Inside a Young Family’s Colorful, Art-Filled Westchester County Oasis
Decorator Rachel Sherman conceives kid- and dog-friendly interiors that are also brimming with style.
The living room includes a sofa from Jayson Home and a cocktail table from Anthropologie. An Alex Katz lithograph hangs above a love seat from ABC Carpet & Home. Photography by Kristen Francis, Styled by Olga Naiman
Living in New York City with their two children and a third on the way, Lauren and Jason Laschewer made the familiar decision often faced by growing families: They concluded that it was time to flee their city apartment in favor of more space in the suburbs. A 4,400-sqaure-foot five-bedroom home in Westchester, thankfully, offered just what they were looking for: “an open floor plan and room to entertain,” Lauren says. “The house is about 10 years old, so it only needed a little face-lift.” Enter decorator Rachel Sherman, who left a digital marketing gig at Ralph Lauren to pursue interior design and eventually launched her own firm, Rachel Sloane Interiors, in 2019. “The home was a perfect blank canvas, with good bones and a great layout for a family,” says Sherman. “Lauren and Jason are a fun couple who appreciate design, and they wanted to do something bold.” Among the top priorities: kid- and dog-friendly rooms that are also brimming with style, a kitchen refresh, an office for Jason that reflects his personality (and serves as a handsome Zoom backdrop), a space for entertaining, and a revamped powder room.
The kitchen island is painted Farrow & Ball’s Green Smoke. The Broom counter stools are Philippe Starck for Emeco. Photography by Kristen Francis, Styled by Olga Naiman
In the kitchen, paint and new countertops went a long way. Sherman had the gap between the existing cabinetry and the ceiling paneled in for a more custom look, and then transformed a bay-windowed corner into a cozy breakfast nook. Appropriately enough for areas frequented by young children, there’s no upholstery on seating pieces in the kitchen, breakfast nook, or dining room, and the breakfast banquette is covered in a wipeable pink vinyl.
The color scheme throughout the house is wide-ranging, with Sherman intentionally going for a “softer expression in everyday living spaces,” such as the gray, green, pink, and lavender in the family room. The only hue that was off-limits? “White furniture would get too dirty,” Lauren says. “But I wanted every room to have personality, and Rachel definitely pushed us out of our comfort zone.” A fitting example is the dining room, which is enveloped in a bold floral wallpaper paired with a pale green wainscoting that “grounds the space,” Sherman says. “I was anti-wallpaper at first,” Lauren comments, “but I decided to trust Rachel, and she was right.”
The wallpaper in the dining room is by Wayne Pate for Studio Four and the Jean Prouvé for Vitra chairs are from Design Within Reach. Photography by Kristen Francis, Styled by Olga Naiman
Sherman turned up the volume in the living room as well, injecting the prime entertaining area with pattern and vibrant shades of blue, green, and red. “Our house is very family-oriented, but the kids don’t use this room,” Lauren says. “This is a place where we can unwind, listen to music, have a cocktail, or watch television. Rachel understood our personal styles, and when Jason and I disagreed on something, she would steer us in a direction we were both happy with. I like having knickknacks and tchotchkes around, whereas Jason is more of a minimalist.”
The paint in the primary bedroom is Farrow & Ball’s Stone Blue. The bed is from Lulu and Georgia and the curtain fabric is by Mokum. Photography by Kristen Francis, Styled by Olga Naiman
One item the couple agreed on immediately is the patterned bench in the primary bedroom. “They saw this and loved it, so we built the room around it,” recounts Sherman, who took inspiration from the bench’s saturated blue and splashed it all over the walls, vaulted ceiling, curtains, and even the window sashes.“Lauren and Jason trusted me to go bold, so I doubled down on the tonal drapery. It’s a massive room, and this shade lends a cozy, moody quality. When you’re in the room, you feel like you’re in a cocoon. The burlwood bedside tables bring in warmth, and the petite table lamps help even out the scale.”
The primary bath’s tub is original to the house. Photography by Kristen Francis, Styled by Olga Naiman
In virtually every corner of the house, new furnishings mingle with vintage case goods, rugs, and accessories, such as the Asian chest that once belonged to Lauren’s grandmother and now holds pride of place in the entry. “I love incorporating family heirlooms, and vintage pieces add a sense of history and a nice layer to newer houses,” explains Sherman, who also helped guide the homeowners when it came to selecting art. “Collecting is new to us,” says Lauren. “Rachel suggested Alex Katz, and his work spoke to us both. You can see the Katz lithograph in the living room when you first walk into the house.” The collection includes other prominent artists, such as Alexander Calder, along with numerous up-and-comers. “My clients care about investing in art, rather than just filling up wall space,” notes Sherman. “They both enjoyed the hunt and the entire design process. The house is a true reflection of their style.”
The print version of this article appeared with the headline: Going Bold.
