
Photograph by Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn
Rebecca Puig perfects her paintings over time, adding layers and revising along the way. She takes a similar approach to decorating her family’s East Cobb home. “Being an artist gives me the knowledge that you have to experiment with a room until it feels right,” says Puig. “A good painting and a good room don’t have to be perfect, but they should have interesting patinas to express who you are.”

Photograph by Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn
The success of her Roswell-based business, Sugarboo Designs, is a testament to Puig’s eye. The University of Georgia graduate leveraged her studio art degree into a line of charming canvases, frames, pillows, and a host of other products, most featuring inspirational messages or colorful folk art designs, all created by Puig. Her wholesale business, which reaches stores nationwide (including Target), has thrived for 10 years. More recently, she and her husband, Rick, opened retail stores in Brookhaven and Cumming. The company name derives from nicknames for their children, Jake and Sophie.
At home, Sugarboo art is a playful backdrop to most rooms, and Puig picks up unique objects from fellow artisans during business travels. She’s collected kantha quilts, a type of vibrant embroidery from Southeast Asia, and scatters them about on sofas.

Photograph by Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn
On the other hand, she avoids bold colors for walls and furnishings. “Neutral walls give me a lot of flexibility,” she says. “They allow me to change a room on a whim. I can put a colorful painting on a neutral backdrop and it always works.”
Puig’s love of plants also distinguishes her style. “My mom is a gardener and always had orchids and lots of plants in our house growing up, so it just feels natural to me,” she says. “I have a plant in every room.” Puig is fond of hearty succulents as well as orchids, ferns, fiddle leaf figs, and even what she calls the mutt of houseplants, the pothos. Old metal or wooden containers add even more texture.
The one constant? Don’t expect her house to look the same in a year. “I am a bit all over the place when it comes to decorating,” she says. “All of my rooms tend to evolve over time in ways I could never predict.”
Pro resources
Art and accessories Sugarboo Designs, sugarboodesigns.com.
Get the look
Love Rebecca Puig’s style? Here’s where you can find similar furnishings
Pitted Stark industrial light, $1,850, South of Market, 345 Peachtree Hills Avenue
Eames molded plastic dowel-leg side chair, from $399, Design Within Reach, 2451 Peachtree Road
Oversized prayer beads, $120, Sugarboo & Co., Town Brookhaven
Kantha throw, $75, Kantha Collection
Dalai Lama, Book Collection, $400 (2’x3′), $600 (3’x4′), Sugarboo & Co.
Succulents and hypertufa pottery, prices vary, Southeast Succulents
Muffet Tuffet, Tibetan fur, $1,900, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, 3081 Peachtree Road
Canyon Art wood decor, $120, Stanton Home Furnishings, 1190 Huff Road
Camino round chandelier, from $995, Restoration Hardware, 3030 Peachtree Road
Stacked animals pillow with poms, $140, Sugarboo & Co.
French upholstered wing chair, from $895, Restoration Hardware
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.