Tucked away in McMillin Interiors design pro Dan Bergeron’s home is a colorful living room that proves sometimes more is, well, more. For the design of this maximalist sanctuary, Bergeron didn’t hold back, and his risks have proved rewards as the layered space has come together over the past few months.

His home was built in 1935. When he was determining a color scheme, his goal was to play into that time period with punchy colors that were common back then. However, he was sure to do so in a modern way that speaks to his own personal style.

“I settled on a bold, but rich color palette in this room, not as bright as neon, but not so light as to read pastel,” he says. “The rug set the design direction for the trim, color, wallpaper and curation of original art throughout the entire space.”

Bergeron has art covering most walls in his home. However, this is the space that he typically refers to as the art gallery. The bold pieces that make up his personal collection pop against the leaf-patterned Cole & Son wallpaper–not a typical gallery backdrop, but perfect for Bergeron’s vision.

“I love that each piece of art hanging in this room tells its own story, evokes a memory or represents the talent of an artist I’ve formed friendships with or admired for a long time,” Bergeron explains, noting that almost every piece in this space was created by a Louisiana-connected artist like Harouni, Scott Sanders and Mark Biletnikoff. “Every piece of art in this space–most being contemporary in style–has bold color, is figurative, or both. Framing varies between every piece, further helping to create a collected and layered look.”

But it’s not as complicated as it might seem to assemble a collection that tells a story like Bergeron’s does. He says it’s actually pretty simple: choose what you love and let that be your guide.

“When it comes to art, I’ve never met a color I didn’t like! The artist selects colors for a reason and I appreciate it as just that. I believe art should speak to you and evoke an emotional response more so than the need for it to coordinate with a design color scheme,” he explains. “If you love something, it’s much easier to display it or incorporate it into a room.”

See another one of Bergeron’s projects in this story from the inRegister archives.