{"id":8633,"date":"2026-10-14T00:21:39","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T00:21:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=8633"},"modified":"2026-10-14T00:21:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T00:21:39","slug":"sharon-beesleys-colorful-house-explodes-with-goodwill-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=8633","title":{"rendered":"Sharon Beesley’s Colorful House Explodes With Goodwill Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cA friend texted me the real-estate listing and said, \u2018You need to get this house,\u201d says Sharon Beesley<\/a>, who lives in Connecticut. \u201cMy husband, Rob, and I went to the open house and immediately knew it was our forever home. We\u2019ve been here for six years and I never want to leave.\u201d Today, she gives us a tour\u2026<\/p>\n

ENTRYWAY<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

Wallpaper: William Morris<\/a>. Mirror and table: vintage.<\/em><\/p>\n

On historical details:<\/strong> Our house was built in the 1800s. While searching for wallpaper, I learned that textile designer William Morris<\/a> designed all his prints in the 1800s. So, this wallpaper<\/a> felt very fitting.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

Starry floor mat: Wayfair<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On a starry moment:<\/strong> Honestly, I bought this floor mat<\/a> because it was affordable, and I can mop it, and it\u2019s super low so the front door doesn\u2019t get caught. I thought it might be cheesy, but everyone compliments it, so I guess it\u2019s cool!<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

On affordable pieces:<\/strong> Almost every item in this house has a Goodwill price tag on the back. Sometimes I like to imagine that someday, when I\u2019m long gone, there will be an estate sale and people will be so impressed with my Goodwill art. They\u2019ll be like, \u2018She was amazing! Look at what she paid for that! Can you believe it?!\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

On collaborating with your spouse:<\/strong> My personal rule is that, before Rob and I start a home project together, I must read one chapter out of a marriage therapy book. Doesn\u2019t matter which one. Any will do. The book I read before doing our foyer wallpaper was Us: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

DINING ROOM<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

Paint: Farrow & Ball\u2019s India Yellow<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

On holiday traditions:<\/strong> Thanksgiving in our home is big; we always do it up. Last year, I followed Samin Nosrat\u2019s guide to making Thanksgiving less boring<\/a>, and it was amazing<\/em>. All her dips and toppings made our meal explode.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

Table and chairs: thrifted. Rug: \u201cpassed down to us by our late neighbor Lou. We loved him!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

On a secondhand-shopping tip:<\/strong> I found our dining chairs at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore<\/a>, my favorite store in the whole wide world. When traveling, I love to visit the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore to see what they have.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

Lamp: thrifted from Goodwill. Poster: thrifted from Habitat for Humanity ReStore<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

On decorating wins:<\/strong> My aesthetic can very quickly go \u2018circus.\u2019 I\u2019m constantly pulling myself back, like, No, no, no, no\u2026<\/em> But I love this poster because it lets me have my circus moment.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

On design hyperfixations:<\/strong> When I walk into an antique store, I always feel wildly overwhelmed. My solution is to choose one specific item and look for only that, over a long period. Two years ago, it was candlesticks. This year, it\u2019s vases.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

Locker: vintage, similar<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

On workhorse furniture:<\/strong> We got this locker back when we lived in New York City. My three kids originally used it to store their backpacks. Now that they\u2019re out of the house, I use it to hold my house tools, like hammers, tape measures, and sandpaper.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

On an empty nest:<\/strong> Did you see that viral interview clip<\/a> with Michelle Obama and Jon Stewart? I\u2019m with Michelle. As soon as my kids enter the house, there\u2019s an energy they bring, which is great. But it also wears on me. I got married when I was 21 and started having kids at 23. I remember longing to be 40 because by then all my kids would be 15 and almost grown up. Now I\u2019m 44, and for the first time, I\u2019m experiencing life as an adult without kids.<\/p>\n

LIVING ROOM<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

Paint: Farrow & Ball\u2019s Inchrya Blue<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On choosing a show:<\/strong> We like to watch YouTube, so Rob and I have worked out a deal where each person gets 10 minutes of showtime before handing over the remote. Rob likes to watch vintage car auctions, stand-up comedy, and concert clips. I like Say Yes to The Dress<\/a>, gymnastic videos, and Gardening With Monty Don<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

Sofa: Article<\/a>. Blue throw, side tables, and coffee table: vintage. Armchairs: antiques from Key to the Past<\/a>. Lamps: Goodwill. Rug: \u201cAnother Lou special.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

On cozy corners:<\/strong> This is our central hub, where Rob and I eat meals and watch TV in the evenings. One night, when we weren\u2019t hanging on the couch, one of my kids came to me and asked \u2018Are you and Dad okay? What\u2019s going on?\u2019 because he was so used to seeing us together in the same spot. It was really cute.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

On choosing paint:<\/strong> I don\u2019t overthink paint colors. I change them a lot. Like the blue in the living room? It might be something else soon. Our bedroom has been green, blue, white, and now brown.<\/p>\n

KITCHEN<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

Paint: Benjamin Moore\u2019s Breath of Fresh Air<\/a>. Chandelier: The Trove<\/a>. Mirror: West Elm<\/a>. Black chairs: Habitat for Humanity ReStore<\/a>, similar<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

On parenting adults:<\/strong> Being a mother to three small children was all-consuming. But now that my children are adults, my role as a parent happens in drips. They call me once a week, and our conversations are beautiful and substantial. I do have to remind myself that I\u2019m not their friend. They\u2019re still my kids, and they still need my support; I will always hold space for their stuff.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

