Tour a Cheeky and Colorful Victorian Home

What do you get when you take a historic East Coast home and fill it with exhilarating color, pattern and a little cheekiness? “George Washington meets George Michael,” says Eva Amurri, whose partly traditional, partly eccentric style radiates all over her place in Westport, Connecticut. After buying the 1840s Victorian, the lifestyle blogger spent almost a year bringing it up to date for herself and her three young kids. To-dos included smoothing the heavily textured walls for a current look, refinishing the wood floors and replacing boards where needed (some were almost 200 years old!), and opening up the kitchen to the living room for a more casual space. Eva worked with designer Prudence Bailey to merge the spirit of the old home with her family’s energy. Says Eva, “The look is a nod to the past, a nod to what the house has been, and an air-kiss to the future.”

Eva dared to do a white sofa, by Taylor Burke Home, as a base for the room’s pops of color. “It’s performance velvet that doesn’t stain — and my kids have tried,” she says. Small-but-mighty detail: The lilac trim of the citron swivel chair (also by Taylor Burke Home) matches the drapes (made with fabric by Schumacher). Sheepskin benches bring texture and glam.

The contrast of the blue-black island (painted Soot by Benjamin Moore) and the marble countertop gives the room that wow feeling in a timeless sort of way. “Our island is the heart of our home — it draws us to it like a magnet!” says Eva. “Rattan stools, by Palecek, and elongated hexagon tiles installed vertically bring in modern flair,” says designer Prudence. The pendants are by The Urban Electric Co.

Bright blue green, and pink pop against all the white. Shade fabric by Flat Vernacular features all three.