This Colorful Family Home in Florida Has a Sunny Wall Decal in the Kid’s Room, and It’s Great

published May 20, 2022

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Credit: Kelly Bach

Designer Kelly Bach is the owner of RetroBabeCo, and found her current home in 2018. She shares the Florida house with husband, Nate, sons, Kalani and Keanu, and three chihuahuas: Lola, Hobie, and Mookie.

Name: Kelly Bach, husband Nate, sons Kalani and Keanu, and three chihuahuas: Lola, Hobie, and Mookie
Location: New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Size: 3,500 square feet
Type of Home: House
Owned or Rented: Owned

Kelly Bach, a designer and owner of RetroBabeCo, found her current home in 2018. “We immediately fell in love with the view of the mangroves,” she says. While the space was originally a one-story house when it was built in the 1940s, the previous owner had built onto it further from below. “We have the best of both worlds, because downstairs is modern while upstairs still has the original glass doorknobs, pine floors, and molding from the ‘40s,” she explains. Keep reading as the business owner and mom of two toddlers shares more about her colorful space.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: Grandmillennial/colorful maximalist

Credit: Kelly Bach

Favorite Element: I love the view from the top porch; there’s nothing but mangroves and palm trees. It feels like paradise and is the best place to watch the sunset.

Biggest Challenge: When we bought the home, it had a really awkward enclosed staircase. We decided to open it up and add some floating stairs and it changed the entire space. It was more expensive than we had hoped for, but we don’t plan on leaving anytime soon, so it was totally worth it!

Credit: Kelly Bach

Biggest Indulgence: The stairs, for sure. We also invested in solar panels, put in pavers for the driveway, and refinished the original wood floors, which felt like an indulgence, but we are happy with those decisions. Our next project will hopefully be a pool and renovating the deck.

Proudest DIY: I am getting more comfortable with painting murals. It really scared me at first but I’m working on the fourth one now. It’s so much fun to get creative and play with color!

Credit: Kelly Bach

Is there something unique about your home or the way you use it? I had an idea to turn our walk-in closet into a little zen room. We bought a massage chair that is really relaxing but an eyesore. I’d like to put it in the walk-in with some cool lighting, and it would be a nice little place to escape.

What are your favorite products you have bought for your home and why? I think the art we have collected over the years. We really take our time choosing pieces that speak to us both. I also really love that I covered some thrifted furniture in my own fabric designs. It’s kinda cool knowing I created something completely original and no one else will have the same thing.

Credit: Kelly Bach

Please describe any helpful, inspiring, brilliant, or just plain useful small space maximizing and/or organizing tips you have: Roll your towels and sheets instead of folding them. Use empty wall space to hang hats, jewelry, or scarves.

What are the biggest tricks/secrets to using color in decor? Most of my walls are actually white, but everything else is bold and colorful. I do this because it unifies the entire house and allows me to have colorful furniture and art. This trick would also work with color on the walls, I just have trouble committing to something! I’m working on that, though. We just painted the kitchen a retro yellow color! I really love the trend where people are painting their ceilings and I plan on doing this SOON.

What’s your favorite wall paint color of all time? We painted our front door “Tangy Green” by Behr and we love it so much!

Finally, what’s your absolute best home secret or decorating advice? Your home should make you feel comfortable and inspired. I had a guest tell me my style was too busy for them. At the time it hurt my feelings, but then I realized they were just boring. Ha! Kidding. But in all seriousness, collect the things that spark joy, display them in interesting ways, use colors that make you happy, and screw what anyone else thinks!