“My novels at all times appear to include a self-fulfilling prophecy,” says J. Courtney Sullivan. “I write one thing, after which it occurs in my life.” In her newest ebook, The Cliffs, a lady named Jane strikes again to her hometown and winds up in a Victorian home. Then, Courtney additionally moved again to her hometown and landed in an outdated Victorian — alongside along with her husband, two children, and 13-year-old canine. Come have a look round…
LIBRARY
Chairs: Inside Outline. Espresso tables: Pottery Barn. Lamp: Goal. Curtains: customized by way of Noelani Zervas Interiors with cloth by Fabricut. Rug: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, comparable.
“Many individuals I do know had an sudden life occasion within the early days of Covid — a reevaluation of some sort. A divorce, a brand new profession, a child, a canine they weren’t planning on getting. For me, it was heading again to my hometown of Milton, Massachusetts, one thing I by no means thought I might do in 1,000,000 years. I find it irresistible, however I generally think about my 14-year-old goth self, who wrote quick tales concerning the soullessness of suburbia, discovering out that we reside right here. She can be appalled.”
Couch: Room & Board “Hutton”, comparable.Espresso tables: Pottery Barn. Lamp: Goal. Curtains: customized by way of Noelani Zervas Interiors with cloth by Fabricut. Rug: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, comparable.
“We moved into our home in July 2021. We didn’t have a lot furnishings, and with all the provision chain points on the time, it felt not possible to discover a new sofa that will arrive within a 12 months. So, I went to Room & Board and requested if there have been any couches obtainable instantly. There was precisely one: yellow and velvet. I purchased it and determined to construct the room round it. The navy partitions got here subsequent.”
Portray: Leo Dunn.
“A couple of months after I purchased this portrait of a sea captain, my finest pal and I walked into a large artwork gallery in Maine. There have been tons of of work on the partitions, and he or she pointed at one and mentioned, ‘I like that!’ It was a Leo Dunn portrait of Captain Cogswell! She’d by no means seen mine, however now we every have our personal.”
DINING ROOM
Mild fixture: Shades of Mild. Desk: Duvall & Co. Chairs: Design Inside Attain. Wallpaper: William Morris.”
“Whereas residing in Brooklyn, we had our second child, and our eating room grew to become our son’s bed room. I didn’t wish to half with the desk, so I discovered a desk tent that turned it into firetruck. With pillows and fairy lights and books, it was the right hideaway. Now the eating desk is again to being a eating desk. My daughter and her associates do numerous crafts, so there’s glitter in each crevice.”
Wallpaper: William Morris. Mirror: body from an vintage retailer, mirror inserted later.
“For my fortieth birthday, my two finest associates every gave me a beautiful ornamental bowl as a present. I keep in mind pondering, Wow, so we’ve reached the ornamental bowl years. In a cheerful means — I like an ornamental bowl.”
LIVING ROOM
Sectional: Inside Outline. Rug: Classic, comparable. Espresso desk: West Elm, comparable. Facet desk: “Thrifted at a MCM retailer in Brooklyn a decade in the past,” comparable. Wall colour: Tallow by Farrow & Ball, Tallow. Curtains: customized by way of Noelani Zervas Interiors.
“The day after we moved in, a part of the second-floor ceiling caved in from a mysterious leak. The home nonetheless has its authentic picket gutters. The partitions are stuffed with horsehair plaster. That is the primary residence my husband and I’ve owned, so it’s a studying curve.”
“Lots of the ladies in my mother’s household have passed by their center names. My first title is Julie, however nobody has ever referred to as me that. It would appear to be I’m attempting for this literary affectation with ‘J. Courtney Sullivan,’ however if you happen to checked out my kindergarten attendance sheet, it mentioned that, too.”
KITCHEN
“After 20 years in small residences, we had been joyful to maneuver into an enormous home. Funnily sufficient, although, when all 5 of us are residence, we’re virtually at all times in the identical room. When now we have a celebration, everybody congregates within the tiny kitchen till I urge them to go elsewhere.”
Throw rug: Sprint & Albert.
“If there are greater than three kids at residence, somebody is shimmying by the little window within the kitchen. It’s the legislation.”
“There are such a lot of pretty historic particulars, like a Harry Potter closet below the steps and this butler’s pantry, which we use for storing children’ artwork provides.”
