Tour a Lively Santa Fe Haven Filled With Pattern and Spunk

When your job takes place in an emergency room, it helps to come home to a space brimming with comfort and joy. That’s exactly what physician Christina Price and husband Connor Browne have created in the 1950s Santa Fe, New Mexico, home they share with their four daughters and son, when he’s home from college. “I wanted a super-comfortable house with an upbeat spirit,” says Christina. Their home is a lively place for family and friends to gather.

Although she and Connor adored the home’s rambling layout, ample light and abundant outdoor space, there was just a sliver of a galley kitchen. “Everything was painted drab yellow,” says Christina, and the couple’s furniture — which included pieces from Connor’s bachelor pad — needed updating. They added a new kitchen, a playroom and a laundry room, and worked with designer Cara Scarola to make things bright and cozy. Translation: exuberant fabrics and wallpaper, shaggy rugs and just enough pink accents for a family with four girls. “There is so much life in this house,” says Christina. “It’s bold, and that’s how we live. We don’t dwell on things.” Oh, and there are zero sharp edges in sight: “I definitely don’t need to do stitches at home!”

It’s where most family meals happen, and a 10-foot-long Caesarstone quartz island is the perfect setup for a Sunday night top-your-own- spaghetti bar. Rough-hewn fir on the the island's base, along with on the shelves and the range hood, infuses the space with warmth. The dashes of blue in the Urban Electric Co. pendants and vintage rug have Southwestern flair. “Turquoise blue is associated with jewelry iconic to Santa Fe,” says designer Cara. In the back, a border of tile neatens up a magnetic aluminum board packed with photos.

Flashes of pink and a wide-striped rug perk up the dining spot. Heart art showered in natural light spreads the love.

A mix of patterns and finishes — in the gold wallpaper by Hygge & West and Arteriors side table, pinstripe Room & Board sofa and floral fabric by Andrew Martin on the ottoman — have style and spark. The shag rug by DwellStudio is fluffy underfoot but was also chosen, says Christina, “to hide the fact that we have kids. There’s probably a lost tooth hiding in there!”

“The whole room started with the fuchsia sectional I owned — the color is just so joyful,” says Christina. (It’s where Ella’s been curling up with a favorite read that hits close to home, Little Women.) Cara brought in wallpaper from Anthropologie and a pink-and-white table set from Serena & Lily, right-sized for tea parties. The fun rug is from Unique Loom.

She’s known for her flair for the dramatic and love of theater and dance. Ta-da! A room that could be a stage backdrop, with flamboyant brambly House of Hackney wallpaper and a dusky velvet bed from Anthropologie. Some nights, the three oldest girls have piled in here, says Christina, “and all I’d see is a tangle of arms and legs.”

For her outspoken daughters, Christina wanted a strong look. That led to the penny tile heart design, spiky gold chandelier from Arteriors and edgy diamond-pattern tile from Original Mission Tile. A built-in storage cabinet was a must. It’s not always this organized, says Christina, “but I can at least close the lower part.”

Obviously, Christina has a thing for flowery wallpaper, and she chose an Ellie Cashman design with the biggest blooms of the bunch for her hideaway. As in other rooms, black-and-white elements offer balance. The calm is enhanced by soft pieces, like a custom embossed velvet bed and a bench with fabric from Romo.