Wellesley Project Reveal

Architecture: Patrick Ahearn

Builder: Whitla Brothers Builders

Interior Design: Vineyard Decorators

Photography: Greg Premru

Nestled on a tree-lined street, this 1920s brick colonial stands as a testament to architectural elegance. Working alongside an elite team at Patrick Ahearn Architects and Whitla Brothers Builders, our Interior Design Department crafted a living space that meets modern family needs while maintaining a deep reverence for the home’s original integrity and charm.

The benefit of working with our design department is the attentiveness and willingness to give each client the best possible version of their dream home. The client’s vision was to create an organic, timeless environment that felt both intentional and lived-in. Patrick Ahearn Architects was a natural choice for an architectural redesign. Their veneration of classic American architecture provided an ideal blueprint to build upon. From the very first site visit in January of 2021, this project is the culmination of the collaborative effort between the homeowners, our interior design department and our trade partners to bring forth a fully customized home, a perfect balance of timelessness and personality. Choosing to forgo some of the more ornate detailing often found in traditional homes, we worked with the client to incorporate a more modern feel to better reflect their taste.

While classic elements such as archways and spindle detailing were carried throughout the home, more simplified moldings and paneling were specifically selected to bring a more modern feel throughout.

Custom designed spindles by the Ahearn team and recreating a delicate stringer detail on the staircase - a darling detail the client wanted to reincorporate to the renovated design - are just a few of the details that personalize the entryway. We also recreated the trim on the windows and doors throughout the home to maintain the original charm.

The home’s kitchen captures the heart of our design narrative - crafting a warm, organic space where bespoke design and strategic functionality intertwine. Reclaimed wooden beams and the variation in color and texture of the natural zellige tile backsplash bring organic character and a sense of movement.

These elements are balanced with clean shaker style cabinetry and millwork, expertly crafted by a local company, Triple Crown Cabinetry. Panel ready appliances like the refrigerator and freezer, modeled to look like millwork, blend seamlessly throughout the kitchen, bringing attention and focus to the custom designed kitchen island. Atop the island, a natural soapstone countertop grounds the design and allows the wood to shine. Hand selected from a Westwood, Massachusetts stone yard, this natural stone slab is oiled instead of sealed, eliminating harsh chemicals the client wanted to avoid. A dense material, soapstone won’t stain, but over time will patina and wear, possible cracks and imperfections further adding to the organic and living feel of the kitchen.

Down to the width of the character grade white oak floor boards, showcasing just the right amount of knotting and variation, the reclaimed beams and the selection of unlacquered metal finishes that will patina with age, this home was designed to look and feel lived in. We selected unlacquered brass finishes throughout the first floor that will patina and age with time, creating a living finish that will change with the home. The natural white oak kitchen island, designed by our team features a unique turned leg design, mimicking a piece of furniture. The open space underneath allows for more conversational seating, instead of having one line of stools. We balanced the more traditional style leg with the modern lines of the counter stool.

Beside the kitchen island sits a custom-sized, reclaimed chestnut dining table from Vermont Farm Table. Using exclusively locally and regionally sourced North American hardwoods, Vermont Farm Table crafted this 110” long dining table provides ample seating for family and friends. At 42” wide, this grand dining table, though simple in design, is anything but boring.

Setting the stage for the color story continued throughout the home, Golden Lily wallpaper from Morris & Co features an enduring floral motif and perfectly captures the influence of the Victorian revival. A defining element of this space is the bespoke light fixture. Artisanal and handcrafted, this fixture features a custom linen textile shade, selected by our design team and built by Urban Electric. Each light fixture from Urban Electric is hand-assembled to order.

Including accent and heirloom pieces throughout the redesign of this home was a way to further personalize the final result while honoring the past. This desk, originally belonging to the client’s mother, was refinished and re-stained by a local company to be repurposed into the client’s new office. We completed the office with custom color-matched shutters, installed by our team. As the office is on the first floor, the shutters provide privacy and can be adjusted to allow light to come through while minimizing glare. The custom linen roman shade features an attached light filtering liner and can be left up to allow light to come in over the shutter or pulled down to provide more coverage.

Natural light was a significant focus throughout this project. With views over the backyard, the primary bathroom features a large window framing a freestanding natural volcanic limestone soaking tub. Natural volcanic limestone is a non-porous and stain resistant material that keeps its original lustre, and with the quintessential pedestal base, this tub makes a statement. A large, unlined woven roman shade encourages a long soak in natural lighting. Behind the woven roman, a motorized roller shade can be lowered for additional privacy.

Waterworks unlacquered brass plumbing throughout the bathroom echo back to the first floor fixtures and we incorporated natural stone materials to provide the organic, lived in feel of the room. Tumbled marble floor tile bring in warmth and character, complementing the luxurious palette of the lilac marble surround, a nod to the client’s love of purple. Elegant and unexpected, the marble trim frames a hexagonal mosaic pattern in the same lilac family. We paired a stacked terra cotta zellige tile on the shower wall and finished the shower with a custom unlacquered brass door by Prestige Custom Mirror & Glass in Waltham, MA, creating the cased entrance.

The shower niche shelf is constructed of the same lilac marble. We love the way that the lines of the shower niche seamlessly integrate with the stacked pattern of the wall.

A natural white oak custom vanity designed by the Ahearn team completes the primary bathroom. We selected a honed calcutta marble counter top and backsplash, as honed stone has more of a matte finish and a rougher texture, it is more resistant to scratches and small surface damage.

The custom vanity, designed by the team at Ahearn calls back to the appliance garage in the kitchen, its design modeled after a piece of furniture. The architecture team incorporated storage beyond cabinet doors and drawers into this piece, the panel beneath the sconce was designed as a concealed cabinet, accessed by a slight push.

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