Vibrant mixes of pattern have become something of a calling card for Boston-based interior designer Katie Rosenfeld. Her signature layered rooms fill the pages of her upcoming book, Housewarming: A Decorator’s Approach to Cozy and Spirited Interiors (February 2027; Rizzoli), and the more than 80,000 followers of her Instagram account (@katierosenfeld) enthusiastically await her colorful interiors and commentary.
Every now and then, one of those followers will go from hitting “Like” to hiring Katie’s firm. That was the case when one devotee asked for her help with her family’s summer cottage in Chatham, Massachusetts. Just a stone’s throw from the Atlantic, the 2,654-square-foot getaway was far from the lighthearted coastal escape the family craved. “It was an all-white, run-of-the mill, plain-Jane 2000s Cape that lacked any notable architectural or decorative details,” says Katie.
After a full renovation of the classic Cape Cod–style home that kept the existing floor plan, Katie went in with a cheerful mix of cottagecore fabrics and wallpapers, a process that started with filling an L.L.Bean tote with patterns that “felt like the family” and deleting and adding until the right combination came together.
“The house is kind of a Swedish color wheel,” says Katie, referencing both the deep saturated Falu reds associated with countryside exteriors and the bold folk art motifs common on traditional furniture. “It’s full of incredibly true, real primary colors,” she adds. “I wanted it to feel like a box of crayons was spilling out in every space.”
Vintage finds—old books, seafarer portraits, accent furniture—give a sense of having been acquired over time, lending the property a lived-in feeling. “We’re always aiming to create interiors that feel like a warm hug,” says Katie. “Some might find these rooms over-stimulating, but I look at it like, ‘There’s so much fun stuff to look at inside, you almost forget about what’s outside.’ ”
Pump Up the Palette
While the blue paint on the stair railing is inspired by a room from the famed British country estate Calke Abbey, it sets the stage for a family room that feels very tied to this side of the pond. Designer Katie Rosenfeld leaned into moody blues via a geometric-stripe-and-floral fabric on the sofa and a striped dhurrie rug. She then piled on reds and whites, along with some yellows and greens, through a host of patterned pillows, a preppy plaid on a pair of spool chairs, and an intricate woven motif on the five-foot-long upholstered ottoman.
Get the Look:
Stair railing paint color: Cook’s Blue by Farrow & Ball
Wall paint color: Pointing by Farrow & Ball
Sofa fabric: “Romola Floral” by Schumacher
Bobbin chair fabric: “Fable” by Schumacher
Ottoman fabric: “Detmar” by Octavia Dickinson
Drapery fabric: “Arbre Fleur Toile” by Quadrille
Pillow fabrics: “Jardin Touranien” and “Arlequin” by Décors Barbares and “Nicobar” by Lisa Fine Textiles
Red on Repeat
Katie’s client was open to most colors but especially partial to this bold hue, which shows up in big and small ways throughout the home. In the dining room, red appears in the blue wicker chairs’ checked cushions, the vivid toile drapes, and the custom pendant light. To up the whimsy, hand-painted tiles featuring a butterfly, a shell, and a sun line the fireplace surround.
Get the Look:
Dining chairs: Memoire Design
Chair cushion fabric: “Paris Check” by Jane Shelton
Drape fabric: “Arbre Fleur Toile” by Quadrille
Pendant light fabric: “Verbena” by Sister Parish
Tiles: Balineum
Sunny Cabinetry
Katie tempered the kitchen’s not-at-all-mellow cabinetry and island with soapstone countertops and backsplash, dark bronze hardware, and a trio of pendant lights. “I like the idea of black on yellow—it feels very graphic,” she says.
Lacy café curtains and a classic white farmhouse sink also offer some visual relief from the bright yellow cabinetry.
In the butler’s pantry, a tile backsplash serves up more nostalgic charm, and the two-tone checkerboard floor ties the space back to the mudroom.
Get the Look:
Cabinetry paint color: Citron by Farrow & Ball
Pendant lights: The Urban Electric Co.
