Three Rooms Ideal for Gathering Around the Fireplace

eating includes a custom banquette, the clients’ armchairs reupholstered in a Manuel Canovas leopard print, and the clients’ sofa, which the designer had reworked and recovered in a Perennials fabric.

A Phillip Jeffries grasscloth on the living room ceiling provides a contrast to the walls and millwork, which are painted Farrow & Ball Hague Blue in a high-gloss finish.

The secretary, a family heirloom, doubles as a bar during parties.

Tangled Up in Blue
When the owners of this Wellesley, Massachusetts, residence purchased their home, they knew they wanted to splash one of the rooms in a dramatic high-gloss hue. “The living room was just calling for it,” says designer Kathryn Hufton, who helped the couple decide on Farrow & Ball Hague Blue for the walls, millwork, and trim. “Blue appears throughout the home, and I liked the idea of using a deep, moody shade in here. The room needed to feel swanky enough for cocktails with friends while also being family friendly.” Given this, and the fact that there was an existing fireplace to center the seating around, the room lent itself to a warm, cozy vibe. Pattern and texture abound, from the grasscloth on the ceiling and the embroidered curtains to the plaid rug and the leopard-print chairs. “We balanced a few contemporary touches, like the high-gloss walls, with antique heirlooms and the traditional elements the homeowners are drawn to,” says the designer.

Project Team
Architecture: DNA Architecture
Interior design: Kathryn Hufton Design
Builder: Copper Leaf Development
Photography: Tamara Flanagan
Styling: Sean William Donovan

The room was designed around the Nobilis animal print on

The client had a vision for “café au lait” curtains, so the designer commissioned Makkas Workroom to fabricate draperies from a Colefax and Fowler pinstripe taffeta.

Calming Force
The goal of this Hingham, Massachusetts, living room renovation, according to designer Lindsey Crowley, was to create a cozy, sophisticated, and tailored space for the clients to gather with their children, grandchildren, and friends. Crowley collaborated with architect Andrew Silipo on everything from new millwork profiles to adding beadboard on the ceilings. “There’s a level of architectural richness that the client needed in order for this house to feel like home,” she says. In addition to swapping out the fireplace surround for a cleaner painted wood version, the design team installed new built-ins backed with antiqued mirror panels. When it came to the furnishings, Crowley selected pieces in line with the clients’ traditional style in a neutral palette with pops of blue—the wife’s favorite. But the “shining stars of the room,” according to Crowley, are the animal-print chairs. “The Nobilis fabric is the first thing we purchased, and we designed the entire room around it.”

Project Team
Architecture: Silipo Architecture & Design
Interior design: Lindsey Crowley Interiors
Builder: Masse Builders
Photography: Matt Kisiday
Styling: Kerryn Connolly

Rock ’n’ roll-themed artwork by Max Steven Grossman hangs behind an Italian desk from the 1970s, while the cylindrical floor lamp near the window is from Apparatus Studio. The ceiling is wrapped in a textured paper from Winfield Thybony Design

Down to Business
The owner of this Weston, Massachusetts, spec house enlisted designer Elizabeth Markel to inject some personality into the interiors, and a warm and inviting office was on his list of mandates. Markel capitalized on the room’s polished finishes—including wood paneling and ceiling beams and a marble fireplace surround—to envision a chic and sophisticated space. “I wanted to feed off the existing warmth that the wood and fireplace lend,” says Markel, who selected sculptural yet comfortable pieces in a variety of textures and subtle patterns. The rug, for example, is adorned with an organic pebble-like pattern, while a newsprint wallcovering on the ceiling features a woven texture. “Noise tends to reverberate when there’s so much wood, so this helps with sound abatement,” explains the designer. The pièce de résistance is a boomerang-shaped desk from the 1970s that’s constructed of marble, brass, walnut, and leather. Says Markel, “Its cantilevered shape allows for maximum workspace without feeling too heavy or clunky in the room.”

Project Team
Interior design: Markel Interiors
Builder: Kenneth Vona and Son Construction
Photography: Michael J. Lee