OFFICE
Desk: Theodore Alexander. Wall colour: Dix Blue by Farrow & Ball. Desk chair: classic Steelcase, comparable. Globe Lamp: Classic Dansk from Ramble Market. Rug. GreenRow.
“The centerpiece of my workplace is the desk my husband gave me 15 years in the past, once I give up my day job and began writing full-time. On my desk, I’ve {a photograph} of me and my childhood pal Noreen making a snowman in a blizzard. The picture is a day by day reminder of what drives us to create.”
“When Kevin and I had been first courting, we bonded over a mutual love of the artist Leanne Shapton. Leanne and I labored collectively on the time, so I requested if she had any work she is likely to be keen to half with. She ripped two pages proper out of her sketchbook — a watercolor of brownstones — which I framed for Kevin as a Christmas present. Then, once I turned 35, Kevin commissioned the artist Samantha Hahn to create a customized Child-Sitters Membership cowl, based mostly off a photograph of me and my childhood associates.”
LANDING
“At one time, a lady named Clara should have lived on this home as a result of she carved her title into the picket doorways. It’s at all times thrilling and a bit spooky to find a brand new one.”
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Yellow quilt: The Firm Retailer. Wooden bench: comparable.
“With children, it’s a lifetime of extremes. My husband and I are both on this very quiet, pretty home working from residence, or the youngsters are right here and it’s completely bananas.”
“Once I was nonetheless ingesting, I discovered myself drawn to issues written by individuals who’d give up. Ann Leary wrote an unimaginable ebook referred to as The Good Home that I take into consideration on a regular basis. I’ve written usually concerning the ‘good woman’ in a household of alcoholics. In my newest novel, I made a decision to be extra trustworthy and say generally the ‘good woman’ is additionally an alcoholic who must face that. There have been numerous occasions once I felt like I actually wanted to cease ingesting, but it surely didn’t appear attainable. It was attainable. In October, I’ll be eight years sober.”
SON’S ROOM
Bedding: Pottery Barn Youngsters. Mattress: Pottery Barn Youngsters. Nightstand: Ikea. Rocket lamp: Goal, comparable. Curtains: Pottery Barn Youngsters.
“Once I was a child, I at all times wished to learn The Child-Sitter’s Membership, however my dad instructed me to learn ‘actual books.’ Now I volunteer on the library, which has all of the books I keep in mind from childhood, and the youngsters simply wish to learn graphic novels. I really feel a bit like my dad once I catch myself pondering, What about Anne of Inexperienced Gables?! However a part of instilling a love of studying entails letting children learn what they gravitate towards.”
DAUGHTER’S ROOM
Mattress: Pottery Barn Youngsters. Map: Cavallini Papers. Nightstand: Ikea. Curtains: Pottery Barn Youngsters. Rug: Pottery Barn Youngsters.
“Just about each win in our family is well known by going to Dairy Freeze, so once I completed my ebook The Cliffs, we did simply that. My husband was saying, ‘Yay for Mother, she completed her ebook!’ My five-year-old goes, ‘Now you by no means have to jot down once more!’”
“When my dad and mom moved out of my childhood residence, they referred to as to ask what I wished to maintain. I used to be residing in a studio condominium in Brooklyn, so I instructed them they need to give away my childhood toys — however the one factor they saved was my dollhouse. I’m so glad they did.”
STAIRS
Wallpaper: Farrow & Ball.
“I used to be consuming pizza with a pal one night time, and I requested her what to do with our again stairs. I had 1,000,000 paint swatches. She steered wallpaper as a substitute, so I received out all of the wallpaper samples I had. She picked one from the pile, held it up, and we had been each like, ‘That’s good.’”
PORCH
“The entrance porch is the most effective place to nap, drink espresso, or watch a rainstorm. Each September, we participate in Milton Porchfest, the place bands carry out on individuals’s driveways and porches. It’s our favourite day of the 12 months on this city.”
Thanks a lot for sharing your house with us, Courtney, and congratulations on your new novel!
P.S. Extra residence excursions, together with a colourful Swedish condominium and an introvert’s nook.
(Images by Lyndsay Hannah Pictures. Noelani Zervas supplied some inside design providers. As Courtney put it, “After making some daring decisions, like portray a whole room navy, I bumped into resolution fatigue. Noelani gave me so many nice concepts for the best way to pull issues collectively and steered items I completely love and by no means would have discovered by myself.”)
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