Megan O’Neill and her husband, Jesse Bull, live in a Woodstock, New York, home that’s a vibrant reflection of their personalities. The couple’s love for color is evident in their careers – O’Neill is the CEO of Nayla, a footwear brand that uses fish leather dyed in vivid hues, while Bull runs a company that stages team game experiences with neon paint.
Their weekend home, which they’ve owned for over a decade, has undergone significant changes since they had children. Initially, it was a “dump, but a fun dump,” O’Neill says, fully furnished with a “caricature of a Woodstock hippie house” vibe, complete with signs saying Breathe and Relax and framed pictures of wizards.
The kitchen is now the heart of their home, with Benjamin Moore’s Bahama Waters painted cabinets, Sunny Balineum tiles, and a Smeg refrigerator in baby pink. O’Neill believes that since you only live once, getting a pink fridge is a good idea.
O’Neill and Bull have kept most of the home’s original character intact, only redoing the kitchen and adding a bathroom, bedroom, and laundry room. They selected all the furnishings without the help of an interior designer, building on paint and furnishings to create the home’s unique look.
A Clé cement tile floor and 1950s-era blue porcelain sconces sourced from 1stDibs give the pink-and-green bathroom a unique look. The couple’s children, Lagos and Monty, love the tiny door that leads to an indoor balcony, which O’Neill calls the “treehouse bathroom.”
The furniture in the home is almost entirely vintage, sourced from secondhand retailers, New York City thrift shops, or antique shops from around the Hudson Valley. They love old, worn, and rustic items, and they’ve spent hours finding treasures like 1980s Swedish wall lamps and a 1970s pine mirror, which can be found in many online furniture stores.
The couple’s love for color and vintage items has turned their home into an energetic and sophisticated family space. While it’s still “unserious,” O’Neill says, it’s now a place where they can spend time with their children and friends, often gathered around the reclaimed wood dining table made by local craftsman Mike Brontoli.
They have adapted their home to suit their changing needs over the years. What was once a party pad in their twenties has morphed into a family-friendly weekend getaway, complete with a ladder leading to a small turret in the primary bedroom and an octagonal balcony on the second story, much like a modular sectional that can be rearranged to fit different needs.
The home’s unique character and colorful decor make it a special place for the family to spend time together, similar to other unique homes, such as Bob Dylan’s real estate, which also features distinctive design elements.
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