Megan O’Neill’s Woodstock Home: Yellow Tile, Green Cabinets, Pink Fridge

The following piece examines how Megan O’Neill and her husband Jesse Bull transformed a quirky, indeterminate-age house in Woodstock, New York into a vibrant family weekend retreat.

Rather than a gut renovation, the couple preserved the home’s bones while injecting a tropical color palette, vintage furnishings, and playful details for weekend living and kid-friendly use.

This article distills the design choices, sourcing strategies, and architectural quirks that define their approach to adaptive reuse and interior storytelling.

Adaptive reuse with a bold palette

In this project, the emphasis is on keeping the existing layout and adding only essential spaces—the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and laundry.

Paint and vintage furnishings do the heavy lifting.

The result is a home that is energetic yet sophisticated, with a sense of whimsy.

The design shows how color-forward interiors can transform a modest footprint without erasing its history.

Interior strategy: color, materials, and vintage sourcing

The kitchen is the home’s exuberant heart, anchored by bright yellow Italian tiles, Benjamin Moore Bahama Waters cabinets, and a baby-pink Smeg refrigerator.

Bathrooms feature playful details: a “treehouse” bath lined with Clé cement tiles and vintage sconces, plus a second-floor bathroom finished in Benjamin Moore Caribbean Coast that opens to a child-sized indoor Juliet balcony.

Much of the furniture is vintage—sourced from Etsy, 1stDibs, Chairish, thrift shops, and family pieces.

The couple embraced worn, refurbished items to achieve a lived-in, collector-worthy atmosphere.

A local craftsman, Mike Brontoli, built the reclaimed wood dining table and benches.

Rugs, mirrors, and lamps were culled from vintage dealers and specialty shops.

The home’s origin story—a “dump, but a fun dump”—captures the spirit of the project: a low-cost, high-joy intervention that yields a refined, unserious, and deeply personal environment.

The team kept the oddities: mismatched angles, pitched rooflines, an octagonal second-story balcony, and a turret reached by a ladder all remain.

These features add texture and curiosity to everyday living.

Architectural quirks that inform the space

The house’s idiosyncrasies aren’t hidden; they’re celebrated as design features that nurture spontaneity and delight.

Architectural oddities—from irregular angles to a turret—create nooks and conversation corners.

The octagonal balcony and a ladder-accessible primary bedroom add a sense of adventure for children and adults alike.

The project reinterprets these features as opportunities for small, intimate spaces within a playful plan.

Constructive details: materials and craftsmanship

Key materials are selected for tactility and durability.

The reclaimed wood dining table and benches show a commitment to sustainability and local craftsmanship, with Mike Brontoli bridging architecture and artisanal labor.

Exposed textures—tile, wood, fabric, and vintage metal hardware—create a layered interior that rewards closer inspection.

By relying on vintage finds and refurbished pieces, the project shows how resourceful procurement can support high design ambitions without a full rebuild.

Family life, whimsy, and practical design

Child-friendly details punctuate the interiors without sacrificing sophistication.

A tiny door to an indoor balcony and Maine bunk beds painted in Benjamin Moore Flame invite play while maintaining a curated atmosphere.

The home’s declarative objects—like a whimsical wizard picture—anchor the narrative of a family filled with curiosity.

This blend of playful palettes and refined finishes supports both everyday use and weekend gatherings, making the home functional and memorable.

Takeaways for designers and engineers

• Preserve structure, add minimally to maximize the value of existing configurations and reduce material waste.
• Leverage vintage furnishings and local craftsmanship to achieve character while supporting sustainability.
• Create a color-forward strategy that highlights architectural features and defines social hubs, such as the kitchen.
• Integrate playful elements that engage children while maintaining safety and comfort.

In the Woodstock project, a “dump, but a fun dump” mindset grew into an energetic, sophisticated, and intentionally unserious family home.

This home remains deeply rooted in its quirky architecture.

 
Here is the source article for this story: Yellow Tile, Green Cabinets, and a Pink Fridge Set the Tone for Megan O’Neill’s Woodstock, New York, Home