she came to the University of Charleston in West Virginia to receive an honorary degree from our school of design. It was my honor to bestow the scholarly hood to her during the ceremony.

During dinner after the presentation, we sat beside each other and talked about her favorite subject, animals. Betty’s well-known care and concern for their wellbeing inspired the university to bestow upon her the degree.

During her visit, the Emmy-winning star of “The Golden Girls” was dressed in pale country-garden green and white, as the month of graduation was May.

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Betty said she loved the simple life. She spoke about her love of the French provincial style and the country look in decorating.

The look of her home certainly spoke to her unassuming and friendly persona. You might never guess the house was tucked away in a wealthy neighborhood in the hills of Los Angeles. It looks like a neighborly home you might find anywhere across America.

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There are lessons to be learned, here, as you decorate your own home. Think about what makes you happy. In one of her books, for instance, Betty wrote about how she filled a room with stuffed animals because they brought her joy.

I keep thinking about the house’s canary-yellow trim. I love to see a front door painted in a bright color, something that will bring a smile to those who enter it.

In your own home, you might choose a bold wallpaper for your entryway to greet you as you return home after a busy day.

The throw pillows on your couch can always be updated and rotated as the seasons and your mood changes. You might even add a favorite stuffed animal friend. Betty would certainly approve of that!

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Palm Beacher Carleton Varney is president of Dorothy Draper & Co., an international design firm with offices in New York, West Palm Beach, London and White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. His new book, to be published in the spring, is titled "The High Life of Dorothy Draper." Visit CarletonVarney.com or email him at cvarney@dorothydraper.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Your Family Decorator: Palm Beach's Carleton Varney remembers Betty White