The Charming L.A. Home of ‘This Is Us’ Star Susan Kelechi Watson
You might know Susan Kelechi Watson from her role as Beth from the constant-sob-inducing show This Is Us, or recognize her as Janet, the ex-wife from Louie. But there’s more to Susan than her impeccable acting skills—she also has an amazing Los Angeles apartment that’s chock-full of personality.
Her home feels welcoming, airy, and full of color and fun. When she first moved in, her apartment was scraping by with just the bare minimum—she had just enough to get ready for work and to hang out a little before bed. Her bedroom had nothing in it other than a bed frame with a tufted headboard and a single dresser with a mess of jewelry on top (so relatable) and her living room had a sectional sofa and a lamp in the corner, with a painting propped on the floor; i.e. every adult who is too busy grinding at work to focus on decorating.
But that didn’t last long: Susan teamed up with HomeGoods to bring her vision for an Afrocentric-glam look to life; she employed natural wood elements, bright pops of citrus colors, and luxurious textures throughout. We caught up with the actress to learn more about how her home came together:
Makeover goal:
“I had an idea of focusing on Afrocentric patterns and Caribbean hues, and I wanted to bring light and color into the space. I kept thinking of orange for some reason, and that became one of our themes. I like a place that feels bright and airy, easy to move through, with an open floor plan and attention to detail (but not so much detail that it feels overdone).”
Any challenges?
“I actually didn’t face any challenges! HomeGoods has so many ‘treats’ that I found the whole process to be really easy. Once thing I did find: If you start with the rug in the room first, you’re kind of halfway there, and everything finds its way after that.”
Favorite aspect of decorating:
“I love the idea of accessorizing, whether that’s with frames, candles, pillows, or throws. That really excites me. That idea of finding the exact right little thing, items that just feel unique, and very specific to ‘me,’ that is really important.
Knick-knacks vs. meaningful decor:
“I like having things, but I like them also to be useful so it’s not just a bunch of stuff all over the place.”
Fail-safe decorating move:
“It’s all about curtains! All the curtains just completed the room and made it look amazing.”
Best advice for our readers:
“The best advice I can give you is to narrow down what your theme is, what you want to pop, and what colors you want. Know the scene [you want to create]. Once you decide that, you can really start to home in on [the right] things. You have to have a starting point so that your eye is a little more focused when you go to the store and you don’t get inundated with choices.”
Thank you Susan for taking the time to chat and for sharing your home with us!