The redone kitchen inside the 2009 Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse boasts granite counters, pot filler faucet and high-end stove among its amenities.

The 1912 Georgian Revival house on Milwaukee’s East Side is a timeless classic with its symmetrical composition, peaked gable roofs and portico front entry. Inside, visitors are wowed by the oak staircase and a large stained glass window of a Greek temple arch and an Irish church ruin on the foyer landing, and paneled wainscoting and leaded-glass china cabinet in the dining room. But as the 2009 Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse, the wow factor goes beyond architecture as 57 designers have transformed 29 spaces inside the 6,538-square-foot house for the 12th annual home tour.

Design concepts range from classic to modern, but no matter from which direction designers have drawn their inspirations, tried and true design rules still apply. The designers of two rooms in the showhouse — Michael Carter and Cathy Williams, Ken Michaels Furniture, home office; and Abigail Klode, Abigail Klode Interiors, master sitting room — share a few of their design rules.

1. Color

Color, whether bold or neutral, can liven any room. "When using neutrals, you can still create drama and impact by using contrasting color tones juxtaposed against one another," Carter says. In the home office designed by Carter and Williams, the color palette consisted of grays, blacks, browns and silvers. "The drama comes in with the contrast of the dark furniture against the calmer, more pale walls," Carter says. Silver accents also add to the drama of the room.

In the master bedroom sitting room, Klode combines texture and color to create interest. "The varied textures of greys and ‘greiges’ combined with small pops of color results in a refined setting while maintaining interest and personal style," she says. "Limiting the accent colors to one or two avoids confusion and forces the elements to relate to one another, creating a cohesive design."

Interior designer Betsy Hoke of Sturgeon Interiors uses bold colors as accents, textural rugs, accessories and window treatments to create a luxury bath inside the 2009 Wisconsin Breast Cancer Showhouse.

2. Texture

Texture is what designers refer to as "eye-candy" for a well-dressed room, Carter says. "When there are varying textures within a space, as with color and pattern, it can be used as a successful design tool to create visual interest for the viewer of the space," he says. In the office he and Williams used the elements of wood, leather, metals, stone and fabric.

The neutral palette of the master sitting room comes alive with texture. Each element has a unique texture, Klode says — grasscloth wallcovering, silk drapery panels, matchstick shades, mohair covered sofa, leather ottoman and a wool and silk rug.

3. Repetition

Repeating an element makes the element appear as though it belongs in a space, Carter says. "If you bring in an element, such as the shiny chrome of a floor-lamp, repeating that element cements its importance in the design. Now instead of it being on its own in the design, it becomes a cohesive part due to its repetition in the space," Carter says.