“My clients have big personalities and we wanted to bring that in with the furniture and decor,” designer Susie Novak tells us. “They love music, they love color, they love to hang, and they’re super funny. They wanted the house to feel like them.” 

Though the modern farmhouse-style San Jose home was in great condition, there were a lot of white walls Susie says was a bit of an echo chamber. “We needed to bring in lots of cozy elements, textures, colors, and make it super livable and family friendly,” she says. “Color and their love for music were ever-present elements to incorporate.”

The entry sets the tone for the entire home with a large-scale mural wallpaper, bright yellow chairs, a fluffy pink rug, and a bar. In the living room, a curved sofa was the client’s top request, and this was key to make the space feel cozy. “It adds such a great contrast to all the lines in the house,” Susie shares. 

For the primary bedroom, they made another statement with a green bed and black and green bedding. “We didn’t compromise on texture either; we really brought in the layers,” she recalls. “I remember sending the wallpaper over for the bedroom ceiling and the clientt just said, ‘Seems like a no brainer right?’ And it was this graffiti like Pierre Frey wallpaper with all these bright colors.” The sitting area has sculptural chairs from Moss Studio, and they repurposed the client’s existing bed and nightstands. “I think it’s great to keep pieces the client already has and loves and bring in more layers to bring the rooms to life.”

The designer says the end result is more of a vibe than a singular style, which is the coolest way to describe it. Take a closer look in the slideshow.