An intergenerational home gets a loving update.
When a husband-and-wife decided they needed a larger home for their growing family, they came up with a special solution. “It occurred to us that we could buy my mother’s house, which was way too big for one person, and we could renovate it to meet our taste and needs,” says the wife.
With lots of good memories in place and mom’s sound blessing, the couple went ahead with their plan, bringing in interior designer Kristen Bonney-James of KBJ Interiors to help with the renovation, which was about refreshing the interiors and improving functionality to suit their specifics.
“Because of the family history, my clients were intimately familiar with the home,” says Kristen, adding, “Over the years, it had been upkept beautifully, but they knew exactly what they wanted. The redesign also needed to reflect their personal style.”
First up, with two sporty boys (11-and-14 years-old) and a beloved Bernese mountain dog, Quincy, the couple had to have a mudroom. This new space, sandwiched between the garage and kitchen, had formerly been a laundry room; the latter got relocated to the second floor. “We designed a space to maximize storage, with individual lockers and drawers for each family member,” says Kristen of the custom cabinetry finished in a powdery blue.
The mudroom’s apron-fronted sink is a modern day take on the old kitchen’s farmhouse sink, which was repurposed and is now in use in the garage.
Next up was the old kitchen because cooking and entertaining were big on the homeowners’ wish list. The new space features crisp-white Shaker-style cabinets, a full-height stone backsplash, and a navy-blue island base, building on the remodel’s palette of blues, greens, and whites, with touches of coral red.
“I loved that the homeowner embraced color and pattern,” says Kristen. “They were excited to drench the home office in Tiffany-blue and reupholster the dining room walls in a contemporary, yet classic, botanical fabric.”
The new dining room pays direct to tribute to the former dining room, which once had red damask upholstered walls, gold accents, a crystal chandelier, and dark wood furniture.
“The upholstered walls maintain that rich and cozy feel, while absorbing noise while in use,” adds Kristen.
The dining room furnishings are also all new, including a blown-glass bubble chandelier, making an impactful statement at the front of the house, where the space is immediately visible through a wide cased opening.
Thus, Kristen went room-by-room, redoing floors, repainting walls, and layering new furniture with old, while reupholstering older pieces with hardy Performance fabrics suitable for an active family.
The family room, which is open to the kitchen, was painted navy-blue, picking up its hue from the kitchen island and a brand-new custom bar. Meanwhile, textured sky-blue grass-cloth backs the fireplace’s twin bookshelves, which display a mix of collected and decorative pieces. These are each lit by a brass library sconce casting light down from above.
“We got to modernize and refresh the home, while honoring my mother by leaving a trail of breadcrumbs of her presence around the house,” says the wife.
To which, the husband adds, “I’ve been coming to this house since 1997 when my wife and I were dating; My mother-in-law would always joke, “one day, you’re going to buy this house.’”
Truer words were never spoken.
To learn more about designer Kristen Bonney-James visit kbjinteriors.com.
