Living Room
MACKENZIE TOWNE — The Captain's Quarters
This project began during a difficult time to sell a home. The house had been listed, taken off the market, and relisted more than once — something about it just wasn't connecting with buyers. When the family invited me to take a look, I noticed it right away: a large architectural block standing in the middle of the main living space, under the staircase. It felt empty, awkward, and a little sad — the kind of blank spot that quietly drains the energy out of a room, even if no one can quite say why. Since the home was well suited to a family with one child, I proposed something different: a treasure map. A nautical mural that could turn that awkward corner into a story — a hand-painted, weathered map complete with a compass, a rose of wind, and a sailing ship, paired with a custom decorative door built to feel like the entrance to a ship captain's cabin. Living room and staircase together became "The Captain's Quarters" — a space made for imagination, for a parent and child to explore side by side. The process, as always, was full of discovery — equal parts craft and play. And once the mural was finished, the house went back on the market. This time, it sold within two to three months.
This project began during a difficult time to sell a home. The house had been listed, taken off the market, and relisted more than once — something about it just wasn't connecting with buyers. When the family invited me to take a look, I noticed it right away: a large architectural block standing in the middle of the main living space, under the staircase. It felt empty, awkward, and a little sad — the kind of blank spot that quietly drains the energy out of a room, even if no one can quite say why. Since the home was well suited to a family with one child, I proposed something different: a treasure map. A nautical mural that could turn that awkward corner into a story — a hand-painted, weathered map complete with a compass, a rose of wind, and a sailing ship, paired with a custom decorative door built to feel like the entrance to a ship captain's cabin. Living room and staircase together became "The Captain's Quarters" — a space made for imagination, for a parent and child to explore side by side. The process, as always, was full of discovery — equal parts craft and play. And once the mural was finished, the house went back on the market. This time, it sold within two to three months.
