This British Artist Covered His Entire House With Doodles

By  Emma Taubenfeld
Sam Cox sitting on his doodled stairs in his doodled home wearing a doodled jumpsuit. mrdoodle/Instagram

Many of us have dreamed of living in a painting, but what about a doodle? Those stick figure drawings and swirly flowers you create when you're on the phone or in a meeting may actually be more immersive than you think. British artist, Sam Cox, has taken his doodles off the paper and onto the walls (and ceilings, floors, and furniture) of his $1.5 million mansion in Kent, England.

The exterior of Sam Cox's doodled white house with a doodled Tesla sitting in the front.mrdoodle/Instagram

You may know Cox professionally (and on Instagram) as Mr. Doodle — and rightfully so. The artist spent the last three years drawing all over every inch of his home from the stovetop to the toilet, to create his headache-inducing house that doubles as its own art piece.

According to a video with BBC, Cox's childhood dream was to live in a completely doodled space. "When I first started playing video games and reading comic books when I was much younger, I really sort of fell in love with the characters," Cox explains in the video. "I would ask my parents if I could draw on this table, or something like that, and they'd eventually let me after a bit of persuading. Turning 3D objects into works of doodle art."

Sam Cox and his wife sitting on a doodled couch in a completely doodled living room.mrdoodle/Instagram

The artist explains in another post that the project took around 238 gallons of white paint, 401 cans of black spray paint for the exterior of the house, and 286 bottles of black drawing paint for the doodles inside.

Cox began with the bedrooms, drawing sleepy figures all over the walls and ceilings, before moving onto other rooms. Each space has a theme, like aliens or animals, and the doodler admitted to ‌The Washington Post‌ that the pandemic actually benefited his work, as he lived in the space of his largest project.

Cox's wife Alena, also recognized as Mrs. Doodle, has also been involved, sometimes coloring in her husband's art. The videos have racked up millions of views, despite some commenters suggesting how distracting it must be to live in a home like that.

Sam Cox and his wife sitting on a doodled white bed in a completely doodled bedroom.mrdoodle/Instagram

"I'm pretty committed to staying in [the house]," he told ‌The Washington Post‌. "We really like where we live, and we're really happy being in the home. We want it to stay doodled ... we think it's really fun."

Well, there you have it. A doodle doesn't have to just be a doodle, and dreams really do come true.

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