Unexpected Spaces Beautifully Designed — interior design collaboration featuring wallpaper by Sabina Maria Design and interiors by Susan Eilefson.

Unexpected Spaces, Beautifully Designed | Mudroom & Pool House Wallpaper Inspiration

March 6, 2026

A Creative Collaboration with Interior Designer Susan Eilefson

One of my favourite parts of being a surface pattern designer is seeing how interior designers interpret my work in ways I never could have imagined.

Last year, I had the pleasure of collaborating with interior designer Susan Eilefson to explore how bold wallpaper can transform interiors into spaces full of personality and charm. If you’d like to revisit that project, you can read our first collaboration here:
Bold & Beautiful Interiors with Susan Eilefson

Susan’s work is known for its joyful use of colour, pattern, and texture, layered in ways that feel elevated yet deeply livable.

This year, Susan created two new spaces featuring my hand-painted wallpaper designs and they might be some of my favourites yet.

Rather than focusing on traditional living areas, Susan chose two spaces that are often overlooked in the design world: a mudroom and a pool house changing room.

These hardworking rooms are typically designed purely for function, but Susan shows how thoughtful design choices can transform them into spaces that feel inviting, expressive, and full of personality.

Let’s step inside.

About Susan Eilefson Interiors

Interior designer Susan Eilefson of Susan Eilefson Interiors featured in a collaboration with Sabina Maria Design wallpaper.

Interior designer Susan Eilefson is known for creating spaces that feel joyful, layered, and deeply personal. Based in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, Susan has a passion for helping homeowners design beautiful, welcoming interiors using thoughtful combinations of colour, pattern, and texture.

Beyond her design work, Susan draws inspiration from the places and experiences that shape her creative eye. She has a special love for Round Top, Texas, where antique markets and historic charm offer endless inspiration for collected interiors. Travel also plays an important role in her creative process, exposing her to new textures, colours, and design perspectives that naturally weave their way into her work.

Family is at the heart of everything Susan does, and that sense of warmth and hospitality is reflected in the homes she designs — spaces meant to be lived in, gathered in, and enjoyed with the people who matter most.

Susan’s design process is also highly collaborative. For this project, she worked closely with her assistant Cally Stanich, who helped bring the vision to life through the thoughtful moodboards featured in this post. From sourcing materials and organizing design elements to refining the visual presentation of each space, Cally’s attention to detail and thoughtful approach helped shape the final concepts beautifully.

Working with Susan and Cally throughout this collaboration has been such a pleasure. Their process is incredibly organized, creative, and intentional, making the entire experience seamless and inspiring.

And if you follow Susan on Instagram, you’ll quickly notice that her creativity doesn’t stop at interiors. Her personal style is just as inspiring as the spaces she designs, with wardrobes that feel as thoughtfully curated and expressive as her interiors.

A Vibrant Pool House Changing Room

Pool house changing room featuring Mosaic Watercolour wallpaper by Sabina Maria Design, blue tile flooring, and natural rattan decor.

Colourful pool house changing room featuring Mosaic Watercolour wallpaper by Sabina Maria Design and layered natural textures by Susan Eilefson Interiors.

Susan’s pool house design immediately transports you to a relaxed summer afternoon, the kind spent lounging beside the pool with sunshine, music, and friends.

As Susan describes it:

“Everybody dreams of having a fabulous pool house with a fun and functional changing room. This vibrant mosaic wallpaper transports me to a relaxing Saturday afternoon lounging at a friend’s pool with 80s music playing in the background and a citrusy cocktail in my hand.”

Inspired by the lively palette of the wallpaper, Susan layered tones throughout the room rather than matching colours exactly.

“When designing this space, I channeled SoCal vibes playing off the juicy colors in the wallpaper and leaned heavily into natural fiber accents. The saturated orange sink and artwork are intentionally more intense than the tones found in the wallpaper, kicking it up a notch.”

Layering Texture for a Relaxed Poolside Feel

A fun changing room also benefits from layered textures that help balance vibrant colour.

The Fiji blue glossy porcelain tile floor provides a crisp architectural base, while natural fiber elements soften the space and reinforce its laid-back atmosphere.

“A fun changing room also needs lots of layered textures to keep the laid-back vibe going. The stronger textures of the orange concrete sink and glossy porcelain tile strike the perfect balance to the softer fiber-rich accessories in the room.”

The jute rug offers a comfortable place to dry off after a swim, while the oversized abaca chandelier introduces warmth and sculptural texture overhead.

Even everyday poolside essentials become design elements.

“When given the opportunity to mix in a stripe with virtually anything, I will take it. Citrus-striped beach towels serve as their own type of artwork hung casually on the wall or rolled in a natural fiber floor basket.”

A breezy rattan privacy screen provides a stylish place to change in and out of clothes, while a potted palm tree brings a lush biophilic touch of greenery into the room.

