Traditional colonial mixes with dramatic modern touches in one August Interiors project.

Pops of pink and purple play against the custom Porter Teleo wallpaper.

THE CLIENTS
Trust, camaraderie and the desire to do something different were at the center of these returning clients for August Interiors (augustinteriorsboston.com). “They are daring, and they’re trusting. And so that… gave us the ability to create something we hadn’t created before,” explains Deb Berger, principal at the design firm.A floating Lacava vanity from Designer Bath adds a visual break in the otherwise pattern-centric bathroom

THE GOALS
While the outside of the Wellesley home was rooted in traditional colonial architecture, the client wanted to accomplish a completely different and unexpected interior that would impress anyone who walked through the doors. This is illustrated immediately in the foyer, where custom blue lacquered walls by Catchlight Painting (catchlightpainting.com), preexisting black and white marble floors, and cherry sculptures from JANUS et Cie (janusetcie.com) greet the clients on their day-to-day.Dark tile from Waterworks dots the shower.

DETAILS, DETAILS
“Even within daring design moments, [the aesthetic] still leaves so much room for the family to live and have it feel like their home,” says Lauren Hamilton, principal at August Interiors. Within the colorful foyer, this was done by adding a collection of family photos—rooting the overall design. The two first-floor bathrooms required a revamp, but the powder bath in the foyer received a special touch thanks to custom graffiti art on the walls by artist Renda Writer (@rendawriter).Fun pops of color within the office add a feminine touch.

Inside, a glistening blue Bunny Williams Home (bunnywilliamshome.com) mirror adds reflection to the petite space, which also includes a more traditional vanity and art deco-like sconces from Visual Comfort (visualcomfort.com). “That was a really fun mix of traditional, transitional and contemporary street art,” Hamilton adds. The family bathroom also exists on this floor, where cool Studio Lisa Bengtsson (studiolisabengtsson.se) wallpaper portrays a pop of pink with tigers. A darker tile juxtaposes on the floor and shower. “The tile floor that we installed in there harkens back to the marble that’s in the foyer and also is that classic element to balance out the really forward or fashion-forward paper,” Hamilton explains.The second-floor guest bathroom houses a Calacatta and Thassos marble mosaic, Brizo plumbing and a custom-made vanity painted in Benjamin Moore Silver Mink.

To the left of the foyer, a long living room serves as the perfect parlor for the client and her friends, who enjoy mingling over cocktails. ere, a custom Porter Teleo wallpaper adds to the other black and white accents seen throughout the home. “[We were] going for an avant-garde ladies lounge,” Hamilton says, noting that they chose two curved sofas from The Bright Group (thebrightgroup.com) in Rose Uniacke mohair to add more visual appeal to the room. “It’s creating a space that complements the color but also provides a little bit of breathing room for more color to come throughout the house,” Hamilton says of the living room.

A Saarinen desk takes center stage in the client’s office.

Also within this room lives two pieces of retrolike art by Max Grossman and Michael Hoffman, both sourced from Jules Place (julesplace.com), along with a custom neon sign stating “Where It’s At.” Clear acrylic side tables from Kravet (kravet.com) make the room a go-to for entertaining. For the entrance to this room, as well as the dining room, Berger and Hamilton called upon Carpenter & MacNeille (carpentermacneille.com) and spoke with Dan Perednia to modify doorways, as well as custom door casings. “We recreated the existing opening by fabricating new custom sidelights produced in our millwork shop,” Perednia says of the project.A fun piece by Michael Steven Hoffman hangs in the living room.

He notes how his lead carpenter, Bill Muse, seamlessly transitioned the new sidelights with the existing finishes rather than starting from scratch with an entirely new door opening. He adds, “Our approach was to maintain as much of the original integrity as possible and provide a lasting finish.” On the same level, a Carrie Bradshaw moment occurs in the office, where hues of blue and pink match with gold accents. “It’s a jewel box, for sure,” Berger says. Here, the designers chose a Kate Spade chandelier from Visual Comfort, as well as Saarinen from Design Within Reach (dwr.com) desk and custom chair.A black and white theme from the foyer continues into the living room.A black and white theme from the foyer continues into the living room.

THE CHALLENGE
Berger adds, “From a design perspective, there was the challenge of creating a space that gave the modern feel but still very much appropriate for the colonial, which I think we handled well.” She uses the Max Steven Grossman art in the living room as an example, which she chose purposely with Hamilton so that the first thing the family and guests would see would be a more traditional, library-like accent.A bright glossy blue hue makes a statement in the foyer, which was done by Catchlight Painting.

THE RESULT
“We get pictures of the dog lounging on the sofa, like, ‘Even Honey loves it as much as we do,’ or her working on something with one of her sons on the sofa,” Berger concludes. “Knowing they truly live in the space is really rewarding.”The designers hired artist Renda Writer to custom-graffiti the powder room.

DESIGN DETAILS

TYPE
Single-family

INTERIOR DESIGNER
August Interiors
augustinteriorsboston.com

CONTRACTOR
Carpenter & MacNeille
carpentermacneille.com

THIBAUT
Gold + Cork Wallpaper, office
thibautdesign.com

WATERWORKS
Shower tile, family bath Towels, powder bath
waterworks.com

MAKKAS DRAPERY
Drapery, living room
makkasdrapery.com

MODERN NATURE DESIGN
Rug, living room
modernnaturedesign.com

ROMO FABRICS
Pillows, living room
romo.com