Erin Waldman is not afraid of color. Her cheerful purple garden shed bright orange living room and bold turquoise sack signify her bohemian spirit and ability to decorate from the center. Her fearlessness with color and DIY projects has afforded happy consequences as her home continues to evolve. Although her house stands out from her Cedar City, Utah, community, her neighbours have adopted her eclectic style and have just made her adore her house more.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Erin Waldman husband Lannie Achord, kid Addison, puppy quad and cats Norman and Charlie
Location: Cedar City, Utah
Size: 2,700 square feet; 5 bedrooms, 2 baths
Sarah Greenman
Waldman and her husband, Lannie Achord, are committed to sustainability and develop a variety of corn, beans, peas, root vegetables, raspberries, herbs, horseradish and heirloom tomatoes in their garden. Their daughter’s purple playhouse matches the rampant larkspur.
Sarah Greenman: What made you fall in love with this house?
Erin Waldman: We were looking for a little more space following the birth of the daughter. Our property agent took us to the “wrong side of the tracks” so to speak, but when I walked in I knew this was the house. It had a fantastic irrigated garden space that has been in great shape.
Sarah Greenman
Waldman and her daughter, Addison, maintain a chicken coop into their garden, which houses four laying hens. All of these were called by Addison: Beauty, PoopFeathers, Chickadee and Speed Racer.
Sarah Greenman
Addison assisted paint the doorway to her father’s toolshed, in which the family stores gardening gear and house construction materials.
Sarah Greenman
SG: Inform me about the art you display in your house.
EW: The Klimt-like painting has been performed by an art student from New York as part of a design. My most recent splurge was the encaustic painting by Fiona Phillips to the lower left. The framed blue painting over it is a first by Randy Rasmussen, along with the mask above the mantel was performed by Kevin Copenhauer, a costume designer in the Utah Shakespeare Festival.
I have so many talented friends who generously give us their “throwaway pieces” The best thing you can do to help your house is befriend a lot of artists.
Sarah Greenman
SG: Who inspires your personal style?
EW: My mother. We’re very similar in style, and a lot of the things which I have came from her. She’s quite eclectic. She inspired my love of antiques. She sees something she enjoys and will arrange a place around it.
Art (left to right): “My Petunia Can Lick Your Geranium,” by Dolores Padilla, insect artwork by Micah Thompson, New Orleans town scene by Colisha; paint colours: Humble Gold, Sherwin-Williams and Copper Penny, Ace
Sarah Greenman
SG: What’s the biggest design dilemma?
EW: I would adore my kitchen to become less of a galley and somewhat broader. After we pulled out the cabinets and removed a coat cupboard from the front room, it left us with a lot of drywall work. A friend helped us with the walls, but we needed to go back a few decades later to fix it. We did most of the work ourselves and learned where to employ out: drywall and floors.
SG: What do you want to do with your house next?
EW: we’ve been saving up for a tile backsplash in the kitchen. We’ve had the tile chosen out for two decades!
Sarah Greenman
A vintage swag lantern and boudoir painting put a silent and peaceful tone from the master bedroom.
SG: What’s your proudest homeowner second?
EW: My 75-year-old conservative neighbor came and told me she really enjoyed all the color in my walls.
Sarah Greenman
Waldman paired a vintage embroidered pillowcase with a new comforter from Anthropologie.
SG: Did you make major changes to your house if you moved in?
EW: We had been fortunate to have five weeks from the time we took ownership of the house before we proceeded in. I would place my daughter to bed and come over and paint till 3 in the morning.
Paint color: Aquarium, Sherwin-Williams
Sarah Greenman
One of Waldman’s favorite DIY projects is the tile wall in her toilet. She utilized Interceramic ceramic tiles and produced a mosaic mix of blue and yellow. She also set up a solar tube in here to create more light in what was formerly a dim area.
Sarah Greenman
Outside, a whimsical bronze sculpture by Dolores Padilla is framed by hand-stacked stone columns and welcomes people to the front doorway.
SG: Where is your favourite place to shop for home products?
EW: I adore secondhand, consignment, thrift and antique stores. I don’t usually enjoy anything mass produced. My favourite shop is Recycled in Cedar City. I would like items to be original and nicely crafted.
Sarah Greenman
Wife, mom, homeowner and Montessori school instructor Erin Waldman takes some time to enjoy a quiet moment on her front porch in a retro patio chair together with the family dog Lightning. A container garden of potted plants, overseen with a sitting Buddha, perches at the edge of the front porch. Waldman offers the following guidance to other homeowners: “Do what seems great and makes you happy. You’re the 1 residing in it.”
c: Do you have an eclectic house with a garden that is successful? Discuss it with us!