The result is a pool house changing room that feels vibrant, relaxed, and full of personality.

Design takeaway: Don’t be afraid to let wallpaper lead the colour story — layering textures and natural materials keeps vibrant palettes feeling balanced and relaxed.

An Elevated Mudroom with English Country Charm

English country inspired mudroom featuring Tulip Vines botanical wallpaper by Sabina Maria Design and blue cabinetry designed by Susan Eilefson Interiors.

English country inspired mudroom featuring Tulip Vines botanical wallpaper by Sabina Maria Design, styled by Susan Eilefson Interiors.

Mudrooms are often the hardest-working spaces in a home, a places where coats, shoes, and everyday essentials are stored as family members move in and out throughout the day.

But as Susan beautifully explains, functionality should never mean sacrificing beauty.

“As a designer, I love nothing more than making functional spaces — laundry rooms, pantries, and mudrooms — unexpected and beautiful.”

The moment she saw the tulip vine wallpaper, Susan knew it would transform the space.

“As soon as I saw this gorgeous tulip vine wallpaper, I knew it would be the perfect backdrop for a mudroom found in either an English country house or a modern farmhouse.”

Rather than installing built-in cabinetry, Susan selected a deep blue freestanding hall tree, which stands beautifully against the wallpaper and creates a striking contrast.

White crown molding and wainscoting frame the pattern while allowing the wallpaper to shine.

A Balance of Pattern and Practicality

Underfoot, a terra-cotta star and cross porcelain tile floor introduces durability while adding subtle pattern and warmth.

“The terra-cotta colored porcelain tile floor is durable, camouflages dirt well, and provides the perfect balance of subdued pattern to the floral wallpaper.”

A mossy green jute rug grounds the space and ties into the green tones in the wallpaper.

Practical accessories complete the room, including a gold mirror and umbrella holder, while woven baskets beneath the bench provide stylish storage.

Susan also incorporated artwork into the space and it's something I personally love.

“Beautiful artwork should be scattered throughout one’s home, including in the mudroom. Display art that speaks to you, no matter the theme or medium, and your space will always make you smile.”

Lighting and hardware serve as the finishing touches.

“Lighting and cabinet hardware are the crown jewels of a space.”

Here, the mercury glass bell jar lantern provides the perfect final detail.

Design takeaway: Even the most practical spaces deserve beauty. A statement wallpaper paired with durable materials can transform a hardworking room into something memorable.

The Wallpaper Behind the Design

Mosaic Watercolour wallpaper by Sabina Maria Design featuring hand-painted pastel shapes inspired by Mediterranean tile patterns.

Hand-painted Tulip Vines botanical wallpaper by Sabina Maria Design featuring soft green watercolor leaves on a neutral background.

As an artist and surface pattern designer, one of the most rewarding parts of my work is seeing how wallpaper can shape the atmosphere of a space. A pattern doesn’t simply sit on a wall — it becomes part of the emotional language of a room.

Both of these designs highlight how wallpaper can serve as the starting point for an entire interior story.

In the pool house changing room, the colourful Mosaic Watercolour wallpaper brings energy, movement, and a sense of playful nostalgia, evoking sunny afternoons, poolside laughter, and the relaxed joy of summer living. This design is exclusively available through Funky Paper Co.

In the mudroom, the Tulip Vines wallpaper introduces softness and quiet charm, transforming a hardworking pass-through space into something welcoming and layered with beauty. Tulip Vines is available through Funky Paper Co., Wallpaper Online Canada, Spoonflower, and on my website at Sabina Maria Design.

Seeing these designs interpreted through Susan’s thoughtful approach to colour, texture, and composition is incredibly inspiring.

Interior design moodboard featuring botanical wallpaper, tile textures, and natural materials for a pool house design concept.

Where Art Meets Interior Design

What I love most about this collaboration is the reminder that design magic often happens in the places we least expect.

A mudroom.
A changing room.
Spaces we typically move through quickly.

Yet with thoughtful layering, beautiful materials, and intentional design choices, these everyday rooms become moments of joy within a home.

Susan’s designs show that when wallpaper, colour, and texture are used creatively, even the most practical spaces can feel welcoming, expressive, and full of personality.

As a surface pattern designer, seeing my work interpreted through the lens of talented interior designers is always incredibly inspiring. Susan’s vision brought these spaces to life in such a joyful and layered way, transforming everyday rooms into something truly memorable. A special thank you to Susan for designing these beautiful interiors, and to Cally for all of the thoughtful behind-the-scenes work that helped bring this blog together. It's been an absolute joy to work with you both!

Interior designers interested in incorporating my wallpaper into their own projects are always welcome to reach out. I love collaborating with creatives who see walls as a canvas for storytelling.