Design house: A vintage, family-friendly home in New York, designed by Marla Walker

Upcycled, salvaged and retro pieces all have their place in a vintage scheme like Marla Walker’s.

In 2016, after building a business inspiring clients to find their own style, Marla Walker got the opportunity to put her distinctive flair to work for herself. She and her family bought a three-bedroom, two-bath Victorian in need of a major spruce-up.

THE PROPERTY

Dating back to 1870 and part of an enclave of Victorians that make up the village of Rhinebeck's historic district, the 2,200-square-foot home hadn't been altered or updated since the 1970s. With Marla's deft touch and eye for pattern and colour, as well as a little help from her architect husband, Brian Walker, she was able to preserve the historic Victorian's classic beauty while fully modernising the interior and transforming the vintage home into a comfortable and colourful, family-friendly space.

Modern home in New York

A native Californian, Marla Walker spent her formative years in the South and both places inform and inspire her work.

'Our mission at Marla Walker Interiors is to create beautiful, functional interiors that reflect each client’s individual interests, aspirations and everyday life,' she says. 'We make spaces that are refined, engaging, and practical.'

LIVING ROOM

vintage home

vintage home

See:Design house: Modern classic home in Washington, designed by Colleen Knowles

HALLWAY

Marla chose the colourful Josef Frank wallpaper for the halls and stairway to fill the centre of the house and set the colour palette for all the adjoining rooms. 'This was the very first thing I picked for the house and I built the whole colour story around this paper,' she says. It's a wonderful backdrop for their black and white Blossfeldt botanicals and a custom silhouette of Marlas’ sons made out of leaves by a local artist.

vintage home

See:Design house: penthouse apartment in New York with views of Central Park, designed by Mutuus Studio

KITCHEN

Marla pulled the electric blue for the custom cabinets from the Josef Frank wallpaper, and opted for open shelving to make the galley style kitchen feel more open. The Vermont Danby marble counters were made from a remnant the designer found at a local stone yard.

HOME OFFICE

The wall colour was inspired by a vintage green file cabinet Marla had always wanted paint a room. 'The painters thought I was insane until they saw the wallpaper go up,' she laughs.

vintage home

DINING ROOM

BEDROOM

Photography/Deborah DeGraffenreid

Interior design/ Marla Walker

Jennifer Ebert
Editor

Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.