1 ‘Outlander’ Fan Is So Obsessed With the Show She Lives in ‘Houselander’
Outlander fans have had more than 30 years to obsess over Diana Gabaldon’s historic fantasy novels. In the past decade, the fandom has exploded thanks to the Starz television adaptation of the time-traveling romance between Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe). However, there’s one fan who stands out above the rest — a woman so obsessed with the show that she lives in “Houselander.”
One ‘Outlander’ fan became immediately obsessed with the look of the series
Hardcore Outlander fan Chelsea Smith is an office manager from Massachusetts’ North Shore who has used the series’ scenery and production design as inspiration for her home decor. She was actually a bit of a latecomer to the story, discovering the series just a few years ago when her hairdresser recommended it. The moment she saw the first episode, Smith says she was hooked.
“I’ve always been a total homebody and loved the simpler things, so it was easy to get sucked in,” she told Dwell.
As she watched each episode from the white and gray living room of her 1755 Massachusetts farmhouse, Smith started thinking about Outlander’s stunning set design. That’s when her obsession became a bit more focused on the series’ visual aesthetics.
“The more I watched the show, the more I would look around my house and think, ‘It’s so boring in here. We live in a colonial house, so why aren’t we making it more authentic to what it’s supposed to be?'” Smith said.
Chelsea Smith has turned her home into ‘Houselander’
Her first project was to model her rarely-used dining room after a deep blue hallway in River Run, Aunt Jocasta’s (Maria Doyle Kennedy) North Carolina home from the 1760s. As she struggled to nail down the specific shade of blue to use, she posted about it on TikTok and quickly garnered 1.5 million views. That’s when Smith realized she was onto something.
Next, she moved on to the bedroom she shares with her Outlander-obsessed husband. The couple painted that room the same dark green that is prominent in the Big House on Fraser’s Ridge. Then, she remodeled her office with inspiration from the French apothecary in Outlander Season 2.
Her most recent project was that boring gray and white living room, which she painted dark midnight blue — a color that’s been on the show for about “three minutes total.” According to Smith, Outlander helps her decide where to start with a room design.
“Instead of having to brainstorm which color I want to go with from hundreds or thousands of options, it’s sort of like, Here’s the taking off point,” she says. “I can see whether I’m going to like it or not based on whether I like it on the show.”
How does this obsessed ‘Outlander’ fan get her colors so picture perfect?
To recreate those beautiful colors she sees on the Outlander sets, Smith uses screenshots from the TV series and color-matching apps from Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore. Then, she’ll grab some samples at the store and paint swatches on the wall.
“If they’re not exactly right, I just start custom mixing them by eye,” she explained.
Once she thinks she’s got the color right, she’ll turn on the related Outlander TV scene and hold up a paint stick next to the screen to see how close she is.
“It’s a psychotic process,” Smith admits, “but I have a lot of fun with it.”
In addition to paint colors, Smith uses Google Lens on Outlander screenshots in an attempt to identify background wallpapers and other knick knacks and accessories. Her methods for recreating Outlander visuals in her home decor have become so popular that she’s earned her an Instagram follow from both longtime Outlander production designer Jon Gary Steele and producer Barry Waldo.
Outlander Season 7 will premiere this summer on Starz.
