This Home Has Wallpaper Used in a Way You’ve Never Seen Before

This Home Has Wallpaper Used in a Way You’ve Never Seen Before

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Name: Shea Keating, husband Rich Lamiroult, and two girls: Billie Ever and Seeda Honey, along with Charlie the rescue pup and Georgie a rescue cat
Location: Sag Harbor, New York
Size: Just under 2000 square feet
Type of Home: It’s a weird modern ranch — I’ve dubbed it the funky Ranch
Years lived in: 4 years, owned

We were lucky enough to be able to build our house on a subdivided lot and right next to my family’s house. My dad, who is no longer with us, used to say we would have a compound — his dream is now a reality. For budget sake (and timing — I was pregnant with our first child during the process) we chose a modular option. The timing really wasn’t that expedited unfortunately; we moved in when our first daughter Billie was almost a year and a half!

One of the main requirements for us was an open floor plan and a kitchen/dining area that would house my grandmother’s 11-foot dairy farm table from the 1950s. It’s an heirloom for our whole extended family and we all feel very lucky to keep making memories around it while remembering all the old ones. The modular option let us do just that: we opened a wall between the living room and kitchen area and the table fits perfectly.

Sag Harbor is where I grew up from the age of 12 and it’s just a really beautiful spot. We do a lot of dancing in our house — my husband is a musician and our two girls love to sing and groove; we have a weekly Friday night dance party. And we even installed a working disco ball and lights to make it shine in the corridor — because why not?! The house is just fun, open and colorful — but it’s also warm and homey. All the things in it either have meaning for us and our history, or are just really cool design wise — it’s very eclectic and I’m constantly adding or tweaking the decor.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: Eclectic, Colorful, Fun, Mismatched

Inspiration: I find inspiration in a lot of places, but a lot of it just comes from things I’ve always liked from childhood on — those things haven’t really changed: Color, pattern, lips, glitter, hearts, art, the “Wizard of Oz” (you know Dorothy was a redhead right?)

Favorite Element: So hard to say; I really love something about almost every room, but the living area/kitchen is the place we spend the most time — and its just so conducive for living and cheerful.

The other spot is the girls room, all anchored around a vintage Pendleton blanket I bought on our honeymoon. The room started as cutouts of pictures on my house plans — and then got brought to life when we finally moved in — and it just evolved from there. The glitter wall is beyond magic and it really can’t be captured in photos no matter how hard I try! It’s such a special space and I hope my girls remember it as a sanctuary and the place they could be anything as they get older.

Biggest Challenge: BUDGET. I have expensive taste and was eyeing so many big ticket items to fill this house I couldn’t wait for. I was very particular and did not compromise for certain things such as the Anthropologie chesterfield  couch, but the ABC Home overdyed rug… well that I probably will never be able to have, and that’s okay — I’ve worked around it. Some stuff is vintage, some stuff is hand-me-downs, but for me it’s all how it comes together and the pairing.

Proudest DIY: Hmmm, well up until recently I would have said my custom “too shea” lip wallpaper that I purchased and installed from Spoonflower. But recently I was inspired by a wallpaper that I’d been loving but the scale was just off for the space I was thinking (our cathedral ceiling living room wall that houses a “Let’s Stay Home” Sign, which funny enough I purchased PRE PANDEMIC less than three months before!) So instead of settling for the wrong scale, I took to the wall with paint and did a hand painted mural in the same color way and feel (it’s all brushstrokes). I’m really pleased with how it came out and it all came together very quickly — probably a total of three and a half hours for all layers.

Biggest Indulgence: Probably the couch. It’s the chesterfield sofa from Anthropologie in an beautiful orange-y red. I HAD TO HAVE IT. It paired with the console unit behind it were probably the two items I was set on as they separated the foyer from the living area. 100% worth every penny — I love that thing every time I see it.  Other than that, the three chandeliers that hang over my heirloom farm table were a splurge but again so worth it. Lighting is important — if I had my way the [recessed lighting] would never go on!

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? Hmm, well the lit spinning disco ball and “dance floor” is probably a bit unique, although disco balls are popping up in home decor all the time now and man that just makes me so happy. Our newest addition is the Preway vintage fireplace. I’ve always known the space in that corner would have a gas stove but it took us this long to get it in place, so the main living room has always had swivel chairs opposite the couch with the design that the space could be used for viewing the TV, checking out the backyard through the 8-foot sliding doors, socializing with people in the kitchen, or swiveling to see the crackling fire in the cozy corner.

What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? I am a rug fanatic — I mean I would just keep buying and layering them. I got a beautiful runner from Etsy for my kitchen that tied the blue walls and magenta chairs together perfectly. But rugs don’t have to be expensive (I say to remind myself I can live without that ABC home overdyed beauty from 2016). I have found some of my favorites on websites like Overstock or Wayfair. Rugs are a great way to add color that can be changed. I have seasonal rugs — like one that comes out for winter and the other for spring in the space between the kitchen and living room where my kids Lucite table and chairs are set up — they can help divide a space and change the feel in an instant.

