Architectural Color in Newport

Pink and Mustard Facade

I am currently in Newport, Rhode Island on a quasi “stay-cation” – I call it that because my husband is still commuting to Boston for work this week, and I have to drive up to the city a few times next week for various commitments. I don’t think it can be a true vacation if…

Read More

The Old House

The Old House at Peacefield

If you live in the Boston area, or have plans to visit, I would highly recommend a trip to the Adams National Historical Park, which includes the family homestead in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts. The house at “Peacefield” (also referred to as “The Old House”) was originally purchased by John and Abigail Adams, and…

Read More

A Gothic Revival

Gothic Revival Board

Whether or not you realize it, Gothic motifs are everywhere in contemporary design and furnishings. I guess you could call it a Gothic Re-Revival of sorts. Whenever you see a quatrefoil (super hot right now), pointed arch, or a flying buttress (not likely 🙂 ), that’s Gothic. It can be a little dark and dreary,…

Read More

Lessons From The 30th Annual Newton House Tour

Newton House Tour 2012

This past Sunday, I attended my first Newton House Tour – the ultimate in real estate voyeurism, right here in my adopted hometown in Massachusetts. This year’s tour, the 30th annual put on by Historic Newton, featured eight distinctive homes, some new, some old, and some somewhere in-between. Since the tour featured private homes not…

Read More

Wherefore Art Thou, Art Nouveau?

Harvey Ellis motif - Stickley bookcase

For a long time, I’ve been trying to find an angle from which to write about art nouveau that is appropriate for this blog. Interiors For Families is all about celebrating the way ‘real people’ live – especially families with children, who require special, highly practical considerations when designing interiors. I promise I’ll get there…

Read More

When Architecture Tells a Story

Elmwood

As a college student, I was particularly interested in American art and architecture – so much so that I designed my curriculum around this subject, double majoring in art history and American studies. It was, and is, incredibly fascinating to me how important and uniquely American stories are told through period painting, sculpture, decorative arts,…

Read More