Farmhouse sink: House of Rohl
Tile backsplash: Tiles of Ezra
Checkerboard floor: Fireclay Tile
RELATED: Love Yellow? Here Are the 25 Chicest Yellow Paint Colors We Promise You'll Love
Flower Power
Now, that’s how you do pattern drenching! Every inch of the unapologetically feminine office is covered in the same ditsy floral—we’re talking 60 yards of fabric!—while a handful of items (a black lamp base, a brown-backed pillow) create high-contrast focal points that bring a little edge to the potentially too-sweet vibe. Adding to the floral swath, the rattan-and-bamboo desk is also paired with a skirted slipcovered chair.
Get the Look:
Floral fabric: “Beth” by Lulie Wallace
Desk: Kenian Fine Rattan Furniture
Pillow fabric: “Annika Floral Tapestry” by Schumacher
In the daughter’s bedroom, traditional wallpaper and fabrics evoke a countryside inn. “It’s so old-school—like something out of the Kennedy compound,” says Katie. Above a chair upholstered in a tightly woven plaid, vintage artwork features a grayling pair and kingfisher pair of birds.
Get the Look:
Wallpaper: “Aurel” by Brunschwig & Fils
Bed pillow fabric: “Petites Pommes” by Décors Barbares and “Graham” by Kathryn M. Ireland
Bed bolster and bed skirt fabric: “Dans la Forêt” by Décors Barbares
Chair fabric: “Agryll” by Etro Textiles
In order to make a large guest bedroom feel a little more intimate, Katie loaded up on stripes via a striped rug, drapes, and bedding—all of which complements the linear floral pattern on the walls. A garden-inspired bedside table and vintage trunk bring additional warmth to the space.
Get the Look:
Rug: Landry & Arcari
Bedding: “Ticking Stripe 1” by Ian Mankin
Wallpaper: “Pamina” by Wells Abbott
Bedside table: “Trellis” by Memoire Design
Vintage trunk: Chairish
RELATED: Best Bedroom Ideas for Every Decorating Style
In a guest bedroom, mauve tiles complement the bathroom’s botanical wallpaper and whimsical bobbin mirror.
Get the Look:
Tile: Discover Tile
Wallpaper: “La Discrete” by Pierre Frey
Mirror: Alfred Newall
Vanity: “Anna” by Vanity & Co.
Sconce: “Pimlico” by Vanity & Co.
RELATED: More Charming Powder Room Decorating Ideas That Add Storage and Style
Serenity reigns supreme in the primary bedroom, thanks to a relatively muted mix of fabrics and wallpaper. Beauty is top of mind for anyone seated at the room’s glossy green dressing table, which is skirted with the same fabric as the headboard.
Get the Look:
Wallpaper: “Glenmoral” by M-Geough
Headboard fabric: “Shell Grotto” by Fermoie
Drapery, lampshade, and pillow fabric: “Roses Tchekhonine” by Décors Barbares
Duvet fabric: “Dulcie” by Ian Sanderson
Pillow fabric: “Burdur Leaf” by Soane
Chandelier: Visual Comfort & Co.
Dressing table: Vanity & Co.
Chair upholstery fabric: “La Seyne Check” by Kravet
In the primary bath, an oak vanity, part of a line designed by Katie, is topped with white honed Carrara marble and highlighted by brass lighting. Color commentary is provided by a lively sweet pea wallpaper, which inspired the emerald green tiles in the large walk-in shower.
Get the Look:
Vanity: “Ellie” by Vanity & Co.
Brass lights: “Calliope” by Visual Comfort & Co.
Wallpaper: “Sweet Pea” by Cole & Son
Tile: Fireclay Tile
Textural Touches
Guests can sleep easy in a bedroom furnished with a rattan headboard and a little something blue—the faux-bamboo nightstand. Both items give solid support to all the flower power in the room provided by the graphic wallpaper, the bright fabric lampshade, and the custom pillows and bed skirt. “It’s one of my favorite spaces,” says Katie. “The whole room is a mood for me.”
In a nearby bath, a salty sea captain keeps watch over the room’s oak vanity.
Get the Look:
Headboard: Bunny Williams
Bedroom wallpaper: “Boutonnière” by Antoinette Poisson
Pillow fabric: “Little Chintz” by Morris & Co.
Lampshade: “Izzy” by Jane Shelton
Vanity: Vanity & Co.
Bathroom wallpaper: “Kerchief” by Nickey Kehoe
RELATED: Guest Bedroom Ideas to Create a Cozy Space for Company
This story first appeared in the August/September 2026 issue of Country Living. Photographs by Read McKendree; styling by Matthew Gleason
