Tour a Wallpaper Entrepreneur's Creative Home

Elizabeth Rees isn’t an interior designer, but as the cofounder of the wallpaper company Chasing Paper, she has learned a lot about decorating. So when she and her husband, Brian Leadley, bought a 1927 Tudor home in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, Elizabeth couldn’t wait to renovate it.

A total redo allowed the couple to add color and pattern in big ways, like navy kitchen cabinets and a teal tile surround for the fireplace in the living room. “I know I like cool tones, so I started with blues and grays, then layered on other colors with paint, fabric and, of course, wallpaper,” she says. She had so much fun with the creative process, she jokes with Brian that they should do it all over again. “He’s like, ‘Oh no!’”

Elizabeth and Brian were immediately drawn to the home’s charming Tudor details, including original leaded windows, green-gray trim and stone accents. “My personal aesthetic is traditional with quirks that make things interesting, and that’s a Tudor for sure,” Elizabeth says.

Neutral pieces like a cream sofa and a black Rejuvenation coffee table let the bold fireplace shine. (The teal tiles are from Zia Tile.) Playing off that focale point, Elizabeth sprinkled the room with blue pillows from Furbish Studio and Jayson Home.

The couple built an addition, starting at the arches, to create this kitchen. Choosing a cabinet color was tricky: Elizabeth wanted something bold that would stand the test of time. “Navy will still look great in 10 years,” she says. And the wood stools from Anthropologie and red oak herringbone floor really pop against the dark hue.

Built-in cabinets and leaded windows make this the most traditional room in the house. For contrast, Elizabeth brought in contemporary furniture and fixtures, including a mod table from Crate & Barrel, orange velvet chairs from CB2 and a globe chandelier from West Elm.

A powder room is a great spot for wallpaper because you don’t need much to make a big impact. “I liked how this pattern of hand-drawn circles felt ’70s yet new,” Elizabeth says. She paired it with simple fixtures, including a light from CB2 and a matte black faucet from Kohler.

Elizabeth travels a lot for work and was inspired to create a primary suite that felt like a fancy hotel room. She kept the furniture minimal — just a blue velvet West Elm bed, CB2 nightstands and a Knoll chair. “I wanted zero clutter in this room, so I didn’t even put in a dresser,” she says. “When I walk in and close the door, I feel truly relaxed.”

“I had been wanting to use this print since we launched it,” says Elizabeth of the wallpaper (her company’s modern take on toile featuring trees). “It turned out to totally suit Marlow — she loves to be outside!” The board-and-batten was already here, but Elizabeth painted it green (Oakmoss by Sherwin-Williams) to play off the paper. "Board-and-batten is so in right now, and it works perfectly with wallpaper on top."