Hanging on the wall in Eunice Weckesser’s sloped-ceiling attic office is a bright pink neon sign reading, “Die With Memories, Not Dreams.”
“I love a good neon sign in your home,” Weckesser says. “There should always be one.”
The sign is appropriate, not only because of Weckesser’s love of neon signs or how good it looks with the room’s Andy Warhol-esque, pop art Queen Elizabeth wallpaper (and it does look good). It also perfectly encapsulates Weckesser herself, from her bold, colorful decorating style to the way she chased her dreams to launch the fashion-forward interior design studio Crown the Cool in 2022.
For years, Weckesser’s interior design work was mostly for herself. She was a full-time nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and although family and friends admired her home and often enlisted her keen decorating eye for help in their own spaces, design was a hobby, not a business.
Yet working in the ICU during the COVID-19 pandemic changed things for Weckesser. Designing her family’s new home during that time not only gave her a much-needed outlet and source of happiness, but also reminded her that in the face of so much loss, she needed to spend her life pursuing her passions, too.
“Why don’t I do something that I really love?” she said. “Tomorrow’s not guaranteed.”
With that revelation, Crown the Cool was born. In the years since, it’s developed into an award-winning design studio that eschews traditions and trends alike in favor of bold spaces that reflect people’s personality, passions, and imagination.
“I’m all about reflecting people’s energy and showing that in design,” Weckesser says.
It’s easy to see Weckesser’s energy reflected in her own home, a fun, daring, and unexpected space that not only shows that design rules are meant to be broken, but reveals that interior design is something Weckesser was born to do.
The place pops with bold, saturated colors that shouldn’t match but somehow do; contrasting patterns that just work; modern art mixed with vintage finds; and functional elements like light fixtures and a fireplace that feel like pieces of art.
“If I had a money tree, my house would be even more tricked out,” she laughs. “I love a good boutique hotel…I wanted my house to feel that way. Every room has a story.”
The house’s audacious foyer, which Weckesser calls “the craziest room,” is the first indication that this is no ordinary home. There are three different wallpapers (including one on the ceiling) in different colors and patterns; a purple marble geometric floor; a black-and-white striped console table; vintage, tapestry-style Chinese artwork; and an oversized, architectural, bubble chandelier “that’s probably a little too big for the space, but I don’t care,” Weckesser says.
In the living room, a white marble fireplace with beautiful dark veining makes a big, modern statement that’s accentuated by a piece of mirrored, purple sheet metal wall art hanging above it by British furniture company Piers Henry. Vintage Chinese vases ornament the floor in front.
The fireplace marble is repeated atop the kitchen island, tying the two adjoining rooms together.
“The kitchen is the heart of the home, so I wanted to make it feel more cozy and comforting with the living room being there, too,” Weckesser says.
The kitchen is inviting yet modern, with a mixture of whites and brass with pops of black. The grayish-white glass subway tile backsplash, marble-topped island, white and brass hanging pendants, and white cabinetry with brass fixtures are even more striking paired with a black-and-white checkerboard rug and decorative black and white plates featuring the illustrated visage of a beautiful woman by the Italian brand Fornasetti. The light, bright, airy kitchen contrasts with a dark and moody adjoining pantry, which houses the refrigerator.
The main bedroom is equally edgy, with black trim and a white ceiling that makes a bold statement paired with black and white floral wallpaper by House of Hackney, floor-to-ceiling, black and white geometric drapes, and spiky brass accents. Additional touches, like a throw pillow adorned with a skull motif, add to the room’s offbeat moodiness.
It’s all part of a home that not only reflects Weckesser’s personality and interests, but also how she approaches design and life itself.
“Let’s not do gray walls,” she says. “Let’s do something that makes you happy.