Classic House

It’s the best of birthday presents. Just in time for its big 200th, the Federal home built in 1812 on a marshy point on Massachusetts’ Duxbury Bay underwent a redesign that shaved decades off its appearance and added useful livability. This face-lift, executed by Boston interior designer Gerald Pomeroy, did not compromise a single inch of the neoclassical clapboard house’s historical integrity. Refreshed and energized, it’s still age-appropriate—just what longtime owner Frank Wineski and his new bride, Lynn Dale (they married in February 2011), envisioned.

“We wanted the house to be lighthearted—not safe but not disco-ball-in-the-dining-room,” laughs Lynn. Proceeding with sensitivity was in order, and not only because of the house’s age. Frank and his late wife bought the house in 1976 and raised their two now-grown daughters there. “I had no problem moving into Frank’s house. I know how much family history took place here, and I wanted to be respectful of that. Before she passed away, his wife was a good friend of mine,” explains Lynn.

Instead of living full-time in the house, as Frank previously did, the couple call Boston’s Beacon Hill their permanent residence. “But Duxbury is definitely not a summer home. It’s a second home and a family base. We move here in April, spend weekends and all the holidays here, and stay far past the end of summer,” says Lynn, principal of Lynn Dale Events. “There is plenty of room for Frank’s and my children, his grandchildren, and for friends. We love to entertain. It’s all parties, all the time.”

Pomeroy got it. “The design doesn’t take itself too seriously,” he says, noting the high-octane pumpkin walls in the dining room, as well as the living room’s insouciant Billy Baldwinesque avocado linen slipper chairs and informal ikat draperies. “I walked a tightrope between balancing the age of the house—choosing only things I felt were appropriate for its vintage—and adding unexpected pattern and color,” notes the designer.

The ikat curtain fabric, for example, “hits just the right note. It’s stylish, fresh, and bold—but classic,” he observes. Its lavender, apricot, beige, and daffodil palette also spans enough of the spectrum to integrate Frank’s fine collection of Hudson River School oil paintings. “What wonderful inspiration,” Pomeroy says of the collection. “These 19th-century paintings share a sensibility with the 19th-century architec-ture. As a passionate collector, Frank was adamant about making his art the focal point.”

By swapping a smaller painting above the mantel for one with heftier scale, then sandwiching it between English hurricane lamps, Pomeroy dramatized the living room fireplace. Then he streamlined the wall to increase attention to the art by ripping out distracting built-ins that flanked the fireplace. “But houses of this age inherently have a shortage of storage, so we added a wonderful breakfront to meet that need. It also was a great opportunity to introduce some strength and architectural impact. The Gothic nature of the breakfront’s fretwork was also a jumping-off point we referenced elsewhere, such as on some of the fabrics.”

The breakfront’s shimmery gold-leaf glass doors inject a lightness that plays into one of Pomeroy’s favorite design devices. “That juggling of light and dark is something I try to do in all my work. It creates a more unexpected space.” Another light note is struck with a ribbed-barrel side table finished in gold leaf. “It’s a good balance to the room’s classic elements,” the designer observes.

He updated the window’s conversation area by reinventing an old tuxedo sofa with a single long cushion “reinforcing that modern sensibility.” A long, lean ebony custom coffee table with an almost palpable Zen aura underscores the sofa’s newfound sleekness. “Now a clean line flows all around the spaces,” he says.

Pomeroy knew when to grease the wheel instead of struggling to reinvent it. A pair of fauteuils already in Frank’s family look fresh with a new dark finish and light-hearted upholstery. Traditional side tables welcome the 21st century in the same dark, modern finish. Even Lynn’s curvaceous Asian planters are reinvented as stools covered in apricot moiré.

“We cut down the legs and finished them with a beige glaze that shows the marmalade-colored crackle coming through,” Pomeroy explains. “Now they provide additional seating while echoing the room’s other Asian elements.”

As livable as the living room is, the master bedroom is “ethereal,” says Lynn. “Waking up, we can watch the sky change colors and change the color of the room.”

Even so, her favorite space—and really the heart of the home—is the dining room, the hub of all those family holiday dinners and parties with friends. “It’s a show-stopper,” states Pomeroy. “Lynn wanted it to sparkle, so we took a long time to find a chandelier with the right scale and tone. This one is sophisticated and sparkly, but not too serious.”

Lynn’s favorite furnishing, a tall 18th-century Asian chest, is in the dining room. “This piece appeals to the romantic in me. I can imagine a ship’s captain spotting it on a voyage and saying, ‘I’m taking that home for the missus!’”

If the design philosophy wielded throughout the house had to be distilled into one reductive example, look no further than the dining room’s pumpkin walls. “I think they’re a kind of bold statement you don’t really expect in a house this age,” says Lynn. “For me, the color is reflective of the sun when it goes down over the marsh.”

