Influenced by her American-German upbringing, Meta Coleman's Utah house is a perfect meeting of two design worlds. There is a broadly Scandinavian sensibility here, with fabrics from Cathy Nordstrom, Josef Frank and Beata Heuman, as well as Gustavian and Tyrolean antiques, but there's also something distinctly American here as well. It's ripe with ideas to pick and bunch together in our own houses too. There are colour combinations to copy and fabric pairings to take inspiration from. Luckily for us, Meta Coleman has prised open her sourcebook and shared the tips, tricks and traders that made this special house.
The study
The study is populated with colour, pattern, and rows of books, resulting in a boldly maximalist but not overly busy room. The calming blue of the walls and cupboards is picked out elsewhere in the space by decorative elements such as the checked cushion, Delft tiles arranged around the doorway and above it, the curtain with vintage trim. The eclectic artworks hanging include a plate by Gavin Houghton, and a still life by Caroline Roux Beauzon. Meta says of the room, 'my study is actually inspired by the design of my grandfather's in Germany. There is a lot of his essence in my home. The colour palette - the reds, blues, greens and yellows - in this house are all a by-product of the European side of my upbringing.'
.png)
The sitting room
Connections to Meta's family also abound in the sitting room, where the walls are painted in a custom yellow that is inspired by Meta's mother's house. This is the backdrop to a collection of paintings by Raymond Ching (above the mantelpiece), Bruno Liliefors (left) and Mosse Stoopendaal, along with framed flower petal plaster casts by Jess Wheeler. A collection of printed soft furnishings convene in the centre of the room, including an armchair in Lee Jofa's ‘Althea’ citron linen, a sofa in Josef Frank's 'Anakreon' black linen, and cushions in Estrid Ericson's 'Elefant' storm blue linen which sit on a wooden armchair, inherited from Meta's grandmother.
The kitchen
Meta's kitchen is light and airy, aided by the large bay windows, but also by the decoration choices she has made. The walls and kitchen island are all tiled, creating an understated repeating pattern across the room, with a tactility that wallpaper wouldn't provide. Wooden furniture, flooring and cupboards add warmth. Set back shelving in the island provides a tidy home for Meta's collection of cookbooks. The Josef Frank wallpaper seen in the hall, through the doorway, contrasts with the bright kitchen.
The bathrooms
In the primary bathroom (left), the tile pattern was copied from the Musée Nissim de Camondo in Paris, and the wallpaper above is from Edward Bawden. The large Biedemeier-style basin unit takes centre stage. In a mix and match fashion as seen elsewhere throughout the home, the wall tiles of the children's bathroom (right) clash harmoniously with the other patterns of the floor tiles, rugs, and the print of the basin skirt. Spherical wall and ceiling lights add a modern touch, and a quirky frog stool, a flea market find, crouches beside the bath.
The bedroom
Above the bed in the main bedroom, a gallery wall of paintings of birds pulls focus, with works by artists including Mosse Stoopendaal, Alex Warnick, Meta's husband Nicholas and his father Michael. The placement of grey and white stripes around the middle of the wall creates a soft transition between the two colours used on the walls and the ceiling, while paradoxically providing a graphic backdrop to the paintings. The soft blue of the curtains is echoed by the Rugvista rug and Beata Heuman cushions, while bold and colourful Josef Frank prints make another appearance, this time on a bolster cushion and sofa.
