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Houzz Tour: Boston Home Goes 'Ironic Traditional'
Masterfully mixing colorful patterns and fun-loving accents, a designer turns her traditional New England house into a spirited home
“Our house is what I like to call 'ironic traditional' — meaning it's an older house that isn't formal or stuffy and definitely has a sense of humor," says interior designer Katie Rosenfeld. The house, built in 1901, is a member of the old guard and true to New England Cape style, on a block dotted with new builds.
Rosenfeld, who moved to Boston from Los Angeles, didn't want to put her family through another renovation. "We spent the better part of the year in temporary housing while we painstakingly remodeled our old midcentury home in Los Angeles, only to be transferred eight months after moving into the house. I simply couldn't ask my family to live through another lengthy remodel, so I challenged a builder to help me get things done on time — and he did," says Rosenfeld.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Katie Rosenfeld, her husband and their 2 teen daughters
Location: Weston, Massachusetts
Size: 3,900 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 4 baths
Design challenge: To buy, redecorate and move into the house in 60 days
Rosenfeld, who moved to Boston from Los Angeles, didn't want to put her family through another renovation. "We spent the better part of the year in temporary housing while we painstakingly remodeled our old midcentury home in Los Angeles, only to be transferred eight months after moving into the house. I simply couldn't ask my family to live through another lengthy remodel, so I challenged a builder to help me get things done on time — and he did," says Rosenfeld.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Katie Rosenfeld, her husband and their 2 teen daughters
Location: Weston, Massachusetts
Size: 3,900 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 4 baths
Design challenge: To buy, redecorate and move into the house in 60 days
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| The designer selected and ordered all fabrics and materials in a home-remodel flash — a little over two months. "I did about six months worth of work in 60 days. The entire process was a bit like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, but it was my home and my design choices," says Rosenfeld. Splashy Jonathan Adler throw pillows and a green apple martini side table from West Elm happily coexist with vintage chairs clad in vintage Clarence House fabric. Animal prints, traditional fabrics, natural materials and splashy hues in the home office are mixed and layered without a pattern or color note in discord. Animal print sisal rug: Stark Carpet |
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| Before Rosenfeld's older daughter became a teenager, this preppy pink and green bedroom was her domain. The chairs, beds and wallpaper are all vintage, a "throwback, midcentury Sister Parish design," says Rosenfeld. Once Rosenfeld's older daughter moved into a room that reflected her teen status, the younger daughter moved in from her "teeny bedroom" into this one. A few pieces like the wallpaper and beds survived the change of hands, but not everything in the room stayed the same. Rosenfeld, along with her younger daughter, made a few changes to reflect and showcase the new inhabitant's personality. Wallpaper, bedskirt and headboards: Burma Green, Sister Parish Design; wool rug: Wilton Weave, Stark Carpet; twin beds and benches: vintage; desk: West Elm; throws: Lands Down Under; pair of table lamps: custom, vintage Chinese porcelain vases |
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The designer removed most of the pink punches and added a color that she felt best represented her spirited daughter — orange, and lots of it — with "dabs of magenta" and an animal print rug on the floor that tickles the feet and eyes with its zany design.
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The pair of sunburst mirrors and black lampshade lend a glam feel to the room; they'll likely survive the next cosmetic makeover when Rosenfeld's younger daughter leaves her tween years and dives into teenage life — the perfect time for her to discover her mom's penchant forHollywood Regency style and "traditional with a twist."
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The older daughter's new bedroom packs a pink punch with the headboard and fabric choices. The nail-trim headboard and sophisticated boutique hotel feel of the room are markers of more refined, grown-up tastes.
Headboard: custom, Lee Jofa Baker Lifestyle; rug: zebra axminster, Stark Carpet
Headboard: custom, Lee Jofa Baker Lifestyle; rug: zebra axminster, Stark Carpet
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| Rosenfeld, a lover of green, chose Farrow & Ball's Card Room Green for her living room walls. The designer loves unexpected color pairings; here she brings together greens and purple tones with rich drapery that lavishly pools on the floor. |
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This corner in the living room adds the highest note to the space, with its gilded mirror and combination of metallic and black against teal. Fanciful details like a gold-dipped elephant lamp, a gilded ornate mirror, a yellow ceramic cat and a bronze neoclassical end table give the corner flair.
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| Natural materials like the sisal rug, branches and bamboo shades warm up a luxuriously draped and styled dining room. |
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| In the same way, the grass cloth wallpaper and neutral tones here add a sense of ease to this family room's sitting area and provide a backdrop for the layering of patterns and colors in the decor. |
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Rosenfeld's home office is a study in teal. The color, when paired with the neutral tones of the walls, ceilings and floor, feels fresh and doesn't take away from the room's bright and airy qualities.
Drapes: Nirvana Shadow, Lee Jofa; velvet sofa: custom, Kravet; bench fabric: Peacock, Zenyatya Mondatta, Schumacher; gold chair: vintage; art: personal collection; walls: Matchstick, Farrow & Ball; ceiling: Pale Powder, Farrow & Ball
Drapes: Nirvana Shadow, Lee Jofa; velvet sofa: custom, Kravet; bench fabric: Peacock, Zenyatya Mondatta, Schumacher; gold chair: vintage; art: personal collection; walls: Matchstick, Farrow & Ball; ceiling: Pale Powder, Farrow & Ball
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Although the designer misses her Los Angeles house's open floor plan, "cool factor" and winding driveway, Rosenfeld has come to love her light-filled, shingled New England home — "low dormers, creaky floors" and all.
More:
Browse traditional homes
Become a Pattern Mix Master
More:
Browse traditional homes
Become a Pattern Mix Master
Ideabook updated on June 29, 2012.
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