Megan O’Neill’s Hawaiian Bed Was Worth the “Brute Strength” and Sweat It Took To Install
What makes a purchase “worth it”? The answer is different for everybody, so we’re asking some of the coolest, most shopping-savvy people we know—from small-business owners to designers, artists, and actors—to tell us the story behind one of their most prized possessions.
Who?
Maybe you’ve seen Megan O’Neill, senior beauty editor at Goop, take an ice-cold plunge with Wim Hof. Or perhaps you’ve directly copy-and-pasted from her well-researched product lineups from the website. Her personal style is as eclectic as her curiosities in the beauty space. (She was married in a lime green veil, after all.) But on Megan, there’s nothing that doesn’t work, so it’s no surprise that her style of homebuilding is just as instinctual and unapologetic. Nothing too sacred, everything with a story, and, most importantly, no carbon copies allowed.
.jpg)
What?
Megan’s most treasured piece in the Brooklyn brownstone she shares with her husband and child is her antique Hawaiian marriage bed made of solid koa wood. “It took sweating, grunting, cursing, and brute strength to haul it up the stairs and into our bedroom,” she shares. The bed features a traditional Hawaiian motif of a man and a woman carved on opposite sides of a rather robust wood frame. Other ornate details, ranging from leaves to landscapes, are carved between the two. Traditionally given to newlyweds as a totem of prosperity, Megan finds joy in tracing her fingers into the familiar carvings. “ I weirdly sleep on the side that has the carving of the man,” she admits.
.jpeg)
When and where?
The headboard, a first for the couple, was sourced when they purchased their 1910 Bushwick brownstone together 13 years ago. “Having a headboard is the absolute biggest deal—the most adult thing one can do,” Megan adds. Sourced from Hawaii, a place she loves for “the beach, the waves, the nature that feels almost mythical in how enormous and expansive it is,” the antique feels special in a sea of personality-less options. Plus, thanks to its backstory and personality, “it feels special and a little magical tucking ourselves in every night,” she tells Clever.
Megan is not into beige or creamy when it comes to filling her space. Those are for offices, hotels, and lobbies. For her, knowing what items will make a great addition to her home comes down to a feeling. “It’s got to feel like heaven sinking into it after a long day concentrating,” she says. Megan also makes a compelling argument for trading neutrals for colors that speak to the spirit of a space. “I don’t understand why bright colors aren’t seen as sophisticated,” she adds. “Colors are joyful.”
Why?
“Tropical, fun, and comfortable” are the words Megan would use to describe her home aesthetic. The longtime Goop beauty editor’s work feels akin to this description, whether it’s a poignant personal essay or an honest take on what “clean” means in beauty, her work embodies the same sense as her home—that everything belongs. When it came time to outfit their first home, the couple instinctively embraced the hunt for a headboard with meaning. Colorful textiles cover their bed, next to curtains of marigold and on top of a Persian rug. “Things don’t have to match, in fact, it’s better when they don’t,” she says. “Our strategy is, if we love it, we bring it in—or haul it up the stairs.”
