Colorfully Curated Art & Home of Shaunna Peterson

Let’s take a glimpse into the world of Shaunna Peterson, a talented artist and dedicated DIY enthusiast from Yucaipa, CA. Shaunna’s home is not just a residence but a showcase to her artistic and creative ingenuity. Filled with vibrant artwork and crafted DIY projects, her space not only embodies her artistic vision but also reflects her savvy financial stewardship, having saved over 10K through creating her own bookcase-staircase.

Beyond her home, Shaunna’s artistic journey extends to her professional endeavors. She teaches beginning drawing and figure drawing at Riverside City College and passionately paints in her spare time. In her downtime, she finds solace in gardening and nurtures a sweet obsession with honey.

What draws you to Maximalism?

As a creative, I love being surrounded by art & inspiration. Our home feels alive.. it’s constantly being added to.

What inspired you to start creating a space that is so unique?

The Staircase – in 2019, we had several people come and give us estimates on giving us a wood staircase.. they were $13k and up, without the stairskirt (the molding on the sides of the stairs). When the pandemic hit, and we were all stuck in quarantine, I asked my husband if he’d mind if I did it.

I’m not a wood worker, but I am a professional artist. He gave me the green light, so I hit all the YouTube DIY videos pretty hard. I knew I wanted to have a book themed staircase. This was my pandemic project, and I really wanted something positive to show for 2020.

When I started this project, we each wrote down our “must have” books on a list. We wanted monster books, We wanted whimsical books, We wanted books that had left a mark, books written by amazing men & women, and it all needed to be under the umbrella of “Our Favorite Books/Authors”.

It was tricky to whittle things down to 16 steps that needed to visually work together and satisfy everybody. At first I thought I’d mock it up before starting. But I ended up just going forward intuitively, hoping for the best. The part that gave me the most anxiety was the stair skirt.

I’m not mathematical by any means. I really had to slow it down and take my time. Measure twice, cut once. The risers are all hand painted with the book titles. I would paint on to new risers, then varnish and install them.

I saved us at least 10k.

I ordered new treads from an outside company. While waiting for them to be delivered, our town caught on fire thanks to a gender reveal gone horribly wrong. That fire was so scary, and when we thought we were safe, there was a wind event that threatened to push it back toward our home. Our town was shut down for a week and a half.

No school, nobody allowed to enter the area. Once the treads finally arrived, and I could finish, it was the most wonderful feeling of accomplishment (and relief)! Everyone in our house is well represented in this staircase. I did what I set out to do, and since I saved us at least 10k in doing so, we bought an iron stair rail to accompany the new steps. I’m pretty proud of myself, this was a lot of hard work.

Why Most Art Platforms Are A Scam for Artists

How long have you been creating maximalist spaces? When did you first get inspired?

I have always loved maximalism, but it’s taken quite a few years of my husband & I collecting pieces of art, antiques and collectibles to get the space where it is today. Whenever we add something new, I try to make sure there’s a proper place for it, so it doesn’t look like an overwhelming mess. I try to be as thoughtful with the space as possible. Every object in here is part of a story.What is your favorite room that you have decorated and why? What about it makes it your favorite? My favorite room would have to be our guest bathroom. Our youngest is on the autism spectrum, and one of his obsessions is the Haunted Mansion from Disneyland. At first I dedicated a wall in our living room to it for him. But a couple of years ago he asked if I could decorate that bathroom like the Haunted Mansion. I hand painted the walls, and hand painted a lot of the art from the ride to tuck into that bathroom. The lights flicker in there and when you turn out the lights, the eyes on the “wallpaper” glow. I have a candle in there that smells like the ride.