House That?

Just one of the region's most unusual homes.

"Happy Loves You" says the sign by the front door of this Bellevue cottage, and "happy" is the aim of the home’s owners, William Cox and Leo Love. "The home was a foreclosure and was boarded up and a sad shade of blue-gray," says William, who is the person behind the home"s design sensibilities. "It deserved to come back to life, and I wanted the home to look happy, with happy colors that are fun to come home to."

In addition to the sign, which features a vintage image of a happy-looking bear, the home is enlivened by a green sculpture of a face that once adorned a now-demolished East Liberty theater and a deer’s head that is regularly accessorized for holidays (including a Santa’s hat).

The front yard is highlighted by an Ave Maria sculpture resting against the home’s landmark piece–an Eiffel Tower (sans top). In the summer, the Tower serves as a trellis for hot-pink trumpet-shaped bougainvillea flowers, which connect to form the Tower’s peak. "Pittsburgh can have so much gray sometimes," William says. "When I can add some color in my own piece of the city, I can add happiness."