Which is to say, even this bold color is ultimately appropriate, like the overall design—a taut face-lift, neither pinched nor plastic, that avoids appearing disingenuous. Instead, it’s a genuine celebration of a fresh start—and a happy 200th birthday.

Photography: Francesco Lagnese
Produced by Estelle Bond Guralnick

Interior design: Gerald Pomeroy, Gerald Pomeroy Design Group, 21 Milford St., Suite 2, Boston, MA 02118; 617/227-6693, geraldpomeroydesigngroup.com. [1]

BEFORE Living Room

The original living room was full of busy patterns and distracting structural elements.

AFTER Living Room

Daffodil-hued walls offer a warm foil for a collection of 19th-century American paintings. Asian elements, including a scallop-edged chinoiserie coffee table, add to the modern sensibility. The au courant avocado hue of the linen slipper chairs is repeated on lamps flanking the sofa. A gold-leaf reproduction breakfront adds architectural presence.

Carpet (“Clay Stria”/Almond): Stark Carpet, 617/357-5525, starkcarpet.com [8].
Sofa: owner’s collection.
Sofa fabric (“Colorado” #4625, by Manuel Canovas): Cowtan & Tout, 212/647-6900, cowtan.com [9].
Upholstering: Connors Design, 508/429-4980.
Pillows on sofa, from left (“Carina”/Straw #CD 0002K420): Old World Weavers, 212/355-7186.
Striped pillow (“Kayla Quilted Silk”/Bamboo #3463000): Schumacher, 800/523-1200, fschumacher.com [10].
Bolster-type pillow (“Uzbek Linen and Cotton Print”/Sand, Ecru, Ivory #BR-79786-057): Brunschwig & Fils, 800/538-1880, brunschwig.com [11].
End tables: owner’s collection.
Refinishing (specifications by Gerald Pomeroy): Art Applications Inc., 617/269-1432.
Lamps on end tables (“Honey Lamp” #TL420): Hwang Bishop, 401/245-9557, hwangbishop.net [12].
Wood-frame chairs: owner’s collection.
Chair fabric (“On The Square Embroidery”/Gold #BR-89767-334): Brunschwig & Fils, 800/538-1880, brunschwig.com [11].
Coffee table in front of sofa (designed by Gerald Pomeroy): Art Applications Inc., 617/269-1432.
Stools: owner’s collection.
Stool fabric (“Modern Moire”/Tangerine, discontinued): Schumacher, 800/523-1200, fschumacher.com [10].
Drapery (“Uzbek Linen and Cotton Print”/Sand, Ecru, Ivory #BR-79786-057): Brunschwig & Fils, 800/538-1880, brunschwig.com [11].
Drapery fabrication; drapery hardware (custom painted): Miles River Sewing, 978/750-4923, milesriversewing.com [13].
Secretary: owner’s collection.
Mirrored glass doors on secretary (design by Gerald Pomeroy): Art Applications Inc., 617/269-1432.
Art beside secretary, top (by Sanford Robinson Gifford); art beside secretary, bottom (by Charles Henry Gifford): owner’s collection.
Slipper chairs: owner’s collection.
Chair fabric (“Aripeka”/Lady’s Mantel #780004-14): Rogers & Goffigon, 203/532-8068.
Pillows on slipper chairs (“Dinisen Linen”/Camel #32009101.16): Lee Jofa, 800/453-3563, leejofa.com [14].
Round gilded table by slipper chair (“Mr. Lot” #22546 LD 000): Julian Chichester, 336/886-2454, julianchichester.com [15].
Coffee table in front of slipper chairs (designed by Gerald Pomeroy): Art Applications Inc., 617/269-1432.
Wall paint (#DKC-47); ceiling and trim paint (#DKC-31): Donald Kaufman Color, 800/977-9198, donaldkaufmancolor.com [16].

BEFORE Dining Room

The home’s dining room felt tired, a bit dated.

Living Room Details

An oil painting by Clement Drew is just one of the many pieces in Frank’s prized collection. The apricot and lavender ikat window panels reflect the warm palette of the rest of the room.

Pedestal (designed by Gerald Pomeroy): Art Applications Inc., 617/269-1432.
Urn on pedestal: Lee Jofa Showroom, 617/428-0307.
Art above urn (by Clement Drew): owner’s collection.

BEFORE Dining Room

The home’s dining room felt tired, a bit dated.

AFTER Dining Room

A dark finish refreshes Frank’s dining table and chairs, which are augmented by custom wing chairs covered in linen. An 18th-century Asian cupboard speaks of voyages on the high seas—appropriate for a bayfront house.

