Classic Wallpaper in the Modern Home of Hannah Carpenter
Hannah Carpenter has succeeded in wallpapering with classic wallpaper in a modern home. She lives in Arkansas with her husband and four children. We are curious about how she manages to combine a large family with creative interior design.
Interior Design Tips from Hannah Carpenter
Surround yourself with people who are comfortable being different and encourage you to do the same. I was very timid with the design in my home for years, because I cared too much about what other people would think. Even though I actually loved a more creative approach to interiors, I was scared to take risks, worried about what I liked was “wrong”, according to whom I’m not even sure. I lacked confidence.
When Meta came into my life, she gave me permission to be bold and fun and to make a home that better represents who we are as a family, because after all, it’s OUR home where we are raising OUR kids. It doesn’t need to please anyone but us. And we want OUR home to be one that encourages creativity and pushes our kids to be comfortable being different. Interior choices have the power to do that.
The Interview with Hannah Carpenter
Do you think it’s okay to live in creative chaos during the years your kids live at home, or is it essential for you to keep a neat home?
I sure HOPE it’s okay to live in creative chaos because we certainly do! Of course, I can only speak from what I know personally, so for myself, having grown up in a home where creativity was prioritized over tidiness, I’ve never wished it had been the other way around. Creativity feeds the imagination which feeds the soul.
What is your best advice for creating a home that all family members enjoy?
While working on my home with my friend and interior designer, Meta Coleman, I have learned to always first consider the functional needs of space before making any decisions. So if I want to take a creative leap with a room, but it won’t hold up to a teenage boy and his friends, I scratch it immediately.
Can the children be involved in deciding the interior design at home?
I certainly include them in the decisions regarding their rooms, and I love to incorporate their art in ways as well. At the moment, we have plans for a large family portrait that my 8-year-old, Tom, will be creating. Kids have such wonderful instincts because they aren’t inhibited like we adults can be. They create as if no one is looking.
How did you think when you chose the wallpaper?
I wanted something that could be versatile. If down the road I decide to go a completely different route with the room decor, perhaps more traditional, this paper will work. With the style of our room as it is now, I really enjoy the organic feel of the wallpaper mixed with the modern shapes of the headboard and throw.