Quick Takes With: Phoebe Sung

If you’ve ever scrolled past a rug with boobs, a bathmat with legs, or a blanket that looks like a still from an indie film and thought, “Wait, I kind of love that,” you’ve probably met the world of Cold Picnicand, by extension, the mind of Phoebe Sung. In a recent installment of Quick Takes on Remodelista, Sung offers a bite-size glimpse into her approach to home, color, and the art of making spaces feel beautifully imperfect. What looks like a simple Q&A is actually a crash course in how to live with more personality, less perfectionism, and a lot more joy.

This guide unpacks that Remodelista feature and zooms out: Who is Phoebe Sung? What is Cold Picnic and why is everyone obsessed with their textiles? And, most importantly, how can you steal her “jolie-laide” style (French for “pretty-ugly” in the best possible way) for your own home without completely gutting your spaceor your budget? Let’s dive into the world of Quick Takes, Cold Picnic, and casually cool interiors.

Meet Phoebe Sung: The Eye Behind Cold Picnic

Before she became a go-to name in design circles, Phoebe Sung studied fine arts and worked in corporate fashion as an apparel designer. That backgroundwith its mix of color theory, fabric knowledge, and an eye for wearabilitynow shows up in her home textiles: rugs, bathmats, quilts, and blankets that feel like tiny, tactile art installations you also happen to walk on.

In 2010, Sung co-founded Cold Picnic with her partner, print designer Peter Buer. The pair met in Boston in 2006, bonded over art and design, and eventually moved to New York, where they’ve been living, working, and collaborating ever since. Cold Picnic’s pieces are known for their abstract, sometimes cheeky motifs and a color palette that often sits on the edge of “Wait, does that go together?”and then totally does.

Over the years, their work has expanded from small-scale textiles to a recognizable design language: playful shapes, surprising color pairings, and a willingness to lean into the slightly offbeat. It’s this language that Remodelista celebrates in its Quick Takes feature on Sunga micro-interview format that suits her sharp, intuitive way of thinking about home.

What Is the Remodelista “Quick Takes” Series?

Remodelista’s Quick Takes series is essentially a lightning-round interview: short, tightly edited questions aimed at designers, stylists, writers, and creatives whose homes and work embody the “considered” aesthetic the site is known for. Think of it as the design-nerd version of a celebrity “What’s In My Bag?” feature.

Rather than focusing on long, sprawling profiles, Quick Takes asks pointed questions: What’s your design motto? What object could you never part with? What’s the best under-$100 thing in your home? The answers provide a snapshot of how someone lives day to daywhat they actually care about when the cameras are off and the kids, pets, and delivery boxes are very much present.

With Phoebe Sung, this format works perfectly. Her work is already distilled into simple, graphic shapes; her answers feel the sameclean, direct, and quietly funny. The Quick Takes feature is less about brand promotion and more about revealing the personal logic behind her aesthetic: a love of “unconventional beauty,” lived-in spaces, and humor baked into the details.

Inside Phoebe Sung’s Design Philosophy

In the Remodelista feature, Phoebe describes her design style as “jolie-laide”. Literally, the French phrase translates to “pretty-ugly,” but it really means beautiful because it’s unconventional. The idea is that something can be charming, even captivating, precisely because it doesn’t fit a standard ideal.

You can see that philosophy clearly in Cold Picnic’s textiles: abstract bodies, off-kilter shapes, and color palettes that pair soothing pastels with muddy, challenging tones. These are not quiet background rugs; they’re statement pieces that make a room feel lived in, loved, and a little weirdin the best way.

Sung’s work also leans into humor. The now-iconic torso and boob rugs introduced a playful, body-positive twist into the interiors world. Instead of pristinely styled, intimidating spaces, her designs encourage homes that feel relaxed and slightly mischievous. When your bathmat looks like a reclining figure and your living room rug references a French art film, you’ve officially opted out of boring.

Color, Pattern, and Play

Color is where Sung’s sensibility really shines. In her own Queens townhouse, each room has its own mood: citron walls in a playroom, peach and mustard tones in the kitchen, butter-yellow wallpaper in the bedroom, and Pink-with-a-capital-P moments that don’t apologize for being cheerful. Rather than chasing a single “neutral” palette, she treats the house like a series of scenes, each with its own color story.

