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.