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The centerpiece of the dining room is an ornate light fixture resembling a fireworks burst on the Fourth of July. The cabinet to the left contains some of the diverse collections intermingled together. The flowers on the table are actually made of Legos. Chairs were inherited and reupholstered with a striped fabric and painted purple.
This is one of several poster-size prints displayed throughout the residence taken when Britt was in art school spending a year dressed as a “plus-size Barbie doll obsessed with doughnuts.” A plate of doughnuts can be seen on the shelf under the sink, and the dozen doughnuts tattooed on her chest remain today, where she says they are ”close to my heart.”
The son’s bedroom contains a bed in the shape of a boat, complete with a wooden deck. A lifeboat ring over the bed reads "USS Bob Hope." Colors on match popular colors found on Lego blocks. A Lego table at the bottom of the photo is a map of neighborhood streets.
To the right of the banister, the front yard has been turned into raised beds for growing vegetables. A lending library near the street has been colorfully painted by Tate, who is an art teacher. During COVID, she taught art via the internet in her home studio inside the turret room on the second floor. The sign on the yard reads: No matter where you are from we are glad you are our neighbor.
A daughter's bedroom contains a bounty of art supplies and a collection of a few of the Hello Kitty pillows shown here on the bed, but found throughout the home. Circles of color on the ceiling help create a happy space.
More than one visit is required to see the eclectic décor in the home of Britt Tate-Beaugard and Tim Beaugard. But, after each visit you would leave appreciating anew the creativity, whimsey, self-deprecating humor, and spirit of inclusiveness and respect for others on display.
Collections are a theme present in the décor, but by design they are not relegated to a tidy display cabinet or grouped together on a wall. Many of the collections are intermingled together appearing in almost every room, transforming the entire dwelling into a single collection of collections. Examples include assembled Legos kits like the orchids in perpetual bloom on the dining room table. (Is that another in the corner? No, those and a hundred other plants are real.)
Other collections include hundreds of coffee mugs (Tim’s middle name Is Coffey), Bundt pans in different shapes and colors on kitchen walls, signed concert posters in stairwells and Hello Kitty pillows wherever there is a bed or chair. The tiny faces of famous personalities sitting atop shelves and on the fireplace mantel are limited edition pop culture Funko collectibles of personalities like John Belushi.
Next to a photo of the children, an extensive collection of Pez dispensers is displayed on the dining room wall, arranged in the colors of a rainbow. The collection continues on an unseen adjacent wall.
Barbie dolls are omnipresent, too, most still in their original boxes. They harken back to when Britt was in art school and for a year she lived her everyday, actual life dressed as she describes a “plus-size Barbie doll obsessed with doughnuts."
That unusual period is remembered through a series of photos blown up and displayed on the walls. One 3-foot-by-4-foot image shows her getting ready to party in a bathroom with doughnuts under the sink.
In fact, Britt has a dozen doughnuts tattooed on her chest. “That way they are always close to my heart,” she says. A photo of a 3-foot-tall donut is propped atop the refrigerator in the kitchen near a sign that reads: "DONUTS-Open all night."
Pop artists Andy Warhol and Keith Haring are favorite artists, represented by posters of their work on walls, as well as a solid sleeve of tattoos of Warhol art on Britt’s right arm and leg.
Famed family photos taken at Christmas showcase creativity in photography. In one, son Lincoln at age 2 is dressed in a stovetop hat and thick black beard and holding an Abraham Lincoln doll. In another the twins at age 1 are shown covered in fake tattoos that mimic their heavily tattooed parents.
A cherished photo of her grandmother displays her image as a kaleidoscope pattern.
“I live in a bubble of love and inclusiveness,” Britt exclaims while explaining the meaning behind a neon sign aglow in the living room reading “Shantay, you stay.” The words have been made popular by drag queen entertainer and producer Ru Paul. Loosely translated, the meaning is an “encouragement for someone to stay and continue doing well.”
Tim Beaugard and their dog, Wall-E, watch a baseball game in the living room, and under a bright crimson neon sign reading Ru Paul's “Shantay, you stay.” To the right of the couch is a photo of decorated doughnuts.
