This "Party Barn" Hosts Some Seriously Epic Backyard Bashes
Step aside, she-sheds. This Wilmington, Delaware, backyard boasts the ultimate in recreational retreats.
Barn envy is real. Kathryn O'Connor says she experienced it every time she took a road trip. "I became obsessed with them," she says. But wanting one and raising one are two very different things. The family of four lives in a suburban Wilmington, Delaware, neighborhood, so the whole endeavor seemed like a dream. Still, it was always top of mind, especially because Kathryn, an artist, and husband David, a drummer in a neighborhood band, craved spaces where they could pursue their individual hobbies.
And then one day in 2014, while antiquing with youngest daughter Ellie, Kathryn laid eyes on an old locker. "I happened to mention, 'If we ever build a something, I'm going to get that locker,'" she says. Ellie got the message. That Christmas, she presented her parents with that very locker and attached a note that said, "Do it." So they did.
Six months after breaking ground, the 1,000-square-foot space—nicknamed the "Suburbarn"—was ready to be filled, and Kathryn's design scheme for the place was simple: barn on the outside, camp on the inside. Thanks to the cozy, collected decor, the barn is now the gathering space for friends, family, and curious neighbors. It's also become a dream spot for both Kathryn's painting and David's drumming. ("We don't do those two things simultaneously," she says.) "I'm so grateful that we had the guts to build it," says Kathryn. "I always tell people that when it was all finished, I went through a little 'post-barnum' depression." Take a tour inside...
Front Porch
A metal porch glider, a pair of retro chairs, and a table that doubles as a two-seater bench easily accommodate a half-dozen guests, all of whom can take in one heck of a pre-show before the band takes stage: fireflies that light up the night sky. The barn doors are painted Heritage Red by Benjamin Moore.
Get the look:
Rug: Plaid cotton denim area rug by Dash & Albert
Metal Furniture: Outdoor metal seating set by Crosley, for similar look
Living Area
Plush seating—including a pair of plaid chairs found for $35 a piece—encourages kicking back, as does a clever side table that's sure to drum up conversation.
Vintage Gameboards
Even when not populated with partygoers, the barn is packed with colorful characters in the form of Kathryn's collectibles. Kathryn found her whole stash of 1950s board games on a single trip to Wilmington's The Zeppelin & The Unicorn Antique Shop. Other fill-the-shelves favorites include camp lanterns, bowling pins, and Etch A Sketch games.
Vintage Landscapes
Kathryn likes pastoral paintings because "they're reflections of where I wish my barn really was."
Dining Area
The best seats in the house? The ones around the large antique table, where guests often feast on food prepared in the main house (shuttled to the barn via red wagon!) while listening to David's band, Chester and the Bedfords, known for their rousing covers of "Mustang Sally" and "Brown Eyed Girl." When the band is on break, Sam Hunt, Diana Ross, and Zac Brown Band (among others) keep the energy up.
Bar
Kathryn's husband, David, is the Suburbarn's resident bartender. "He announces the drink of the week every Friday via text," she says. (The Turbinado is a recent favorite.) And while he was skeptical of her color choice for the painted bar (Pool Blue by Sherwin-Williams), he's come around to the "divey" hue.
Vintage Thermoses
Kathryn's obsession with vintage thermoses predates the barn. "I never pay more than $10," she says. "When dealers warn me about cracks, I say, 'Perfect! I'm not drinking out of them!'"
Art Studio
Kathryn paints farm animals in acrylic. Her supplies sit on top of a nonworking vintage stove.
Fireplace Corner
A wood-burning stove creates a cozy corner and offers plenty of heat in the winter months.
Get the look:
Wood-burning stove: Home Depot, for similar
Loft Bedroom
The phrase uttered by many a bartender—"You don't have to go home but you can't stay here"—doesn't apply in this party barn, thanks to the loft bedroom. On one side—a blanket-topped twin bed complete with a pillow sporting Teddy Roosevelt's handsome mug. During construction, a dying tree on the property required removal, so the O'Connors crafted a rustic bedside table from the stump.
Loft Bedroom
On the other end, a double bed turns the barn into comfy guest quarters...or a backyard getaway. "We like to spend weekends here when the weather is nice," says Katherine.
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