A Storied Antique Colonial in the Summer Issue of Old House Journal
This 1670 antique colonial had undergone multiple modifications and additions over it’s lifetime, resulting in awkward room layouts and circulation. Our client asked us to design a home suited to casual living and entertaining, where one room flows into the next. Working collaboratively with Bob Weatherall, a North Shore contractor specializing in timber frame construction, particular attention was paid to the connection of the kitchen and family room to the front of the house and the construction of a small powder room on the first floor. In addition, Sally guided the family through furnishing the newly renovated home with a combination of new and reconditioned family heirlooms.
The dining room during construction.
The family had stored all their antique and inherited furniture, art and accessories prior to construction. Sally inventoried and made recommendations on all the stored items, helping the family determine the best use for each piece. In some instances, new furniture and lighting was added to the mix, as in the dining room, where two high backed chair now sit at the dining table while a new reproduction chandelier hangs from the ceiling.
(Note: All the following photographs are by Michael Lee.)
Two wood burning stoves provide heat in the winter. One in the family room adjacent to the kitchen.
The second in the living room at the opposite end of the house. A new hearth was added to accommodate the stove. Note the old Hunt Horns Sally found in storage…
In several instances, Sally had pieces of existing furniture modified and reupholstered for re-use. An example is the antique sofa in the living room. Originally, it had a flat back. Sally had it modified to a soft camel back profile, making it more graceful in appearance. Other family pieces in the room are the bureau, sculpture and accessories on the tray. The new French doors and sidelights look out over the Great Salt Marsh behind the house.
The Great Salt Marsh.
The new powder room was windowless. Sally designed a First Period Colonial Style leaded glass window between the powder room and mud room, in order to borrow light from the exterior of the the house.
View of window from the mud room.
There were ample opportunities to simply “Have Fun”, like finding a perch for a small ceramic bird that had been in the family for years.
To read the Old House Journal story in full, click here.
Every home has a story. What’s yours?
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