Take a Look Inside This Lauraville Victorian Filled with Bold and Vibrant Colors

Scavenger Hunt: It’s hard for me to come up with one word or phrase to describe our home’s style. Maybe Scavenger’s Delight? I asked our son —ages 9 and 12—and they said: unique, vintage, colorful, fun, quirky, and “skibidi.”

Gem of a Neighborhood: Our house is a multi-family-zoned Victorian built in 1915 and is located in the northernmost part of our beloved Lauraville neighborhood. Until we moved in, the house had been stewarded by generations of the same family. We reconfigured the layout so that it functions as a single-family home. We removed an ancient upstairs kitchen and built a staircase to connect what were originally two self-contained apartments.

Rainbow Bright: When I was in my early twenties, I visited the Museo Robert Brady in Cuernavaca in Morelos, Mexico. I was in awe of the bold, vibrant, anything-goes spirit of Brady’s home, and I remember thinking—I want my house to feel like this. So, when we began the process of making our house into a home, I decided that I would simply grab whatever I felt attracted to—regardless of style, color, or era. Somehow, it all works together.

Artist-in-Residence: Our first floor is very open (we knocked down a bunch of walls), so we all kind of float around in that space, which includes our living room, dining room, family room, and kitchen. We spend a lot of time making art and doing sewing and craft projects at the dining room table. It has a glass top, so it’s very easy to clean up, a good thing because there are always paint and permanent marker-based activities happening around here. We also love to cuddle up on our giant couch for movie nights and game nights.

To Market, To Market: I am a big scavenger. I love sourcing things from Buy Nothing groups, estate sales, eBay, Savers, and I even grab stuff from the side of the road. But out of everything, flea markets are my favorite. I’ve organized a few huge community flea markets at “The Lot,” our wonderful community gathering space.

The Kids are Alright: I want the kids to feel like they can have input about the entirety of the house, not just their rooms. So, if they want to grab a piece of furniture from a room and put it somewhere else, or if they want to move their room from one place to another—it’s a big rambling old house, so there are options—I want them to feel empowered to do that. They both have very strong personal aesthetics, and they go to a democratic school (Arts & Ideas Sudbury School), so they are very comfortable calling the shots.