Pamela Forman Revives an 1829 Carriage House

In interior designer Pamela Brown Forman’s dining room, a family-heirloom table (it originally belonged to her grandmother) complements the grasscloth wallcovering and a coffered-and-papered ceiling.

Inspired by her trips to Italy, Forman chose a vintage terra-cotta color for the stucco exterior. She added the hayloft-turned-office’s eyebrow windows to let light into her firm’s headquarters.

Interior designer Pamela Brown Forman and her labradoodle Finn stand near the stone pillars that abut her home’s driveway.

Forman framed the original front door with transoms and sidelights to flood the foyer with light. A crisp striped wallpaper from Schumacher sets a tailored tone.

To create a spacious great room, Forman removed walls and added glass pocket doors.

The chef’s kitchen, a natural gathering place for family and guests, encourages lingering with its cushioned counter stools and oversize dining chairs from Noir.

The bar, which connects the foyer to the dining room, is Forman’s favorite spot in the house. “I always think a home should feel relaxed and transformative from your busy business day,” says Forman, “and I feel that transformation within the bar space.”

The primary bedroom, which is anchored by an upholstered bed from O. Henry House, opens directly onto a patio and English garden. “Weather permitting, there’s no better spot to start one’s day with a hot coffee,” says Forman.

Historic Carriage House Renovation Honors Agrarian Roots

As if designer Pamela Brown Forman needed proof of her property’s agrarian roots: “We even found hay in the walls,” she says, thinking back to a fun surprise they uncovered during a gut renovation of their 1829 carriage house.

Forman and her husband had lived in the house, part of a large farm and estate, in Needham, Massachusetts, for a decade before embarking on the year-long reno, which would result in an entirely new, more traditional layout. “We extended the primary suite and turned what used to be the hayloft into my office,” says Forman. Which, of course, explains the hay.

The modern makeover had to accomplish a lot. Forman, who appreciates British design (“I am a huge Kit Kemp fan,” she says), wanted to add some English elements, but she was equally inspired by her travels to Italy. The home also needed to double as headquarters for her firm, PBF Homes. But perhaps most importantly, Forman didn’t want to stray too far from the structure’s pastoral beginnings.

“We could have transformed this house into a typical New England colonial, but we wanted to be sympathetic to its roots and pay homage to its past as a barn/carriage house,” explains Forman “For example, we painted the exterior a vintage shade of terra-cotta and kept the low windows in bedrooms that were once animal stalls. While we certainly expanded, reconfigured, and modernized the home, we managed to keep that unique, vintage feel.”

A Cozy, Collected Interior with British Design Influence

Inside, Forman went for a cozy, transitional, collected vibe that showcases a palette rich with autumn-inspired colors like browns, greens, and plums. To satisfy her desire for British design, she incorporated “lots and lots” of wallpaper—and not just on the walls.

“Even some of the ceilings are wallpapered,” she admits, laughing. “That can make a room so much cozier and more relaxed than merely leaving ceilings plain.” Other ceilings were coffered to
add a touch of architectural interest.

One very un-British element of the redesign is the lower level’s open floor plan. Forman removed walls and installed glass pocket doors to achieve a modern-day great room concept. Stained white-oak floors give the space a cohesive feeling.

While Forman, her husband, and their labradoodle, Finn, live in the home, Forman regularly meets clients in that second-story office. “I’ve really got the best of both worlds,” she says. “My home is my office and vice versa. I love walking my clients through my home to show them how I have solved a myriad of decorating issues and help inspire them. I call this my ‘living showroom.’ ”

Project Team
Architectural design: Eckert Associates
Interior design: PBF Homes
Builder: R.L. Sullivan Construction
Landscape design: Woodburn & Company