A couple in Concord swaps traditional for wow.
The homeowners wanted their new house to feel formal, but comfortable for daily living, all while honoring their personal style.
When Nate Akers and his wife Jane Bargmann decided to buy a house in Akers’ childhood home of Concord, they weren’t looking to fit in. Although lured to the pastoral town for its charm, proximity to Boston and highly-rated public schools, they were unexcited by the pervasive traditional aesthetic and wanted their home to be timeless and fresh. “They wanted their house to feel reflective of their personalities versus what you would typically see in a historic, traditional New England home,” says Sarah Waldo, who owns Washashore Home (washashorehome.com) with partner Payton Lambton. Ironically, just four houses up from the Louisa May Alcott historic home, the couple found their place.
The kitchen went largely unchanged. Washashore Home added a new backsplash and hardware but retained the cabinetry.
The newish farmhouse was modern but with some formal, traditional details. They tasked Washashore (with whom they had worked in 2019 on their vacation home on Cape Cod) with making the space feel young, hip and Bostonian without feeling stuffy and precious. Washashore worked with Fabio’s Construction (fabiosconstruction.com) to make the home personal and unique.
Bold design choices reflect a unique personal style.
There were some rooms that went untouched, like the kitchen which got a new backsplash and hardware but retained its cabinetry, and others that were completely reworked, like the small bedroom that became a walk-in closet. The primary bathroom kept all the tile but millwork was added. Millwork was also added to the library and offices. “We created some millwork details to transform a small bedroom into Bargmann’s dressing room and other small changes that had a big impact and made the home feel more intentional,” says Waldo. The dining room was originally painted a deep turquoise color and everyone agreed it should stay. “I would never have chosen the color, but I thought it was cool and suggested we work with it,” says Waldo. “It was a design challenge which ended up being really fun and successful.”
The deep turqoise color was a holdover from the previous owners and working with it became a successsful design challenge.
Because Akers and Bargmann had worked with Washashore before, they trusted them implicitly. The couple had also learned from designing their Cape home that many aesthetic choices aren’t permanent and they were willing to take risks to achieve a wow factor. Bargmann attempted to play it safe initially with the office spaces, commenting that she wanted them to feel neither too masculine nor too feminine so they could be used interchangeably. However, almost immediately, she changed her mind. “We started the project in Covid when they were fully working from home. They wanted the office spaces to be the first rooms completed and so we jumped in with the idea of making them gender-neutral. Very early on, they were like, never mind,” says Waldo. Bargmann’s office went full glam girly. Akers’ office is professional but includes a corner where he can pick up his guitar. “I was so relieved when they made the decision for us to give them really individual spaces,” says Waldo.
The homeowners love entertaining and welcoming guests.
The homeowners were drawn to darker, moody colors for the Concord home, perhaps in response to the light, airy, coastal, modern approach they took at the Cape. With their newly purchased home, they wanted something completely different and more formal. “When this project came, it was our opportunity to do some out-of-the-box things. It was fun to play with tones and color,” says Lambton.
Bergmann’s office is full glam girly.
The black library is an example. “When we walked into that room, we were like ‘We’re going to paint this black and make it a speakeasy, smoking lounge vibe.’ That was one of the easier rooms that we very quickly knew what it needed,” says Lambton. The walls and ceiling were painted a glossy jet-black and the fireplace was updated to gas with marble surround.
The primary bedroom was fully painted in a rich wine hue with gazelle-printed carpeting and layered cream bedding for a modern and moody result.
Designing the room did come with a couple of challenges. Washashore didn’t want it to feel over-designed and heavy, but fun and seasonless, a place for a cocktail party. It needed to be cozy in the winter, where someone would want to enjoy a bourbon in front of the fire, but also breezy in the summer where rosé is chilled and the windows are open. The designers had to talk their clients out of drapery and into a set of custom, modern wingback chairs that feature a hide on one side and really glossy camel leather on the other. “With custom furniture, it’s a risk and you can’t show somebody how it’s going to come out. There were so many times on different check-in calls that the clients were like ‘Are you sure those are going to be good? Are we sure on those?’ I had to reassure them that they were going to be amazing,” says Waldo.
The glossy black library doesn’t feel too heavy and can be just as cool in the summer as it is cozy in the winter.
Another example is the primary bedroom which was also fully painted in a rich red wine hue. Gazelleprinted carpeting and bedding layered in various textures of cream tone completed the glamorous, yet modern and moody result. “I don’t know what will happen when they have kids,” says Waldo with a laugh. “But it was really fun to work with a young couple who was willing to take design risks and we could really lean into a bougie, grownup space.”
A carved-out nook.
DESIGN DETAILS
TYPE
Single-family home
LOCATION
Concord
INTERIOR DESIGN
Washashore Home
BUILDERS
Fabio’s Construction
RESOURCES
FURNITURE
Alder + Tweed
Arhaus
Arteriors
Ben Soleimani
Four Hands
Hooker Furniture
Lee Industries
Made Goods
Palecek
Sunpan
Uttermost
RUGS
Jaipur
Landry & Acari
Stark Carpet
LIGHTING
Currey and Co
Visual Comfort
WALLPAPER
Schumacher
Wallquest
York Wallcoverings
ART
Gray Malin
Tappan