Wallpaper: Home Depot<\/a>. Breakfast bench: custom. Table: Wayfair<\/a>. Chairs: William Sonoma<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On nook dibs:<\/strong> My son Owen \u2018owns\u2019 this nook. He\u2019s the person who used it all the time, and I miss seeing him here. He\u2019d work on his computer or just lie on the bench.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

On remembering loved ones:<\/strong> This is a photo of my mom and me. Usually I remember her death day, July 3rd. But I forgot it this year. Afterward, I decided I needed to put her photo in a spot where I\u2019d see her every day. That makes me feel like she\u2019s still part of my life and I won\u2019t have another year where I\u2019ll forget her. <\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

On supporting young moms:<\/strong> Now when I see a young mother, my heart goes out to them. Being a new parent is so hard. New moms, know that it\u2019s okay to focus on just getting by. You\u2019re already doing a great job.<\/p>\n

HOME OFFICE<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

Wallpaper: Home Depot<\/a>. Curtains: Wayfair<\/a>. Armchairs: Facebook Marketplace. Coffee table: \u201ca Goodwill $5 find!\u201d Lamps and rug: Goodwill. Basket: vintage from Branford Antiques<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On a wallpaper trick:<\/strong> This is peel-and-stick wallpaper, and what made the application easier was this helper spray<\/a>. You spray it on the back of the paper and then it becomes wet enough so that you can adjust the paper while putting it on the wall.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

Bookshelves: Wayfair<\/a>. Floor lamp: vintage. Pig: \u201ca gift from Rob.\u201d Pillow: Marimekko<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

On a surprising thing about being a therapist:<\/strong> I\u2019ve been a therapist for six years, and I still never know how my clients are going to answer my questions! I\u2019m always impressed by the willingness people have to talk about really, really scary parts of their lives. Their vulnerability is so honorable, I can\u2019t feel anything but gratitude.<\/p>\n

PRIMARY BEDROOM<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

Paint: Benjamin Moore\u2019s Tamarind<\/a>. Bed: Wayfair<\/a>. Bedding: Quince<\/a>. Side tables: West Elm<\/a>. Rooster lamps: Janis Melone<\/a>. Bench and rug: vintage. <\/em><\/p>\n

On being married for more than two decades:<\/strong> I\u2019m constantly refreshing my communication skills. Right now, I\u2019m working on not being harsh when I talk to Rob, so I asked him to check me anytime I speak sharply. We also do a refresher marriage therapy session every few years. I always go into our sessions overly confident, thinking Rob\u2019s the problem and not me. So, it\u2019s always humbling when the therapist looks at me and says, \u2018Maybe there are some things you can work on\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

Armchairs: Facebook Marketplace. White lamp: antique.<\/em><\/p>\n

On keeping the spark alive:<\/strong> We take a coffee walk every morning. We\u2019ll stroll down to the gas station and get dollar coffees, so it\u2019s not fancy, but it\u2019s really nice to start the mornings together.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

Dresser: West Elm<\/a>. Record player: Overstock<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n

On a relationship joy:<\/strong> I\u2019m grateful that I\u2019m still excited to see him, after all these years together. My excited feeling doesn\u2019t always last long [laughs], but I still feel a rush every time he walks into the house.<\/p>\n

GARDEN ROOM<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

Paint: Farrow & Ball\u2019s Green Smoke<\/a>. Tapestry: Anthropologie<\/a>. Book: Super Bloom<\/a>. Work table: estate sale. Hutch: vintage. Pendants: Lowes<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On a room of one\u2019s own:<\/strong> When my kids left for college, I turned this bedroom into a gardening room. I LOVE IT. I predict it will get me through the winter. My advice for new gardeners? If you want to get into gardening, just do it. Don\u2019t overthink it. Your desire to garden is all you need.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

Poster: Goodwill. Side table: vintage. Hanging baskets: Etsy<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On giving back:<\/strong> One spring, I had an abundance of large-flowered tickseed. So, I cut them, tied them in bunches, and left them in a bucket on the sidewalk, with a sign that said \u2018free flowers.\u2019 Throughout the day, people would walk by \u2014 giggly middle schoolers and women of all ages \u2014 to pick out a tiny bouquet. It was the cutest thing ever. <\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

Duck curtains: Goodwill.<\/em><\/p>\n

OUTDOOR GARDENS<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/a><\/p>\n

House exterior paint: Benjamin Moore\u2019s Queen Anne Pink<\/a>. Trim paint: Benjamin Moore\u2019s Capitol White<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

On favorite flowers:<\/strong> I\u2019ve gotta say black-eyed Susans. There are so many varieties, and they\u2019re easy to grow in my shitty-ass soil. I like their resilience.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

On a gardening experiment:<\/strong> This year, instead of deadheading all my flowers in the fall, I want to let my plants look awful all winter long. Our society has such rigid standards of beauty and I believe they trickle into gardening \u2014 people don\u2019t want to see flowers die. We\u2019d rather cut them off. So, keeping my garden up all winter and letting passersby see old dying flowers is my personal way of challenging beauty standards.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

On decorating mistakes:<\/strong> I have so many decorating regrets, like hopping on the minimalism trend and painting all the walls white. Or removing the original mailbox, which was so cute. But Rob always describes this house as my greatest art project. And it\u2019s true,\u00a0living here really inspires me.<\/p>\n

Thank you so much, Sharon<\/a>! We adore you. You can read her week of outfits<\/a>, too, if you\u2019d like.<\/strong><\/p>\n

P.S. More home tours<\/a>, including a book-filled home in Copenhagen<\/a>, a Massachusetts family house filled with books and cats<\/a>, and a lovely house in the Japanese countryside<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Photos by Lyndsay Hannah<\/a> for Cup of Jo.)<\/p>\n

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15<\/span> COMMENTS<\/p>\n

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