My Houzz: Color at Play in a Massachusetts Townhouse

A love of color and playful decor takes center stage in Rob and Heather Lazar’s North Andover, Massachusetts, townhouse. Rob, a theater director at a boarding school, and Heather, an artist, started from scratch after a move from Switzerland to make their 1980s home feel cozy and inviting. Though Heather describes the home when they first saw it as having little character or visual interest to make it stand out, she took her love of color, pop art and clean lines and applied it to every room, adding plenty of seating and graphic walls. It’s now a welcoming space for the family and the 20 students living in the attached dormitory that the family hosts for meals every month.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Rob and Heather Lazar and their 9-year-old twins
Location: North Andover, Massachusetts
Size: 1,700 square feet (158 square meters); 3 bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Year built: 1984

Heather decorates with a bold color palette and tries to incorporate a sense of humor into every room.

Couch: Landskrona, Ikea; wall paint: Decorators White and custom blend, Benjamin Moore; Trully outdoor wicker swing chair: Amazon


She fell in love with the Manu Nest chair while living in Switzerland. While the real chair was not in the budget, she managed to find a chair inspired by the original and made it work in her design. Heather also loves to incorporate her children’s artwork, such as the pieces that can be seen behind the chair.





Plush upholstered dining room chairs in a mix of different patterns and accent colors were the starting point in the dining room. The same colors are echoed in the frame around the mirror.

Dog collage: “Men’s Best Bully,” Alex Zeng Collage; Hourglass dining chairs: Pier 1 Imports


Heather was greatly influenced by her grandmother. “During the Depression era, [my grandmother] could re-create a dress seen in a magazine overnight so her daughter, my mother, could dress as stylishly as she envisioned,” Heather says. Her grandmother was also known to repaint the guest bedroom every time her grandchildren came to visit. Like her grandmother, Heather likes to experiment with new color palettes and accents.


This cat sculpture by Yardbirds is one of five in the house. The couple started collecting these after spotting one in a store in Connecticut.





Handmade items, like the colorful quilt on the bottom bunk bed, personalize their son’s bedroom. The pair of hanging chairs adds an extra dose of fun. The couple’s son is usually found swinging on these chairs while playing with his collection of Legos.

Blue chairs: PS Svinga, Ikea; table: Linnmon top with Adils legs, Ikea; red stool: T.J.Maxx; Recollections 10-drawer rolling organizer: Michaels


Heather wanted her son’s room to feel comfortable while also allowing his personality and interests to shine through. She added these small bins devoted to keeping Lego pieces organized and sorted.


Twin basketball hoops, both sporting graphic backboards, make it easy to practice shooting indoors.



Their daughter is a fan of mustaches, so Heather painted some to create a graphic accent wall in her bedroom. The quilt is handmade by Heather’s mother.

Bed frame: Pottery Barn; stool: Target


Artful storage in the room includes a series of colorful hooks for hanging jewelry and costumes.

Wall paint: Decorators White, Benjamin Moore; white armchairs: Tullsta, Ikea


More small bins and wall racks keep the daughter’s work area tidy.

Desk: Target; green chair: Ikea

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