The key move here is contrast. A pale cream rug might sit next to lavender, olive, or mustard; a soft peach wall stands behind bold graphic textiles. These juxtapositions keep spaces from feeling flat or overly coordinated. The message: you’re allowed to mix “pretty” with “awkward,” glossy with handmade, minimal lines with quirky silhouettes. That friction is where the magic happens.

Quick Takes From Phoebe’s Home Life

While the Quick Takes format doesn’t give a full house tour, it aligns neatly with what we know about her real-life home. The townhouse she shares with her partner and two children isn’t an open-plan white boxit has a traditional layout with distinct rooms. Instead of fighting that, Sung embraces it. Every space gets its own identity, mood, and micro-story.

This approach is deeply practical for family life. A playroom with darker walls and rich color can hide kid fingerprints and art projects; a living room anchored by a hardworking, patterned rug can camouflage spills while still feeling chic. Bedrooms can be calmer (or notsometimes a bold wallpaper is exactly what you need to wake up excited).

Sung’s design choices also reflect a classic Remodelista theme: function first, beauty always. Bookshelves are built to fit real, accumulated books; textiles are durable enough for dogs, kids, and everyday wear; lighting and furniture are often vintage or repurposed, giving the space a layered, time-earned personality rather than a showroom shine.

How to Steal Her Look on Any Budget

You might not be ready to wallpaper an entire basement in a cherry-blossom pattern, but you can absolutely borrow the core principles of Phoebe Sung’s style for your own home. Think of her aesthetic as a three-part formula: one bold anchor piece, a mix of “pretty” and “offbeat” accents, and a commitment to real-life functionality.

1. Start With a Signature Rug

For Sung, rugs are not an afterthoughtthey’re the foundation. A single hand-tufted or woven rug with a strong graphic pattern can set the tone for an entire room. Even if you’re not investing in a Cold Picnic original, look for pieces with:

• Abstract shapes rather than literal motifs
• Unexpected color combos (peach and olive, lavender and mustard, cream with black and blush)
• Variation in pile or texture to add dimension underfoot

Place that rug first, then build your room around it. Let its colors dictate your throw pillows, artwork, or even one accent wall. The rug becomes a visual “script,” and everything else is casting.

2. Layer in “Pretty-Ugly” Accents

This is where the jolie-laide concept comes into play. Instead of chasing perfectly matched decor, deliberately introduce one or two pieces that feel slightly offan oddball lamp, a vintage chair with a strange silhouette, a piece of art that’s more funny than conventionally beautiful.

In practical terms, that might mean:

• Pairing a sleek sofa with a boldly patterned, almost cartoonish throw
• Hanging a child’s drawing in a gilded antique frame
• Using a quirky bathmat or shower curtain that makes you smile every time you see it

The goal isn’t chaos; it’s charm. These “pretty-ugly” elements break up the monotony of safe choices and make your home feel personal rather than algorithm-approved.

3. Make It Family-Friendly and Real Life-Proof

One of the most refreshing things about Sung’s work is that it never forgets people actually live in these spaces. Kids spill stuff. Pets shed. Partners leave coffee cups on every surface like it’s a sport.

To channel her approach, focus on materials and layouts that can take a hit:

• Choose durable fibers for rugs and upholsterywool, cotton, or blends designed for high traffic.
• Opt for patterned textiles that hide stains better than solid colors.
• Use closed storage (bins, cabinets, baskets) to catch the day-to-day clutter without killing the vibe.
• Let decor double as functional: hooks for kids’ bags, low shelves for toys, trays for corralling random objects.

A considered home doesn’t mean an immaculate one. It means a space where your life fits comfortablyand still looks interesting on a Tuesday afternoon.

Why Remodelista Loves Designers Like Phoebe

Remodelista has built its reputation as a “sourcebook for the considered home,” spotlighting people who balance practicality with aesthetic clarity. Phoebe Sung fits that brief perfectly. Her work is graphic and bold, but never precious; her home is colorful and quirky, but never chaotic.

The Quick Takes format showcases what Remodelista does best: translating lofty design ideas into human-scale habits. When Sung talks about her style or favorite objects, she isn’t just describing productsshe’s describing a mindset. It’s about care, not perfection; personality, not performance.

For readers, that’s the real value. You may not need a torso bathmat (though no judgment if you do), but you can walk away with tangible ideas: mix colors more bravely, treat rugs like art, frame your kids’ drawings like museum pieces, and stop worrying if guests will think your home is “too much.” If it feels like you, that’s exactly enough.

