A Cozy Condo Gets an Eclectic Refresh
Designers help a couple in Cambridge, Massachusetts, renovate in a style that’s totally them — plaid tile and all
Becky Harris
January 23, 2018
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
Not a lot had changed about this condo since the building was constructed in 1922, and that didn’t bother this couple much. He was earning his masters degree in English (he’s since graduated), and she is an artist. “Both of them appreciated the nostalgia they associated with the architecture of the building, which was designed by architect Hamilton Harlow,” says interior designer Stacey Clarimundo. However, their home did need some updates, particularly in the bathroom and kitchen, and they needed help with space planning and tying together their art and furniture.
Photos by Brittany Ambridge
Condo at a Glance
Who lives here: A graduate student and an artist
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Size: 1,000 square feet (93 square meters); two bedrooms, one bathroom
Designers: Kelly Davis Healy and Stacey Scott Clarimundo of Davis Scott Studio
Dining room. After getting to know her clients’ tastes, Clarimundo and her design partner, Kelly Davis Healy, were able to help them find items like a vibrant flat-weave rug for the dining room. “They were studious and artistic,” Clarimundo says. “They both liked things with texture and interest and a bit of quirkiness.” They also had a lot of great existing furniture and art.
One such piece was this dining table, which fit their needs and aesthetic well. The designers helped them find these black wood chairs with caned backs to go with it. “The soft curved nature is nice against all of the hard lines of the casework,” Clarimundo says. “And they are very comfy and were the right size to fit six of them around the table.” The style of the chairs also befits the era when the building was built.
Dining chairs: Hoffman, Design Within Reach; rug: Anthropologie; sconce: Schoolhouse Electric
Condo at a Glance
Who lives here: A graduate student and an artist
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Size: 1,000 square feet (93 square meters); two bedrooms, one bathroom
Designers: Kelly Davis Healy and Stacey Scott Clarimundo of Davis Scott Studio
Dining room. After getting to know her clients’ tastes, Clarimundo and her design partner, Kelly Davis Healy, were able to help them find items like a vibrant flat-weave rug for the dining room. “They were studious and artistic,” Clarimundo says. “They both liked things with texture and interest and a bit of quirkiness.” They also had a lot of great existing furniture and art.
One such piece was this dining table, which fit their needs and aesthetic well. The designers helped them find these black wood chairs with caned backs to go with it. “The soft curved nature is nice against all of the hard lines of the casework,” Clarimundo says. “And they are very comfy and were the right size to fit six of them around the table.” The style of the chairs also befits the era when the building was built.
Dining chairs: Hoffman, Design Within Reach; rug: Anthropologie; sconce: Schoolhouse Electric
The doors, built-ins, bar, window seat and wall of storage were already here, and the clients had installed the two pendants themselves (though the designers helped them line them up and hit the right height). But the room had been starting to hurtle toward full hodge-podge. “It’s so important to separate spaces in a small space like this,” Clarimundo says. The biggest issue was that the TV had been placed on the window seat and was viewed from the adjacent living room because that’s where the cable hookup was and going along with that had just been easier.
The designers reworked the seating in the living room (not shown) and had the TV and those pesky hookups moved so this could serve as a real entertaining space and library. With the TV gone, they added a cushion to the window seat to turn it into a reading nook, with plenty of books to choose from on the shelves. They also added the mirror and sconce to let that area serve as a bar or buffet when they entertain.
Find an oval mirror
The designers reworked the seating in the living room (not shown) and had the TV and those pesky hookups moved so this could serve as a real entertaining space and library. With the TV gone, they added a cushion to the window seat to turn it into a reading nook, with plenty of books to choose from on the shelves. They also added the mirror and sconce to let that area serve as a bar or buffet when they entertain.
Find an oval mirror
Kitchen. The slatted doors shown in the dining room photo lead to the kitchen. Storage space was at a premium in here, and the existing upper cabinets were low and close to the countertops. The designers raised the upper cabinets to allow for more workspace and added another layer of flip-up cabinets atop the upper cabinets. Undercabinet lighting illuminates the work surfaces. With the designers’ help, the couple planned shelf sizes inside by looking at their needs. For example, they keep their herbs and spices in the upper cabinet to the left of the range. They are big coffee and tea drinkers and the shelves to the left house their pottery collection, which they use on a daily basis.
