“Picture those beautiful French or Italian country villa interiors built in the 15th to 18th centuries. If we were asked, ‘Do you have a favorite style?’, the quick reply would be ‘European continental.’” —John Kelsey, designer

The husband-wife team of Wilson Kelsey Design is an award-winning residential interior design firm located in Boston. Their recent projects include a museum vignette on Boston’s North Shore and an 1780s Antique Colonial home that weaves in the Scandinavian heritage of its owner.

GN: How did you come to develop your style?

John: My partner [Sally] and I are very comfortable working in any style. But the short answer to your question is European Continental Style found us. It all started when a local rug merchant recommended us to his client. She was having a hard time finding an interior designer who could understand and help implement her vision for the interior of her newly purchased home.

We met with her and listened, and at the end her story, Sally quietly responded, “Your lifestyle is much more continental than the typical New Englander’s, isn’t it?” She smiled broadly and responded, “Yes! When can you start?” The rest is history. The project won several New England regional design awards and several national design awards.

GN: Tell us about the last project you worked on.

John: The last project we worked on was actually a vignette for a fundraising effort for a museum on Boston’s North Shore. It was the equivalent of a mini Decorators’ Show House held this past May. The event lasted nine days. The theme was “Your Favorite Spaces.”

Entries were juried and we were fortunate enough to be selected. Each selected design firm was allocated an 8x8-foot space in one of the museum's galleries for their vignette. What we love about a Show House environment is that as a designer you have an opportunity to challenge yourself, to make a statement, to do the unexpected. We chose to do the unexpected.

For many years Sally and I had designed executive suites, demo centers, sales areas for large commercial businesses. Most of these had been very slick, very contemporary spaces; quite spare with clean lines where the use of materials expressed and reinforced the proportions and feel of a room. The residential design community had never seen this side of our capabilities. Ultimately, this was our biggest challenge. How would the residential design community and public, whose perception of us as designers was that of Continental and European style, react to such a break from what we were known for?

We knew it had to be bold and perfect. Could we pull it off? We knew we had successfully met the challenge when, during the night of the opening gala, the buzz was “Have you seen the purple one yet? You have to go see it!” Even people whose style wasn’t contemporary would stop and comment, “Now this is good!”

[Photo Credit: Eric Roth]

Another recent project we worked on was located in a western suburb of Boston. The client had hired an architect to design an addition for their 1780s Antique Colonial home. We were retained to design the interiors. We were charged with designing a space that captured the spirit of the character of the Antique Colonial period while weaving the wife’s Scandinavian heritage into the fabric of the design.

The cabinetry and trim recall the architecture of the original structure, while the furniture, antiques and color selections remind the wife of her family’s heritage.

[Photo credit: Michael Lee]

GN: What advice would you have for homeowners in hiring and managing contractors, whether it be for paint, flooring, handymen or big remodels like custom-made closets?

John: Do your due diligence before you need to hire. This way you won’t feel pressure to hire the first person you interview. Ask for references. If you can, go look at the contractor’s work that is similar in scope to what you’re planning to do. Does it measure up to your quality expectations? Get proposals in writing, and be sure there’s a written description in the proposal of exactly what work is to be performed, so there’s no misunderstanding as to what will be included in the project.

We’ve actually written an e-book on this subject called Planning Your Project: Demystifying Great Home Design.

GN: What elements account for a comfortable home?

John: A comfortable home is a home filled with things that you love and that sustain you.

GN: What’s your philosophy on creating meaning in the home?

John: The pace of all our work is picking up as we help our clients finish their projects before summer vacations. In the process, it has caused me to do quite a bit of thinking about the design process and what it is that makes a room or home feel special to someone. What triggered my thinking was the word “love.”

I’ve heard “love” used regularly with reference to a piece of furniture, artwork, a rug, even a room. So I began asking a few questions of our clients and the responses were interesting. One client described how in the evening after dinner, she loves to curl up in a particular chair by a small table with a reading lamp and read—how she is able to unwind and find herself again. Another spoke of a console table in his living room that overlooks the patio and yard. He loves to have his morning cup of coffee there, read the paper and ready himself for the day. No one spoke about style or look. They spoke of peace, refuge and feelings of nourishment.

I’m learning from my clients that when a room is filled with the things you love, the room is able to give back to you in a way that replenishes and recharges you emotionally and spiritually.

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Wilson Kelsey Design is an award-winning residential interior design firm located in Boston. Their warm and approachable work style makes the design process an enjoyable and memorable experience.