“There’s a lot of creativity in limitations. Sometimes you get stumped when you have every
option open to you.”
Judging by the way the kids make themselves comfortable in every corner of the house, Hannah says Coleman’s function-first strategy paid off. That includes the smaller in-between spaces, like the TV room and hallway dressed up in red trim and blue-and-white–striped wallpaper—both of which feature teen-approved, loungy nooks. “People think color and pattern make a room feel smaller, but it does the opposite,” shares Coleman, who successfully translated the family’s big personalities into the 3,000-square-foot home. “It feels full of life,” notes Hannah. “Sometimes you just need someone to tell you it’s okay to have fun with your house.”
Enid, also sharing an affection for the warm shade, requested a yellow bed for her room. And that canopy? It’s part nostalgic, reminding the teen of when she and youngest brother Tom built forts together as little kids. Coleman ran with the reference, envisioning a take on The Parent Trap (original 1961 version!) with periwinkle walls, country checks, oversize lamps, and understated florals.
Down the hall, Silas enlisted help from Hannah to transform the bedroom he shares with Tom. Channeling ’60s rock, they dug up a vintage deadstock Damascus-print wallpaper and anchored it with aubergine wainscoting. “The purple feels like a mixture of royalty and punk,” says Silas, who plays guitar in a band. The wood and tufted bouclé twin beds from Crate & Kids (aptly named Maverick, as a nod to West Coast surf culture) are layered with Schoolhouse quilts and vintage Ralph Lauren Polo bear sheets. (The latter was inspired as Silas was researching bedrooms of famous musicians, including his favorite, Mac DeMarco.) A modern secretaire desk pulls double duty as a spot to store his vinyl collection and do homework.
The room, a hub for the family, was also the single spot in the house that underwent a light—albeit spontaneous—renovation. Tired of an awkward office located off the side of the kitchen, Hannah asked their contractor (who was at the home for entirely different reasons) to take a sledgehammer to the wall—and was instantly pleased with the outcome. It opened up enough space for Coleman to install a cozy, custom built-in banquette. Because the room receives plenty of natural light, the designer chose a subdued jade green for the woodwork on the walls. But that didn’t stop her from adding more sunshiny touches in the form of yellow-, pink-, and green-striped Ottoline fabric for the seat cushions, butter-hued café chairs from Anthropologie, and framed vintage citrus prints along
the wall.
Above, from left: Lancaster Wallpaper and Camden Check Fabric, Schumacher; Architecture Bed Frame, Room & Board; Vintage Flush Mount and Blanket; Closet Stripe Wallpaper, Farrow & Ball; Seagrass Rug, Etsy.
Lamp and Rug, Etsy.
Above, from left: Bordéaux Red Paint, Benjamin Moore; Deadstock Wallpaper, Vintage Wallpapers; Mavericks Light Wood Kids Bed with Cushioned Headboard, Crate & Kids; Componibili Round Modular Stacking Units, Kartell; Teig Lamp, Circle Pillow, Channeled Cotton Quilt, and Eleanor Pritchard Dovetail Throw, Schoolhouse; Murphy Wood Secretary Dresser Desk with Hutch and Backseat Wood Desk Chair with Metal Legs, Crate & Kids.
“There’s a lot of creativity
in limitations. Sometimes you get stumped when you have every option open to you.”
—Meta Coleman