How to Bring a “Quick Takes” Mindset Into Your Own Home

One hidden lesson in the Quick Takes series is that constraints are actually your friend. Most of the creatives Remodelista features are working within real-world limits: rental rules, small footprints, shared spaces, or tight budgets. Sung is no exception.

To apply that mindset, ask yourself a few “quick takes” about your own home:

• What’s one object I truly love? Make that your starting point, like Phoebe does with an anchor rug or artwork.
• Where can I add one unexpected color? A lampshade, a pillow, a painted trim, or even just a tray.
• What can I upgrade from purely functional to quietly joyful? Swap a boring bathmat, get a patterned dish towel, or change a plain lampshade.

The idea is not to overhaul everything at once, but to make small, confident moves. Over time, those tiny changes add up to a home that feels as articulate and expressive as a well-edited interview.

Experiences: Living With “Jolie-Laide” Style Inspired by Phoebe Sung

To really understand the appeal of Phoebe Sung’s aesthetic, it helps to imagine what it’s like to live with it day in and day out. Picture walking into a home that doesn’t apologize for being colorful or a bit odd. The living room rug is abstract and bold; at first glance, guests tilt their heads and smile because they’re not totally sure what they’re looking at. After a few minutes, someone inevitably asks, “Where did you get this?” That’s the quiet power of a Phoebe-inspired piece: it starts conversations without trying too hard.

In a family home, this approach does more than just look goodit changes how people use the space. Kids feel free to sprawl out on the floor because the rug is thick, soft, and forgiving. Pets curl up on the corner of a patterned blanket that doesn’t show every stray hair. Adults stop obsessing over every potential scuff mark because the room already has intentionally imperfect details built in. The design signals: “This house is for living, not for tiptoeing.”

One common experience people report when they introduce bold textiles or “pretty-ugly” accents is an unexpected sense of freedom. When everything in a room is carefully matched and perfectly neutral, the space can become oddly rigidlike a hotel lobby you’re scared to mess up. But when a home includes unusual color combinations, slightly offbeat shapes, and playful motifs, it sends the message that experimentation is welcome. You’re more likely to try hanging art a little lower, mix in a thrifted side table, or let your kids pick their own bedding. The house becomes a collaboration instead of a top-down design decree.

There’s also an emotional layer to this style. Living with objects that make you smilewhether it’s a rug with a subtle figure in it or a bathmat shaped like a landscapecreates tiny moments of delight in your daily routines. You step out of the shower, see something funny or unexpectedly beautiful at your feet, and your brain gets a micro-dose of joy. Over time, those small moments build a sense of warmth and attachment to your space. The home feels less like a backdrop and more like an active participant in your life.

Another experience that often comes with adopting this kind of aesthetic is a shift in how you think about “good taste.” At first, it can be intimidating to choose colors or shapes that aren’t obviously safe. But as you live with them, you start trusting your own eye more. You learn that a muddy olive can be gorgeous next to a delicate lavender, or that a slightly awkward vintage lamp can be the thing that makes a room feel grounded and human. This mirrors Phoebe Sung’s own journeyfrom corporate fashion norms to a more intuitive, personal design language through Cold Picnic and her home.

Finally, there’s the long-term effect: a home that tells a story. Over the years, a Phoebe-inspired space doesn’t age out of style so much as it evolves. You might swap rugs between rooms, repaint a wall to echo a new textile, or bring in artwork that echoes a color from a bathmat you’ve loved for years. Because the foundation is rooted in personality rather than trends, the house continues to feel fresh without needing a full reset every season. That’s the real lesson of Quick Takes with Phoebe Sung: when you commit to living with unconventional beauty, your home becomes a place where quirks are cherished, not correctedand that’s a design philosophy worth keeping.

Conclusion

Quick Takes With: Phoebe Sung is more than a charming Remodelista interview; it’s a compact manifesto for joyful, unconventional living. Through her work with Cold Picnic and her approach to her own home, Sung shows that a considered space doesn’t have to be serious, symmetrical, or neutral. It can be offbeat, funny, and deeply personaland still feel incredibly put together.

Whether you’re ready to invest in a statement rug, repaint a room in a daring color, or simply frame your kids’ artwork like gallery pieces, taking cues from Phoebe’s “jolie-laide” style can loosen up your design instincts and help you create a home that looks like you, not like a catalog. And that, ultimately, is what Remodelista and designers like Sung are really championing: a lifeand a living roomthat’s thoughtfully designed, fully lived in, and never afraid of a little weirdness.