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: Everything does have its place. My best piece of advice would be for kids toys — invest in clear containers and a cabinet that can hide them! We also have the clear containers for our pantry, although that takes daily clean up to keep it tidy with tiny hands in and out all day.

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? FIND STUFF YOU LOVE AND SURROUND YOURSELF WITH IT — your home should be the most uplifting, relaxing space — it’s where you can be authentically you 100% of the time. To do that I think we all need to let ourselves show more.

This house tour’s responses were edited for length and clarity.

This Artist’s Colorful London Home Features Wild Wallpaper Patterns

This Artist’s Colorful London Home Features Wild Wallpaper Patterns

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Name: Claire Swindale
Location: Blackheath — Southeast London
Size: 1,500 square feet
Years lived in: 18 years, owned

Wallpaper and fabric pattern designer and artist Claire Swindale first shared her wildly wonderful and wallpapered home in her Apartment Therapy house tour a few years ago. The pink Vivienne Westwood patterned wallpaper that covered her living room walls in her first tour is still there today, but many of the other rooms in the home have been updated, this time with her own wallpaper designs.

A fun room transformation that’s happened over the last few years is in the main bedroom, which actually features walls WITHOUT wallpaper.

Favorite Element: Discovering the walls, which were under the old wallpaper. Then realizing that the headboard I’d found and intended to upcycle, was just perfect the way it was, with MY walls.

Biggest Indulgence: I spent the most money on my bed linen. A new duvet, in two clip-able layers, and Egyptian Cotton Sheets, definitely worth the treat. We spend far too much time in bed, so it should be a welcoming place and a reward for a hard day’s work/fun.

What most people get wrong about using color in their home: By not following their OWN taste, copying from Instagram and Pinterest too literally. Love a style, use your OWN objects and your own take on it. It’s YOUR home.

What are the biggest tricks/secrets to using color in decor? I think having a link between them all, something(s) to ground them all.

What’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice?  Be confident — even adventurous. Go for it, aim higher than your vision, treat yourself. It’s your haven, statement, and your story.

Room updates weren’t the only thing Claire got up to during quarantine… she is also self-publishing her first book, “Not Afraid of Colour” that features drawings, patterns, doodles and more that she completed during lockdown.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.

Adrienne Breaux

House Tour Editor

Adrienne loves architecture, design, cats, science fiction and watching Star Trek. In the past 10 years she’s called home: a van, a former downtown store in small town Texas and a studio apartment rumored to have once been owned by Willie Nelson.

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This NYC Brownstone Is Bold Thanks to Renter-Friendly Removable Wallpaper

This NYC Brownstone Is Bold Thanks to Renter-Friendly Removable Wallpaper

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Name: Tiffany Miller-Baker, husband, son, three dogs, and a cat (moved to NY recently)
Location: Upper West Side — New York, New York
Type of home: Brownstone apartment
Size: 1,000 square feet
Years lived in: 1 year, renting

Tell us a little (or a lot) about your home and the people who live there: The pre-war brownstone apartment sits in the heart of the Upper West Side. Being a small rental, I found ways to create a vibrant and functional space without disrupting the existing materials we aren’t able to change. I love to play with pattern mixing and bold colors.

I’m originally from Kansas, but prefer to be considered a New Yorker! Two years ago I picked up the family, three dogs, and cat and followed my dream to be a New York interior designer. It has a nice ring to it! My son is getting ready for his senior year in high school. My husband is a real estate agent by day and stand up comedian by night. It’s always a fun time in our household!

My identity is reflected in my home by using fun colors and a bit of a mid-century vibe. We love art, so I often switch out pieces for fun. I have a rather large art stash hidden! Moving to New York I found my style changed a bit to mix the architecture of the buildings with my interior choices. I LOVE it.

What is your favorite room and why? My favorite room is our living room. It’s such a grand space for how tiny the apartment is. The ceilings are very high, and the fireplace is a gorgeous focal point for the fam to gather and chat about our day, or listen to my hubby practice his latest stand up routine. It’s the heart of our home. The animals, aka our zoo, would agree too!

What’s the last thing you bought (or found!) for your home? I love Joybird! I chose my sofa and lounge chairs from here. I’m obsessed with removable wallcovering, which is perfect for a rental. All of our wallcovering comes from Chasing Paper.

Any advice for creating a home you love? Start your home by taking inspiration from your favorite things. It’s always great to surround yourself with pieces that make you happy and inspire you to create the life you want to live. Always strive to elevate your life and your space.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.