actress megan ferguson gives us southern style in socal

written by  ELIZABETH WALLACE photography by NANCY NEIL

Actress

brings her Georgia roots and sharp wit to a sunny Los Angeles abode.

PAINT COLOR Smokey Blue by Syndey Harbour Paint sydneyharbourpaints.com

GEORGIA ON HER MIND

“As a general rule,” says Los Angeles-based actress megan Ferguson, “I think bad taste is better than good taste.” Southern-born Ferguson, who appears on FX show The Comedians, and worked on Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men, describes her aesthetic as south-Georgia-meets-south-California. “I’m an actress, so I’m impulsive and emotional, and that extends to my home. I try to make rooms happy and not too serious. A neon sign and a pink sofa signal that you’re allowed to be a little naughty.” To that end, dinner parties with friends and lots of wine morph into dance parties, and sometimes even sleepovers.

“Pink is the color that knows not everyone likes it, but is still having the best time at the party,” Ferguson says of the coral sofa (above) and pale pink shell chair (below) in her living room.

NEON SIGN by Doug Crocco PINK FABRIC (on couch) Antique Strie Velvet in Coral by Schumacher fschumacher.com

Ferguson compromised the pink in favor of a “gender-neutral” but still fun black-and-white headboard for the master bedroom.

OFF THE WALL

“Patterns are emotional for me,” says Ferguson of the sunny, wonderfully surreal home she shares with husband, actor Nico Evers-Swindell, and baby daughter Beatrix. A palm tree light fixture, sherbet-toned chairs, and floral wallpaper anchor a dining room that is reminiscent of her grandmother’s. The “high and mighty bastards” sign, salvaged from her grandfather’s office, serves as a “wonderful daily mantra.” Her bathroom houses a unique wedding gift: a skull from a deer that once roamed her family’s Georgia property. “I like to honor southern traditions but make them authentic to our life.”

Wallpaper is everywhere. The powder room features a gold bee motif (for baby Bea); the dining room, a bright vine that evokes the ‘50s feel of Ferguson’s grandparents’ house.

 Bumble Bee BP by Farrow & Ball us.farrow-ball.com  NK HAND SCONCE by Nickey Keyhoe from $815 nickeykehoe.com

BRASSERIE CHAIR by Serena & Lily $120 Vintage Table from

hollywoodathome.com  WALLPAPER Great Vine by Cole and Son cole-and-son.com

The family room houses a framed taxidermy snake and shark head that Ferguson “found on eBay in a particularly deep dive.”

WALLPAPER Papier Bois by Nobilis nobilis.fr  PHOTOGRAPH “Famous Artists” by Minta Maria mintamaria.com

CREATURE COMFORTS

“In the south, animals are a very big part of interior design,” says Ferguson. “Some people have entire rooms for their hunting trophies. A good friend once said, ‘I think it’s a good idea to have a critter in every room.’ The family room modernizes that philosophy, adding contemporary taxidermy to a room that features calming faux-bois wallpaper, a “strong lady boss” of a chandelier, and a throw rug a la “The Big Lebowski.”

HANGING RATTAN CHAIR by Serena & Lily

“I LIKE HAVING MY SOUTHERN ROOTS IN THE HOUSE.”