The narrow cabinet to the right of the range is for oils and vinegars. The inserts are caning with glass over it to protect from dirt. “These added texture and quirkiness the clients love,” Clarimundo says, “and the color brings in warmth.” Another quirky touch is the cement tile backsplash in a Buffalo check. “It’s graphic and interesting, and we knew from getting to know their tastes at our initial design meetings they’d go for plaids,” she says. The designers helped the couple choose cleat hardware for the cabinets for its simplistic shape and easy functionality.
The door leads to a back stairwell, and they painted it a saturated blue.
Door color: Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball; Tile: Checkmate, Clé Tile; see more cement tile
The door leads to a back stairwell, and they painted it a saturated blue.
Door color: Hague Blue, Farrow & Ball; Tile: Checkmate, Clé Tile; see more cement tile
The countertops are maple butcher block. “The maple has a refined grain pattern throughout, and this gives it a nice clear look,” Clarimundo says. An apron-front sink suits the home’s vintage, while new faucets update the look.
Landing zone. The designers helped their clients find this new table, which serves as a landing zone and a place to display some favorite artwork. The small entry hall is to the right, with new wallpaper. To the left is the bedroom, seen through the doorway.
In older buildings like this one, the placement of electrical work is usually less than ideal for all of the things we need to plug in today. The designers added new wiring, and in this area it serves two new sconces and new outlets for charging devices.
Pink wallpaper: Farrow & Ball; sconces: Schoolhouse Electric
In older buildings like this one, the placement of electrical work is usually less than ideal for all of the things we need to plug in today. The designers added new wiring, and in this area it serves two new sconces and new outlets for charging devices.
Pink wallpaper: Farrow & Ball; sconces: Schoolhouse Electric
Bedroom. The couple used one bedroom as their master and the other small one as an office. They just needed help cozying it up and amplifying their style, so the changes in here were purely cosmetic. The designers helped them choose paint, bedding, the rug and fabric for window treatments. Everything else they already had.
They grounded the room in a sisal rug with a soft, smooth weave. Then they helped the couple layer up an inviting bed for those cold New England nights. “We love to layer a bed with a coverlet and a duvet,” Clarimundo says. “It’s a chance to add more texture and color.” In this case it’s a damask coverlet in a soothing blue. As we already learned, these clients were mad for plaid, so the designers added two throw pillows for a punch of darker color and to add another pattern.
Paint: Old White, Farrow & Ball; Roman shade fabric: Shade of Sycamore, Katie Leede
They grounded the room in a sisal rug with a soft, smooth weave. Then they helped the couple layer up an inviting bed for those cold New England nights. “We love to layer a bed with a coverlet and a duvet,” Clarimundo says. “It’s a chance to add more texture and color.” In this case it’s a damask coverlet in a soothing blue. As we already learned, these clients were mad for plaid, so the designers added two throw pillows for a punch of darker color and to add another pattern.
Paint: Old White, Farrow & Ball; Roman shade fabric: Shade of Sycamore, Katie Leede
Bathroom. The clients loved the bathroom’s vintage feel, including the original porcelain hexagonal floor and the bathtub complete with its unusual plumbing. However, they were eager to get rid of what Clarimundo dubbed “crazy blue tile” and to make it more functional. They went for a timeless look that would suit their clients’ desire for nostalgia and were able to refinish the tub to freshen it up. A wall-mounted sink gives them some much-needed open space in the tiny room, and the new recessed medicine cabinet allows for storage. All of the finishes are chrome, while small dashes of black provide a little contrast. The Roman shade is a rounded dash pattern.
Sconce: Cedar and Moss; shade: Dashes, Rebecca Atwood; sink: Durvit; faucets: Purist, Kohler; toilet: Ultramax II one-piece, Toto
More: Get more advice in Decorating 101 stories
Sconce: Cedar and Moss; shade: Dashes, Rebecca Atwood; sink: Durvit; faucets: Purist, Kohler; toilet: Ultramax II one-piece, Toto
More: Get more advice in Decorating 101 stories
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Thank you for explaining that, Becky Harris! I will definitely read that article.
I have high up shelving and cabinets. About once every couple months, I bring in my 8' ladder and can easily reach everything. I hook a couple baskets on the top of the ladder to house several clothes and my cleaning tools. This way I get to clean books, horse trophies, platters, art stuff, etc.