A picturesque house in Massachusetts infused with a colourful English sensibility
‘The house had character but wasn't telling me what it wanted to be, but I was intrigued by it,’ explains Nina Farmer of this 1947 brick colonial in the picturesque New England town of Concord, Massachusetts. The Boston-based decorator was enlisted to redesign the property by its new owners in 2020, just as the pandemic hit. Though Nina admired the building’s exterior for its classic lines and presence, the interior was a series of busy rooms that lacked any kind of cohesion or story.
Faced with the extraordinary predicament of a global lockdown, and the prospect of sourcing virtually everything for the house digitally, Nina and the client’s conversations continually returned to travel and all the places that they had previously visited but could no longer go. When Nina realised that the clients had a bit of wanderlust too, ‘the conversations became more focused and where the house was going began to be more clear. And while we couldn't go anywhere during the lockdown our inspiration came from these conversations.’
The resulting scheme is one that draws on European and Indian influences with a sprinkling of American Victoriana. ‘We began the project in the study, which clearly had, at one time been a staid early American room. I mentioned a favourite room of mine from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston with patterned walls clad in leather, and the client who is involved in the museum too, loved that reference. From there we were away.’
Custom hand-painted Fromantel wallpaper panels were created from an archival design, connecting with the study’s original panelling which was stripped back to reveal its natural patina. A Moroccan carpet and onyx-topped coffee table mix with a custom sofa covered in Holland & Sherry’s ‘Opera’ velvet and Samuel & Sons fringe.
In the sitting room, a henna artist designed motifs that were then transferred to abaca grass cloth. Once complete, they were hung in panels, framed like artwork. Antique Delft tiles sourced from Solar Antiques in Portugal surround the painted fireplace, adding another layer of pattern to the space. Block-printed curtains complement the large antique rug from East Azerbaijan whose colour palette became the inspiration for the whole house.
‘I wanted the dining room’s items to come from around the world’ — a 1940s Murano glass Ercole Barovier chandelier hangs over a French oak table set with suzani-upholstered Danish Modern chairs by Henning Kjaernulf. The downstairs bathroom offers a clear insight into Nina’s approach to mixing, which she says ‘cannot be done just for the sake of it, but rather with a carefully curated balance of textures, colours and shapes.’ A custom marble sink was commissioned for the room with a scallop edge detail, carved from a single block of marble. Above it hangs a 1960s French rattan mirror and a 1950s Stilnovo sconce.
Nina didn’t carry out any major architectural work bar replacing a large, out of context window in the main bedroom with two traditional sash alternatives. Knotty pine panelling was stained a custom grey-green, and a white plaster chandelier reminiscent of Alberto Giacometti hanging from the tray ceiling adds a note of freshness to the Décors Barbares’ ‘Les Groseille’ fabric that drapes the bed. Lamps at the bedside had been spotted by Nina at Hotel Castello di Reschio in the hills of Umbria and purchased for the project. A French 1950s cerused oak desk by Guillerme et Chambron provides a stylish workspace in the generous room. In the adjoining en suite bathroom a Moroccan tile floor laid out in a geometric pattern that was inspired by a flat weave rug she had seen in India. The whimsical pale green Water Monopoly bath sits under a 1920’s French Art Deco pendant and beside a 1950’s Italian chair covered in Schuyler Samperton’s ‘Benghal Stripe. Nina designed the combination dressing table based on a door she saw in Italy.
‘Even as we worked from home on this project the visual language of places we had seen and experienced was never far away,’ says Nina. ‘That brought so much nuance and expression to the house.’
David Mitchell1/9A La Cornue cooker in black with brass and chrome accents sits on the original parquet floor. The tiles are Moroccan glazed terracotta zellige.
David Mitchell2/9The Azerbaijani Tabriz carpet for the sitting room was found early in the project and marries well with the wall’s custom abaca cloth panels and block-printed curtains.
David Mitchell3/9Anglo Indian sconces from the 1920s are placed on the framed abaca cloth panels in the sitting room. A cased opening from the living room into the dining room is kept pale while the architectural trim in the next door space is painted in a grass green to highlight detail below the ceiling.
David Mitchell4/9In the entry, deep aubergine paint highlights the banisters.
David Mitchell5/9Knotty pine millwork in the primary bedroom is stained a soft gray green to complement the tones in the textiles used for bed hangings, curtains and Leontine Linens bedding.
David Mitchell6/9A pair of lamps from the Hotel Castello di Reschio in the hills of Umbria with distinct pleated shades were sourced for the primary bedroom.
David Mitchell7/9Hand-embroidered curtain trim from Pink House by Rebecca Cole provides a leading edge behind the 1950s French cerised oak desk by Guillerme et Chambron.
David Mitchell8/9The primary bathroom.
David Mitchell9/9A flat-weave rug seen in India inspired the Moroccan tile floor pattern in the en-suite primary bathroom. The 1930’s Murano glass Venini sconce pairs with a French Art Deco pendant.
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