A New Hampshire Home Decorated in Blue and White

The front door, painted Farrow & Ball Hague Blue, effectively sets the tone for the interior palette of this Amherst, New Hampshire, home. “Blue and white were a given,” says interior designer Jason Ruff of the wife’s favorite color combination.

Martha’s Vineyard meets Amherst in the great room: the painting above the mantel is by one of the homeowner’s favorite island artists, Jan Pawlowski, while the fireplace surround is fabricated from New Hampshire granite.

In the entry hall, chairs and a table from Serena & Lily sit on a Caitlin Wilson rug; the artwork—a vase of hydrangeas and a Paris scene—is from the owners’ collection.

When company calls, the Theodore Alexander Jupe dining table can expand to seat ten. The blue-and-white Chinese fretwork carpet is from Williston Weaves, and the chandelier is from Crystorama.

The homeowner had four directives when it came to the kitchen, remembers Ruff: “Find a place for my small appliances; find a place for my cookbooks; and find a place for my blue-and-white china—and make it beautiful.” The designer delivered.

The table from Dunes and Duchess, which sports a limed-oak top and a base finished in high-gloss blue, is the star of the breakfast nook.

The primary bedroom, which is anchored by a canopy bed from Frontgate, leans toward the French country aesthetic.

Ruff took great care with the details—note the herringbone tile floor pattern that he hand-sketched as well as the shelving tucked next to the Japanese soaking tub. “Creating various spaces to display beloved heirlooms and artwork was a priority throughout,” he says.

It was a family affair. The move from Fairfield County, Connecticut, to Amherst, New Hampshire, was inspired by the empty nesters’ desire to be closer to their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.

“That was partly my fault,” jokes interior designer Jason Ruff. “I introduced their daughter to my good friend, and it was love at first sight.” The friend was living in New Hampshire, and that’s where the couple chose to settle.

So it was only natural when her parents decided, some years later, to also relocate to the Granite State that Ruff, principal of JNR Interiors, would help design their new house. Ruff, who has known his clients since he was a teenager, was no stranger to their aesthetic. “They have a place on the Vineyard and love Patrick Ahearn’s work,” he says, referencing the revered architect’s reputation for creating timeless, quintessential New England houses. “That’s also my personal style, and I’m a huge fan,” says Ruff.

The clients worked with relative Kevin Philipsen of Coast Design Studio on the architectural design of the 7,000-square-foot Shingle-style house, and Ruff also joined the team before builder Elm Leaf broke ground. They sought a home that would be suitable for entertaining family and friends, but also looked to the future with aging in place in mind. To this end, the first floor comprises all the main living spaces as well as a guest suite and the primary suite wing, which comes complete with a well-stocked morning kitchen so the homeowners can take their coffee in bed or in their private sitting area.

While a wooded lot with walking trails and waterfalls beyond lies just outside the windows of that cozy sitting nook, the home still incorporates “touches of what my clients love most about Vineyard-style architecture in New Hampshire,” notes Ruff. To wit: the crisp paneling and millwork (all of it hand-sketched by Ruff), the blue-and-white palette (“I gave her a book a while back called A Passion for Blue & White,” says Ruff referring to the wife, “and she does have a passion for it.”), and even the artwork that showcases the Vineyard’s beloved hydrangeas.

All of this, coupled with the collectibles and family heirlooms that Ruff so thoughtfully sprinkled throughout, imbues the new home with a dash of the familiar—and a beautifully blended sense of place.

Project Team
Interior design: JNR Interiors
Architectural design: Coast Design Studio
Builder: Elm Leaf

Styled by Sean William Donovan