When designer Caroline Gidiere renovated three often-used spaces in the home of an entertaining maven and grandmother of 14 young children, she knew beauty had to remain front and center and yet share the stage with practicality and comfort. Beauty and Balance Gidiere’s client keeps a busy social calendar that includes large fundraisers at her Mountain Brook home in Alabama. All the while, her grandchildren, who are no older than 11, stop in regularly after school. So the great room’s makeover had a balancing act to perform. Perform it does, thanks to special fabrics and textile sealants throughout the room. Gidiere aimed for a neutral and sophisticated feeling here, beginning with a delightful pair of persimmon-and-white chinoiserie vase lamps. She then layered on patterns, textures, and colors. Sage green provides just the right complementary touch. In the Heart of the Beholder Gidiere is a Southern belle who spent summers in …