For David Harbour and Lily Allen, home is a place to rest, love, and above all, laugh. On Feb. 1, the couple, who have been married since 2020, offered Architectural Digest a tour of their newly redecorated Brooklyn townhouse. Decorated by "budget-unconscious" designer Billy Cotton, the home has a "luxurious, warm, functional" feel for the pair.
"This house was designed for three women in my life who I love dearly," Harbour said, referring to Allen and her two daughters, 10-year-old Ethel and 9-year-old Marnie. "But I've got several things that are just mine," he added, pointing to his personal coffee station in a kitchen nook. Inspired partially by "The Godfather" and the Italian history of their Brooklyn neighborhood, the kitchen is decorated in a "layered Italia" style with a "plain English" touch, per Allen's insistence.
"Just whenever I'm feeling particularly good about myself, I always like to remember where I came from.""When I first met Lily Allen," Harbour said, pointing playfully at his wife, "when we first went on a date, at one point you did say to me that you always wanted a 'plain English' kitchen." Challenging her husband's joke, Allen replied, "That would be quite bold on a first date, to be like, 'Hi, nice to meet you. By the way, "plain English" is the name of the kitchen.'" Seconds later, the pair burst into laughter.
The moment marked the first of several instances throughout the tour when Allen and Harbour sent each other into happy fits. While showcasing their pistachio-washed garden room, the couple could not take their eyes off of each other. The room was complete with hand-painted floral wallpaper by Zuber and a double-sided sofa. "So David and I can argue," Allen joked while staring lovingly at Harbour.
The upstairs bedroom, or "bed womb," as Allen calls it, is a cocoon-like space with no windows. "David likes to sleep in the mornings, and he doesn't like natural light because he's also a vampire," she said. "So we can close these doors and he can sit here and sleep or watch television until 2 o'clock in the afternoon." Harbour countered that it's also "just a place for couple's activities," earning an eyebrow raise from Allen.
In the carpeted Parisian-style bathroom, Harbour and Allen pointed out a "refrigerator from outer space," faucets carved in the shape of swans, and disease-inspired embroidery art. Other standout designs in the home include a tiger-print media room, a backyard with a cold-plunge tub, and individual walk-in closets by Florense.
While many consider his "Stranger Things" character, Jim Hopper, a superhero, Harbour likes to remind himself of his actual superhero days with a nostalgic piece of decor. "Just whenever I'm feeling particularly good about myself, I always like to remember where I came from," he said as he pulled a framed photo of himself as the lead in the 2019 "Hellboy" film from behind a hat box.
Watch Harbour and Allen's home tour ahead.
