There’s a lot of magic happening inside Krizia Villanueva’s downtown Madison bungalow.
On any given day, you might find her husband, Scott Leslie, playing the piano with baby Maya on his lap. Their two black labs could be napping by the fireplace. Or perhaps Krizia is finding the perfect place for a new accent to enhance the cool vintage-modern vibe that runs throughout the home.
This house is where their family comes together. But it’s also the place where their personal passions shine.
Scott is one of the owners of the Majestic Theatre, the popular King Street music venue that dates back to 1906. He’s also been a musician since he was a child, and is instilling a love of music in Maya, who was born last December.
“Scott sings to her all the time,” says Krizia. “Music is a huge part of our home life.”
And Krizia runs Oak + Olive, a company she started in 2012 to inject new life into old furniture, whether through a vibrant paint color, a bold geometric design or eye-catching hardware. She loves to think of new uses for pieces — repurposing drawers as shelves, or utilizing a dresser as a living room television stand or dining room sideboard.
“It’s all about incorporating vintage into a modern lifestyle,” she says.
The best showcase of Krizia’s impeccable design eye is her own home. While the bungalow was built in 1924 and still boasts good-bones charm, it’s a modern-day showstopper. Rich wood floors and trim mingle with gorgeous rugs in earthy tones, clean-lined midcentury furniture and classic elements like white subway tile.
“I mix things,” she says. “I like a little bit of boho, I like a little bit of modern. And I like comfort — textures and layers.”
Last year, the couple renovated their kitchen, removing walls that closed the space off from the rest of the house. This year, they turned to their ample attic space, transforming it into a master bedroom with a fireplace, a master bathroom, a laundry room, a small office nook and a sitting room, currently used as a bedroom for Maya.
While Krizia put Oak + Olive on the backburner for a few months to focus on the baby, she’s now building her business back up, but with a refreshed emphasis. She’s taking on site-specific furniture projects and whole-room design.
“It feels like a natural transition from working on specific pieces that help make a room unique to working on all the pieces of a room,” she says. “I want to help create stylish and personalized atmospheres at home.”
In pursuing their work and adjusting to a fuller life at home, Krizia, Scott and little Maya have found a new balance, their own harmony.
“We made it work and it’s feeling good now,” she says.
Photos by Beth Skogen.