Sophie Demenge and Michael Ryan are the founders of Oeuf, a whimsical, eco-friendly children's clothing and furniture company in Brooklyn. Their own home, a former rooming house in Park Slope, was a "diamond in the rough" that initially resembled a "youth hostel," says Demenge. Fourteen years later, it's a colorful, cozy brownstone that serves as intermittent home base to their two college-age children, the background to many Oeuf photoshoots, and an eclectic respite for the couple and their three cats. Demenge gives HB a tour of her personal space, styled by Raina Kattelson.
It seems like the objects in this house have a life of their own. Sometimes things disappear for a few years and then come back. Michael is an antiques dealer and my mother was an antiques dealer, so there are a lot of things we both brought into our life together. I love to do trades with artist friends; we have a little cabin upstate, and we like going to auctions there. I've never thought of myself as a collector, but I am always looking and always finding things with a story when I travel. It's like a treasure hunt.
Home shouldn't really be that precious. We've always had the trapeze in the living room—my daughter and I have taken a lot of trapeze classes together in New York—and any time friends are over with young kids they swing across. We've actually had more things broken by my son kicking his soccer ball around than anyone swinging on the trapeze. I don't believe your environment should prevent you from experiencing the space. If it gets broken, it gets broken.
My mother was American but I was raised in France, so my home is a mix of the French philosophy, quality over quantity, and American pragmatism. I grew up with midcentury furniture, including an Eames lounge chair (currently upstairs). When I moved with it as an adult I realized that my sister and I put so much gum under the armrest for so many years that there was just a mountain of gum under there.
We got the dog in the living room on a trip to in Sri Lanka because it looked very much like a dog named Otis we once had. He really looked that scary! That's one of the things we'll do, 'Oh, let's bring this giant dog with us back from vacation.' We made the dining room table ourselves out of ash and this temporary base that we meant to replace, but it's been seven years now and we've yet to finish it.
On the back wall are Time magazine covers. When my mother was 13 or 14, her parents wanted her to be more educated on current events so they got her a subscription. She started to write in about whoever was on the cover that week and what she thought about it, and the editors would send her an autographed cover and a letter about their lives. It ranges from Marilyn Monroe to Alfred Hitchcock—this is just a sample of the giant stack I have.
We are recent empty nesters—my son just started college—and now more than ever my bedroom is a sanctuary for me. My husband brings me coffee in bed every morning, and I have a grounding moment of peace and quiet with my cats, who believe my bedroom is also theirs. The quilt on the bed is from Bode and is made from fabric scraps, which I love. Over the mantel, I rotate a lot of photos of my children and art that they have made over the years.
I was talking to my daughter this morning and asked her, 'What do you think my design philosophy is?' and she said, 'You don't do things because you think other people want them. You do things because it brings so much joy to you, and it will resonate with other people or not. It's personal.' If I do something it's because I really love it, and I really want to live with it. I don't try to follow trends or what other people might think, because then that's not my offering, it's just speculation. It's a gift to live with things that bring joy.
Little Things
My children used to go to summer camp every year, and they would send back things they would make me while they were there. I guess I use a lot of Sharpies because my daughter sent me a Sharpie pillow one year, which I love and is so funny. My son made the little cat, which is really sweet.
I like to be surrounded by things that make me feel good. In the kids' bathroom, a friend of mine painted the "super duper" on the wall, and a curio cabinet is filled with all the little things they used to collect or love, things that touch you.
Clockwise from left: 1. A friend made this artwork for an exhibition, and it happened to have the same name as my son—and sort of looks like him too! 2. The crocheted butterflies were something I used to sell and are handmade in Bolivia. I know every person who made them. 3. I love to collect art and have friends make things for us, like our 3-D portrait (top) and "super duper" painted on the wall. 4. Everything in the house is here because it makes me feel good.
This is my daughter's bedroom with the original prototype bed we made for a new furniture collection at Oeuf. We painted it ourselves to get the shade of red just right. Of course, she came home a few weeks ago and changed everything so already it doesn't look like this anymore.
I designed the desk (left) myself for my final project when I was a student at Pratt; I studied industrial design and specialized in furniture. Michael found the merman sculpture in Indonesia.
Shop Sophie's Favorites
Oeuf My Ride
Oeuf Mouth Shaped Pillow
Oeuf Mini Library
