This 1900s Townhouse Went from Beige to Bold — Every Single Wall Is Painted

“There are large windows in every room, as well as a skylight in the bathroom, so we get wonderful natural light, especially for a townhouse. The home also has a lovely patio in the backyard with stone and a wooden fence,” Alexander explains.

The 1000-square-foot townhouse doesn’t have the biggest rooms, but Alexander says the layout is perfect for two people; they’re able to use a third bedroom in the basement as a second living room. And it’s located in the Lawrenceville neighborhood, an “easy walk to many bars, restaurants, and shops on the popular Butler Street, which is only a block away.”

Alexander is an executive editor at DK, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and has had seven titles make the New York Times bestsellers list. He’s worked on home/design books, including A Home for Every Season by Steffy Degreff. Alexander is also a writer; his debut children’s book, The Nature of Our National Parks, comes out this April, and his debut young adult novel, Meet Me at the Creek, will come out in 2027.

It doesn’t surprise me that Alexander is a writer; the home he shares with Bobby is full of incredible visual stories. “A lot of my decor comes from our travels, and we have paintings, prints, sculptures, and more art from everywhere from Japan, Peru, Austria, South Africa, Australia, and Cambodia, among others,” explains Alexander.

But the first, and perhaps the most impactful, way the couple added their story to the home was through color. “The home had been a rental property for at least seven years before I purchased it, so the owners had painted every room a rather drab/boring shade of beige/tan,” Alexander explains.

“They also unfortunately painted on the sides of a lot of the fireplace mantel trim and door trim, which I had to strip and refinish. I saw the potential in the space, because the layout and space was perfect for what I was seeking,” he continues. And after living in the home for four years, the couple has managed to paint every single wall in their townhome, including the front door and the exterior’s window trim.

• All Behr paint from The Home Depot
• Green in front parlor — Equestrian Green
• Dark blue in master bedroom — Calligraphy
• Accents in basement living room — Sophisticated Teal
• Light blue in office/guest room — Oceanic Climate
• Darker gray in kitchen — Stargazer
• Lighter gray in main hallway/upstairs bathroom — Silver Bullet
• White — Smoky White

• Sofa — Wayfair
• Record player stand — Vintage antique from a shop in Brunswick, Maine
• Bookcases — Amazon

• My favorite thing in the kitchen is the oak table my grandfather built in the 1950s. He salvaged the piece of wood and cut it into a circle. The bottom/base of the table is a vintage/old metal sewing machine base, complete with the large foot pedal! This table is very special to me not only because he made it, but also because it was the dinner table in my childhood home from when I was born until I left at 18. My mother was kind enough to let me have it when she moved and no longer needed it.

• Guest bedroom/office furniture — bed, dresser, and nightstand are vintage, 1960s, from my grandparents

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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