Julia Lippman and Mathew Eapen love antique houses, but they're not typical old house lovers or decor purists.
“I love old houses and unusual, high ceilings.” said Lippman, 37. But “I didn’t want a house full of really big, dark antiques.”
The couple, both lawyers, lived in an apartment in downtown Boston with their dog Scout. At that time, Ms. Lippman became pregnant with her first child, Sammy, now 4 years old. They needed more space, and they knew where they wanted to be. Go to: Salem, Massachusetts, a small city north of Boston famous for the 1692 witch trials.
Ms. Lippman grew up in Salem, and she and Mr. Eapen, now 38, loved its historic feel and the way they could walk to its shops and restaurants, just as they did in Boston. This also applies to Ms. It also helped that Lippman's parents live in Salem and will be by her side to help with her future grandchildren.
So when they discovered a four-story Federal row house built in the 1820s and a two-story cottage in the backyard, they didn't hesitate to put it on the same street where Mr. Lippman's parents lived. They purchased the property in January 2021 for $1.38 million.
The home was restored by a previous owner who retained charming details such as weathered wide-plank floors, arched doorways, and built-in cabinets with split-light glass doors. The kitchen and bathroom have been renovated. It was beautiful, but to Ms. Lippman and Ms. Eapen, the muted color palette and muted details felt a bit bland.
“I really like color,” said Lippman. “I didn’t want to fall into the trap of making everything white or everything beige.”
She looked through design books and admired homes online, looking for a designer who could bring the home into the 21st century. She soon realized that her favorite interiors were all designed by the same person, Colleen Simond.
The only problem? Mr. Simonds lived in Pittsburgh. But this was at the height of a pandemic, when professionals in many industries were figuring out how to work remotely. So her couple contacted her and asked for her help.
“The living room felt a little sad and serious,” Simonds said. “They wanted a bolder look with stronger touches of color.”
Working via Zoom and email, she had us paint the ceiling with Birger Kaipiainen's blue and silver Night of the Skylarks wallpaper and helped us find furniture, including vintage tubular chrome armchairs with cushions upholstered in fur-pink fabric. .
The result was exactly what the couple wanted. “It has color, character and eccentricity,” Mr. Eapen said. “She’s amazing at being able to tie all these different things together.”
Next was the dining room, where Mr. Simonds eventually installed vintage Windsor chairs painted light blue. Before long, the couple decided to redesign the interior from top to bottom, and this time they weren't limited to just the furniture and finishes.
To make the home affordable for their young family, they converted a redundant dining area into a walk-in pantry with soapstone counters and cabinets painted mint green. We freed up space under the main staircase and added a powder room, storage cabinets, and a bench with drawers. They built a convenient laundry room on the second floor where the bathroom previously was, and added a staircase to the back of the house, between the driveway and the first floor, since the existing back door only gave access to the basement.
All these changes required an architect, so Mr. Eapen and Mr. Lippman hired a neighbor named Peter Pitman, principal architect with Pitman & Wardley Associates. He was well versed in working on houses in the historic district.
“As a local architect who does a lot of restoration and preservation work, I strongly encourage the design and ownership teams to preserve the historic character,” Mr Pittman said.
But that doesn't mean you can't play around with colors and patterns inside as long as the architectural framework is preserved, he added. He said about this project, “One thing I want to emphasize is, ‘Oh, it was fun.’”
Mr. Eapen and Ms. Because Lippman sometimes works remotely, she converted a cottage in her backyard into two home offices. Hers' first floor features a cozy workspace lined with bright green panels. Above it is a sunny office, its barrel-vaulted ceiling covered in Peter Dunham's Fig Leaf wallpaper.
The family lived with Mr. Lippman's parents for about four months while construction was underway. The project was largely completed in April 2022 at a cost of approximately $350,000. They returned just in time to welcome their second child, Annie.
“We love everything about it,” Mr. Lippman said. “We like it to be colorful and bright.”
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