Tour a Colorful Seattle Home With Playful Style

Jessica Cantlin’s house isn’t for everyone — and she’s OK with that. “People are definitely surprised when they walk inside,” says the landscape photographer of her whimsical, colorful aesthetic. “I like to have as much going on as possible.” When she and her husband, Alan, bought this 3,500-square-foot Craftsman a decade ago, it was “100 shades of beige,” Jessica says. The couple chipped away at projects but recently embarked on a major revamp with help from interior designer Leah Steen. They worked together to infuse the house with vivid colors and cheeky patterns, and to create a daring mix of modern pieces and thrifted treasures. The result is a look that makes everyone in the family happy. “We get such a kick out of living here,” Jessica says.

“This is pretty much the only white you’ll see at our house,” says Jessica of the wood plank siding, painted Simply White by Benjamin Moore. She and Alan kept the original windows to preserve the history of the home; it’s in Seattle’s oldest neighborhood.

When the family moved in, Jessica painted the walls Great Falls by Sherwin-Williams, then recently decided to paint the trim and ceiling, too. “It completes the moody vibe,” she says. She scored the sofa and chairs on Craigslist and had them reupholstered in wool. The vintage coffee table is from Chairish, and the cockatoo photograph is by Leila Jeffreys.

Tiger wallpaper from Krane Home is a nod to the mascot for Princeton, Alan’s alma mater. Because the print is busy, Jessica kept the furniture simple: She added a wood farm table and rattan chairs from Chairish that she spray-painted white. The rug is from Revival.