A Country House Renovation Blends Historic Charm with Modern Elegance

One of the structural changes involved inserting a steel beam in the ceiling to create the large opening between the living room and the former sunroom, now the dining room. It is framed by a transom and sidelights Holly Gagne designed using windowpanes original to the house.

Off the foyer, a home office in a former conservatory is “the prettiest room in the house,” says the homeowner.

wall in the front entrance, where painted woodwork and floors set the tone for the rooms beyond. The custom light fixture by Randy Zieber dangles three stories, lighting every level of the stairwell

In the Hunt Room, circa 1977 leather Cab chairs by Mario Bellini surround a table crafted from reclaimed hemlock.

The house, built in 1908 as a summer house by John Silsbee Lawrence, a prominent textile merchant, sits on ten parklike acres; planters by Dew Collective in Newburyport, Massachusetts, brighten the entry.

“Masculine meets feminine,” says Gagne of the Hunt Room, where oak beams and large slate pavers are balanced with a sculptural modern sofa and chair

A corner of the Hunt Room shows off the original slate floors and the restored natural oak post-and-beam framework.

The doorway was added to connect the space to the butler’s pantry, painted Pelt, an aubergine tone from Farrow & Ball.

Premier Builders created the kitchen’s custom hutch, where the owner’s collection of French ceramic dinnerware is displayed.

A brick arch, a remnant of a ballroom wing removed long ago, leads to a cozy nook in a guest bedroom.

For a second guest room, Gagne used campaign-style furniture, giving the retreat a masculine sensibility John Silsbee Lawrence might appreciate

The primary bathroom is an oasis of serenity; in keeping with the rest of the house, the floors are painted gray.

A North Shore Country House Renovation

Sometimes, the most rewarding house renovations are the ones that change things the least. Or appear to. The 116-year-old country house on Massachusetts’ North Shore is a good example. Its current owners were drawn to its well-preserved architectural charms—a curvaceous staircase that soars three stories, huge original windows that flood rooms with natural light, classic painted wood floors, nine working fireplaces, and an appropriately rugged Hunt Room where the Prince of Wales was received in 1924.

“You could tell the house had been loved over the years,” says the homeowner. “It was beautifully maintained, and the previous owner did a lot of the ‘hidden projects’ like heat and air conditioning.”

As longtime owners of a seventeenth-century house in another North Shore community, she and her husband were versed in historic preservation and the value of a Goldilocks approach to blending old charm with modern wants. They had worked with interior designer Holly Gagne on some small projects there and found that both she and her senior designer, Tina Sanchez, were aesthetically aligned with their vision. “They were willing to go outside the norm and take design risks,” says the homeowner.

Modern Updates with Timeless Appeal

Gagne’s studio was hired to orchestrate the renovation of the 7,000-plus-square-foot colonial-style house where she tackled the existing kitchen. “It was small for the scale of the house,” she says. “The clients love to cook and entertain and wanted a chef’s kitchen with access to the living room and new dining room,” which was created in a formerly closed-off sunroom.

Gagne and Sanchez designed a kitchen with a La Cornue range opposite a ten-by-five-foot island that was made-to-order in the workshop of Premier Builders, the company that executed the renovations and all the custom woodworking. “These were great clients,” says Premier president Matt Kumph, “and the design team was amazing. It was their direction that allowed us to do this level of work.”

In the Hunt Room, where textile manufacturer John Silsbee Lawrence, the house’s original owner, had entertained the aforementioned prince, layers of paint were removed from the post-and-beam oak frame by specialists from Minuteman Mobile Blasting. “We wanted this space to have an organic, natural sensibility,” says Gagne. Against the backdrop of restored oak and original natural slate flooring, holidays and large gatherings are celebrated around a table crafted from reclaimed hemlock beams. Above the table, Lindsey Adelman’s Knotty Bubbles, a custom chandelier made of handblown glass and rope, is a nod to New England’s nautical heritage.

Personalized Bedrooms and Serene Spaces

Giving each of the four bedrooms its own personality was important to the current owners, who frequently have out-of-town guests. The primary bedroom has a spa-like quality with a serene palette and sense of calm that carries into the primary bathroom.

Serenity also applies to the homeowner’s office off the entry hall. Once used as a conservatory, it has a brick floor and gorgeous twelve-foot windows with a view of the ten-acre property.

In the adjacent foyer, the staircase is set to one side, its sinewy curves framing the space and view to the rooms beyond. It’s unique yet clearly of its time. And, says Kumph, “We did nothing to change it.”

Project Team
Interior design: Holly Gagne Interior Design
Builder: Premier Builders