Despite its diminutive dimensions, her well-appointed Lakefront home is colorful and comfortable with plenty of room for entertaining guests. A high, sloped ceiling and skylight grace the dining area, which is outfitted with a contemporary glass-topped table and Ingo Maurer "Floatation" paper chandelier. "I saw the chandelier in a magazine, and I just had to have it," she says. "I knew it would be perfect." The large, potted ficus tree nearby turns everyday dining into a patio-style experience, but Jerry quickly learned that with greenery, less is more. "I used to have several smaller plants in here," she says smiling, "but I felt like I was sitting in a patch of weeds."

Custom-made linen draperies tie the dining area to the adjoining living room where Jerry mixes chocolate brown walls with large-scale art and oversized furnishings. She constructed the console-which is home to her most unusual plant, a sprouting coconut with leaves that grow longer by the day-from an old table top and brackets she found in an architectural salvage yard. The living room is also a playground of creative storage ideas. A wicker basket holds hats and extra pillows, while stylish fabric draped over an end table hides the extra dishes she has stored underneath. A decorative cement planter she salvaged from a garden center now holds an ample collection of CDs. "My storage solution is simple," she says. "I just try not to hold on to too many things." Jerry admits that she is lucky enough to have a walk-in closet, so holding onto a few things is fairly easy.

Her narrow kitchen and master bathroom are prime examples of Jerry's favorite small-space design element-dark colors in small places. The kitchen's dark brown ceiling and beige textured-zebra-print walls are punctuated by a bright yellow-and-red portrait by Tony Mose of Esom Art. The master bathroom is completely bedecked in black and dotted with delicate gold accents. Both feel deceptively open and roomy, despite the limited natural light. "Lots of people probably wouldn't even try dark colors in rooms like these, but I just love them," Jerry says. "They're so cozy."

But that's not to say that she hasn't employed any of the traditional tricks designers use to create the illusion of abundant square footage. A mirrored wall at the far end of the hallway not only makes the space seem twice its size, it disguises the powder room door. Jerry says it's also a handy spot to check her appearance one last time before she leaves the house to walk along the lake or run off to work.

Of course, she's created such a cozy home that she often doesn't want to leave it. Jerry spends many evenings on her tiny balcony-luckily it has just enough room for a chaise and a few plants-watching the sunset over nearby Lake Pontchartrain. "It's such a romantic apartment at night," she says. "The reflection of lights over the marina in the water is just beautiful." *