In 2006, Meta Coleman and her husband, artist Nicholas Coleman, embarked on building a home in Provo, Utah, despite having limited experience with the process. The couple completed the 5,000-square-foot Colonial Revival-style house within nine months, though interior design remained an evolving project for Ms. Coleman, who was not yet an interior designer at the time.
The couple’s differing tastes initially posed a challenge, but over time they found common ground, blending their styles into a cohesive design. Ms. Coleman describes herself as a “misfit” in Utah’s conventional aesthetic, drawing heavily on her German heritage and childhood summers spent in Northern Europe to shape the home’s ambiance. This influence is especially pronounced in the children’s bathroom, where green custom tiles complement buttery yellow walls, creating a vibrant, playful space.
A mix of nostalgic and contemporary elements brings personality to the home. For example, the bathroom vanity includes a skirt made from a block-printed linen featuring red stripes and floral patterns, sourced from Carolina Irving Textiles. This design detail serves both an aesthetic and practical purpose by concealing storage compartments filled with toiletries, used extensively by the couple’s daughter.
Several years after moving in, when their children outgrew the claw-foot bathtub, Ms. Coleman replaced it with a shower that allowed her to install custom-designed tiles. Inspired by an amoeba-shaped blue and green tile she had seen in an Italian manufacturer’s workroom, she collaborated with Mexican tile maker Carlos Olguín Uribe of Collage Empresarial to recreate the design. The tiles feature black pinstripes and were carefully refined through multiple iterations to achieve the desired colors. These custom tiles contrast with a muted blue-and-white checkered floor, creating a dynamic interplay of patterns that Ms. Coleman likens to a “dance” of complementary elements.
To soften the bathroom’s functional feel, Ms. Coleman incorporated vintage botanical prints she had purchased during a study abroad experience in London. Framed in red-painted beaded frames mounted above an antique pine cabinet adorned with Italian jugs, the prints add a distinctive, personal touch to the space. The frames themselves cost around $300, and Ms. Coleman suggests similar looks can be achieved with vintage botanical books found on online marketplaces.
Reflecting on her design approach, Ms. Coleman emphasizes the importance of creating spaces that evoke joy and have meaningful stories. She contrasts her carefully curated and evolving style with a more rapid, standardized production approach, noting that her personal investment in each project drives her work forward.