Q and A with Polly Lewis and Maribeth Brostowski

By Paula M. Bodah

Polly Lewis and Maribeth Brostowki, of Lewis Interiors, took “country” to a sophisticated new level for the 1881 Western Massachusetts farmhouse featured in our July-August issue. The home’s beautiful grounds, designed by Bittman Boys Edible Landscapes, provided much of the inspiration for the interior, the designers tell us.

Where did the inspiration come from for the color scheme in the sitting room? The silvery wallpaper, citrus green fabrics, and deep purply-brown accents is so unusual.

The sitting room overlooks an organic asparagus garden, so the inspiration came from all the colors of fresh asparagus. It’ serene and relaxing and it works in all seasons.

Photography by Laura Moss

So often, designers use a similar palette throughout a house, but here you chose a real deviation when it came to the TV room, going with vivid, but warm colors. What inspired that?

This is a real winter room, where the family hunkers down to watch TV and keep warm by the fireplace. The colors here promote that feeling of warmth. There is also an early American folk armoire that was the starting point for the colors in the room.

We love the porch! Who’d have thought to match stripes, hounds-tooth, and the whimsical pattern of the ottoman fabric? What makes it all work so beautifully?

The key was grounding it in black and white. Think of menswear—this is like a classic suit with a fantastic tie and a colorful pocket square.