for early next week in Istanbul.

So is Massachusetts designer Nicole Hirsch. She’s put a zingy green — she calls it “alligator” — on a bathroom ceiling. Tangerine on a playroom ceiling. Cobalt blue, lipstick pink and chrome yellow add lively punches on furnishings.In her own California home, designer Alison Pickart has the kind of roomy closet that storage-challenged homeowners would envy. But she saw value in a different use.

“It was a hall closet, but with its generous size and great natural light from a back window, I just felt like the space could be ‘more,’” she says.So she turned it into a little “phone room” for herself. “It seemed like the perfect size and place to escape, with some privacy to make a call.”Clara Jung of Banner Day Interiors worked with clients on a San Francisco ranch house that’s full of big, airy spaces. But nudge the secret panel in the living room bookcase and you’ll find a cozy, color-saturated, album-lined music den. There’s a vintage wood bar and a sprawl-worthy crimson rug.

“The homeowners are avid LP collectors,” she says, “and the husband’s a musician.”Jung was ready to install a door when the clients suggested creating the secret entrance instead. “We loved the idea!” she says. “It’s the perfect escape for an audiophile.”

Maybe that’s the new decorating rule: Create your own “perfect escape.”

New York-based writer Kim Cook covers design and decor topics regularly for The Associated Press. Follow her on Instagram at @kimcookhome.“Jaime always tells us that we should all worship Mr. Tlacuache instead of other deities,” said Aldo Martin, playing the leading role.

Mulato Teatro cast member Aldo Martin Cortez poses for a photo during a break rehearsal in Ticumán, Mexico, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)Mulato Teatro cast member Aldo Martin Cortez poses for a photo during a break rehearsal in Ticumán, Mexico, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Martin, 28, does not identify as Afro, but feels the company’s work successfully portrays Mexico’s diversity.“Our ancestors are not only Indigenous, but a fusion, and these mixed heritages have resulted in a very distinct society, made of all colors, which shouldn’t pigeonhole us into just being Afro,” Martin said.