“This living room really happened to us, which is definitely my style of interior design,” says Beth Taylor. After she and her husband, Matt Weyand, searched long and hard to find the perfect sofa, “All of the other pieces had to fit around the big yellow couch.”
Taylor, 38, and her husband have a 2½-year-old son, Moss, and a baby girl on the way. Living in Portland’s Libbytown neighborhood along with their dog Whiskey, Taylor says, “We spend a lot of time playing and relaxing in this room. I love how this space functions for our entire family.”
“We spend a lot of time playing and relaxing in this room. I love how this space functions for our entire family.”
The big couch sits in front of large windows, which offer a great source of natural light. Shelving units bookend the couch and an IKEA recliner sits off to one side. An area rug with geometric designs covers the wood flooring and ties the room together. Taylor says, “I absolutely love the rug. We spend so much time rolling around and playing on it, building towers and car ramps.”
The room has come together with goods found at yard sales, IKEA, Hub Furniture and artwork from Picnic Craft Fair. Taylor mixes modern with functional and, as a graphic designer, is not afraid of color. Aside from the rug, she holds an Angela Warren painting dear to her heart: “I have a love for all bodies of water, and this painting just invites me in.” Other artwork has been curated over the years, either from artists with whom she has worked or from craft fairs or studio visits.
In a nearby room, Taylor runs her business, Longstocking Design. She has in-home care for her son two days a week and cherishes being so close by while tending to her work. She says, “I love that I get to listen to laughter as I work, and that I’m tuned into his day despite working full-time. I value my work and career, and am truly passionate about it, but I never wanted to have children and be apart from them all week. This is the dream setup.”
Emma Bouthillette authored “A Brief History of Biddeford,” about her hometown. She is a yoga instructor and a corgi mom. (emmabouthillette.com)