“I am a big fan of the costuming, creativity and self-deprecating humor it takes to be a drag queen,” Britt says.
While an ardent supporter of LBGTQ causes, the ever-present rainbow theme in the home is actually the result of her appreciation of colors arranged in a pleasing sequence. That is why the family collection of 100 plus Pez dispensers individually displayed on the dining room wall are arranged in the hues of a rainbow.
“I have been known to go into a friend’s house and rearrange their books so the spines are in a rainbow pattern,” she says acknowledging it is an urge she cannot control.
Her appreciation of color is also evident on the walls of the residence. The living and dining rooms are a deep purple, like the color of Britt’s hair the last seven years. The kitchen ceiling is pink with sparkles mixed in glittering in the paint. “I wanted to paint the walls like that “she says, but my husband did not agree. When he was gone on a trip, I painted the ceiling. It took him months to notice.”
In her son’s room the walls and ceiling colors were copied from Lego blocks. “We took Legos to Home Depot so they could custom mix the colors for a perfect match,” she says.
The areas of the home that are part of the original architecture, like the wooden staircase, the stained-glass window on the staircase landing, and the wooden fireplace mantel are off limits to Britt’s creative urges. She has promised her family, parents, and in-laws she will not touch them.
“My home is my little creative space, someplace where I want to be,” she says, adding that “it is my self-care. I am cool with excess.”
“When friends come over, they say everything looks good here, but that it is not their style,” Britt says. “When I go to their house my thought is that they have too much empty wall space!”
From left, Tim Beaugard, Jamieson, 10, Lincoln, 9, Kenley, 9 and Britt Tate along with Aretha the cat and Wall-E the dog.
Occupation • She is an elementary classroom art teacher in two St. Louis City schools with an undergraduate degree in print making from Columbia College Chicago, and a master’s degree in print media from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Detroit. Recently she completed her doctorate in sustainability, social justice and participatory culture at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Tim was a Merchant Marine serving on ships for three-month tours of duty before staying home to help raise their children. Currently he is an analyst for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
Family • A 10-year-old daughter, and 9-year-old boy and girl twins. Wall-E is a one-eyed bull terrier who lives with a trio of cats named Jack, Aretha and Katya. Brunilla is a white and black rabbit that roams the second floor of the home and the hallways in the schools where Tate teaches.
Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard have a growing collection of more than 300 pez dispensers, most of which are lined up in rainbow order on their dining room wall, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
The colorful front door on the home of Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard in the Shaw neighborhood, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard's kitchen includes collections of mugs, Barbie doll decor, donut decor and family photos in their colorful home in the Shaw neighborhood, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
The living room is painted purple in Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard's home in the Shaw neighborhood, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard have a growing collection of more than 300 pez dispensers, most of which are lined up in rainbow order on their dining room wall, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
From left, Tim Beaugard, Jamieson, 10, Lincoln, 9, Kenley, 9 and Britt Tate along with Aretha the cat and Wall-E the dog.
The son’s bedroom contains a bed in the shape of a boat, complete with a wooden deck. A lifeboat ring over the bed reads "USS Bob Hope." Colors on match popular colors found on Lego blocks. A Lego table at the bottom of the photo is a map of neighborhood streets.
Tim Beaugard and their dog, Wall-E, watch a baseball game in the living room, and under a bright crimson neon sign reading Ru Paul's “Shantay, you stay.” To the right of the couch is a photo of decorated doughnuts.
Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard's kitchen includes collections of mugs, Barbie doll decor, donut decor and family photos in their colorful home in the Shaw neighborhood, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
To the right of the banister, the front yard has been turned into raised beds for growing vegetables. A lending library near the street has been colorfully painted by Tate, who is an art teacher. During COVID, she taught art via the internet in her home studio inside the turret room on the second floor. The sign on the yard reads: No matter where you are from we are glad you are our neighbor.
Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard's kitchen includes collections of mugs, Barbie doll decor, donut decor and family photos in their colorful home in the Shaw neighborhood, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
An already colorful chandelier has been embellished with strings of Mardi Gras beads.
Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard's kitchen includes collections of mugs, Barbie doll decor, donut decor and family photos in their colorful home in the Shaw neighborhood, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
A lego bird of paradise mixes in nicely with a real orchid on the dining room table in the home of Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Britt Tate-Beaugard modeled as a plus-size Barbie and now the portraits are hung in Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard's home in the Shaw neighborhood, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
The centerpiece of the dining room is an ornate light fixture resembling a fireworks burst on the Fourth of July. The cabinet to the left contains some of the diverse collections intermingled together. The flowers on the table are actually made of Legos. Chairs were inherited and reupholstered with a striped fabric and painted purple.
Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard have a growing collection of more than 300 pez dispensers, most of which are lined up in rainbow order on their dining room wall, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard have a growing collection of more than 300 pez dispensers, most of which are lined up in rainbow order on their dining room wall, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
The center art piece dragon is from the lantern show several years ago at the Missouri Botanical Garden. It hangs in the stairwell of Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard's Shaw neighborhood home, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
This is one of several poster-size prints displayed throughout the residence taken when Britt was in art school spending a year dressed as a “plus-size Barbie doll obsessed with doughnuts.” A plate of doughnuts can be seen on the shelf under the sink, and the dozen doughnuts tattooed on her chest remain today, where she says they are ”close to my heart.”
A daughter's bedroom contains a bounty of art supplies and a collection of a few of the Hello Kitty pillows shown here on the bed, but found throughout the home. Circles of color on the ceiling help create a happy space.
Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard's kitchen includes collections of mugs, Barbie doll decor, donut decor and family photos in their colorful home in the Shaw neighborhood, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard have a growing collection of more than 300 pez dispensers, most of which are lined up in rainbow order on their dining room wall, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Next to a photo of the children, an extensive collection of Pez dispensers is displayed on the dining room wall, arranged in the colors of a rainbow. The collection continues on an unseen adjacent wall.
Nautical decor from the days when Tim was a merchant marine adorn the bathroom in the home of Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard in the Shaw neighborhood, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
Tim Beaugard and Britt Tate-Beaugard's kitchen includes collections of mugs, Barbie doll decor, donut decor and family photos in their colorful home in the Shaw neighborhood, seen Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. Photo by Hillary Levin, hlevin@post-dispatch.com
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The centerpiece of the dining room is an ornate light fixture resembling a fireworks burst on the Fourth of July. The cabinet to the left contains some of the diverse collections intermingled together. The flowers on the table are actually made of Legos. Chairs were inherited and reupholstered with a striped fabric and painted purple.
Tim Beaugard and their dog, Wall-E, watch a baseball game in the living room, and under a bright crimson neon sign reading Ru Paul's “Shantay, you stay.” To the right of the couch is a photo of decorated doughnuts.
From left, Tim Beaugard, Jamieson, 10, Lincoln, 9, Kenley, 9 and Britt Tate along with Aretha the cat and Wall-E the dog.
This is one of several poster-size prints displayed throughout the residence taken when Britt was in art school spending a year dressed as a “plus-size Barbie doll obsessed with doughnuts.” A plate of doughnuts can be seen on the shelf under the sink, and the dozen doughnuts tattooed on her chest remain today, where she says they are ”close to my heart.”
The son’s bedroom contains a bed in the shape of a boat, complete with a wooden deck. A lifeboat ring over the bed reads "USS Bob Hope." Colors on match popular colors found on Lego blocks. A Lego table at the bottom of the photo is a map of neighborhood streets.
To the right of the banister, the front yard has been turned into raised beds for growing vegetables. A lending library near the street has been colorfully painted by Tate, who is an art teacher. During COVID, she taught art via the internet in her home studio inside the turret room on the second floor. The sign on the yard reads: No matter where you are from we are glad you are our neighbor.
A daughter's bedroom contains a bounty of art supplies and a collection of a few of the Hello Kitty pillows shown here on the bed, but found throughout the home. Circles of color on the ceiling help create a happy space.
Next to a photo of the children, an extensive collection of Pez dispensers is displayed on the dining room wall, arranged in the colors of a rainbow. The collection continues on an unseen adjacent wall.
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