Star Power
LAYERS OF PATTERN AND CHARM GIVE THIS OLD RANCH NEW ZING
WRITTEN BY KATHRYN O’SHEA-EVANS / PHOTOGRAPHY BY MADELINE TOLLE
A woven, natural-fiber rug instantly brings this living room’s louder patterns and colors down to earth. This scalloped headboard provides a theatrical touch in the primary bedroom. Fringed pool umbrellas say “vacation” at a glance. Pool days at home get a resort feel when every chaise has an awaiting towel.
Some houses feel destined for reinvention, not a teardown, and this ranch is a prime example: “The home provided a rare opportunity to revive the untouched space,” says its designer, Jaqui Seerman. “We fully reimagined the exterior and interior to accommodate the new growing family’s lifestyle.”
The result is a residence that lives joyfully, honoring its lineage while unabashedly embracing color and whimsy. Nothing feels precious or static; instead, the house is meant to be lived in fully. “It was always our intention to maintain the original charm of this beautiful residence while updating it to perform for a growing family,” says Seerman. Classic touchpoints serve
as counterpoints to the home’s exuberant palette, grounding it in timelessness. “Meticulous attention to detail contributed to the overall design, including American walnut flooring, terrazzo and Heath ceramic tiles in the bathrooms, and Forbes & Lomax switches to elevate the aesthetic and deepen the bespoke nature of the home,” says Seerman.
Speaking of exuberant: they found a globe-trotting muse for the color palette in British designer Kit Kemp’s famously riotous style. Here, nothing “vanilla” would ever do. “Fortunately, our clients’ early exposure to Kit Kemp’s work through the Firmdale Hotels sparked an affinity for color-drenched spaces filled with pattern and shape, which made the project a dream to curate,” says Seerman. The homeowner’s color openness unlocked the project’s most expressive moves, allowing Seerman and team “to create an environment that feels both current and midcentury, blending the home’s original architecture with 1930s furniture, color- and pattern-clad spaces, and artisanal new profiles paired with playfully contemporary art.”
The home’s joyful motifs have a narrative thread, ranging from the lush mural in the dining space to the faux bois (false wood) walls in a study. “We strive to always keep design lighthearted,” says Seerman. “Our goal is to create enduring spaces that evolve into our clients’ cherished legacies. Blending fine art with found pieces creates a collected aesthetic that feels truly unique to the homeowner and results in homes that feel alive with our clients’ individual preferences.”
Patterns help reinforce that sense of joviality and add a lot of movement that encourages the eye to wander. “When designing a space, I imagine it as a storyteller, with subtle through lines that create continuity from room to room,” says Seerman. While she’s careful not to mirror elements too closely, she believes in an echo to unite them as you wander from room to room.
“I avoid repeating the same patterns or colors in adjacent spaces, but gentle callbacks to a material, motif, or shape as you move throughout the home help build a thoughtful and cohesive design narrative.” (One such callback you’ll see again and again here: scallops, always a happy-feeling touch). The aforementioned faux bois is Seerman’s favorite: “It creates a subtle nod to the midcentury wood paneling once common in studies. Paired with the plush Cassina sofa and vibrant Moroccan rug, the room tells a period-specific story with a modern twist.”
Another room Seerman is particularly proud of is a daughter’s blush-pink bedroom, an ideal place to dream big dreams. “With its architectural trundle bed and Josef Frank curtains, this holds a special place in my heart,” says Seerman. A home, after all, is a backdrop for its owners’ future memories—and theirs is primed for great ones.
A deep burgundy and aubergine color palette give this space a feeling of departure, while intricate patterns and soft, plush fabrics provide cushy comfort. Swedish wallcovering firm Sandberg’s Raphael pattern supplies the hush of the forest to this bathroom, while the marble vanity and brass details provide needed glamour.