Chandelier (“Belleville”/Silver Gilt with Crystals #CLA39/S): Vaughan Designs, 212/319-7070, vaughandesigns.com [29].
Dining table: owner’s collection.
Host chairs (designed by Gerald Pomeroy): Connors Design, 508/429-4980.
Host-chair fabric (“Staccato”/Toast #55112): Schumacher, 800/523-1200, fschumacher.com [10].
Side chairs: owner’s collection.
Chair-seat fabric (“Rousson”/Spice #25872): Schumacher, 800/523-1200, fschumacher.com [10].
Upholstering: Connors Design, 508/429-4980. Area rug (custom): Asmara, 800/451-7240, asmarainc.com [30].
Chinese cabinet (antique, custom): M-Geough, 617/451-1412.
Wall paint: custom.
Ceiling paint (#DK-C 38); trim paint (#DKC-43): Donald Kaufman Color, 800/977-9198, donaldkaufmancolor.com [16].

Dining Room

A valance in Lee Jofa’s “Carnivale Paisley” relates back to the Gothic fretwork on the living room’s breakfront. Mounted high above the window, the fabric adds a finished look while preserving the view. The reproduction English chandelier from Vaughan Designs is playfully elegant.

Drapery (“Carnivale Paisley”/Cream, Rust, Blue #FD221.J69, by Mulberry Home): Lee Jofa, 800/453-3563, leejofa.com [14].
Art, top, on wall by table (Chinese school, author unknown); art, bottom, on wall by table (Chinese school, author unknown): owner’s collection.
Mantel: original to house.
Brass fire screen and accessories: Adams Fireplace Shop, 617/547-3100.
Sconces (“Stourhead Storm Wall Light” #WLA09/BR): Vaughan Designs, 212/319-7070, vaughandesigns.com [29].

Dining Room Details

The vibrant blues and greens of a vintage plate stand out brilliantly against the pumpkin-colored walls. The plate is displayed over an 18th-century Chinese cabinet.

Plate on Chinese cabinet (vintage); plates (vintage, 1950s): The Barn @ 17, 617/625-5204, thebarnat17.com [37].

Breakfast Area

A drum pendant shade above the antique table adds an unexpected touch with its animal print. Windsor chairs are refreshed with blue lacquer, which also graces the back of the built-in cupboard. A freestanding sofa on one side of the table ensures comfort. The room’s base of blue-and-white begs for bright accents like the orange placemats.

Table: owner’s collection.
Refinishing (specifications by Gerald Pomeroy): Art Applications Inc., 617/269-1432.
Banquette: Gerald Pomeroy Designs, 617/227-6693. Through Art Applications Inc., 617/269-1432.
Banquette fabric (“Easton”/Stone #BF10391.10, by GPJ Baker): Lee Jofa, 800/453-3563, leejofa.com [14].
Valence fabric (“Leah Linen Stripe”/Sail #3485003): Schumacher, 800/523-1200, fschumacher.com [10].
Hanging lantern (custom, designed by Gerald Pomeroy); drum lampshade (designed by Gerald Pomeroy): Blanche P. Field, 800/895-0714, blanchefield.com [41]. Windsor chairs owner’s collection.
Refinishing (specifications by Gerald Pomeroy): Art Applications Inc., 617/269-1432.
Wall covering: existing.
Paint (“White Dove” #OC-17): Benjamin Moore & Co., 888/236-6667, benjaminmoore.com [42].
Flooring: existing.
Dinnerware; tin vase: owner’s collection.
Placemats: Bloomingdale’s, bloomingdales.com [43].

Breakfast Area Details

Ornate blue and white pillows adorn the banquette, reflecting the china’s classic colors.

Pillows on banquette: Icon Group, 617/428-0655.
Throw: Bloomingdale’s, bloomingdales.com [43].

Breakfast Area

Blues in the breakfast nook range from the deep navy Windsor chairs to the light denim of the valence above.

Daughter’s Bedroom

Bright pinks enliven this bedroom. The window treatment toile blends the vibrant coral with the crisp white of the duvet.

Headboard (“Bamboo Headboard” #7441/60): Louis J. Solomon, 631/232-5300, louisjsolomon.com [53].
Duvet; white-and-red pillow on bed: Bloomingdale’s, bloomingdales.com [43].
Bedside table (“Adelle”) Pottery Barn, 800/922-5507, potterybarn.com [54].
Table lamp (“Mother of Pearl Table Lamp” #TL07100): Shades of Light, 800/262-6612, shadesoflight.com [55].
Drapery (“Kylemore” #NCF3563-03, Portavo Collection, by Nina Campbell): Osborne & Little, 617/737-2927, osborneandlittle.com [56].
Chair and ottoman: owner’s collection.
Chair and ottoman fabric (“Malibu”/Coral, discontinued); large pillow on chair (“Byzance”/Quartz #4571/02, by Manuel Canovas): Cowtan & Tout, 212/647-6900, cowtan.com [9].
Table beside chair: West Elm, 866/428-6468, westelm.com [57].
Etagère (“Hayworth Shelf” #XLF01-W): Serena & Lily, 866/597-2742, serenaandlily.com [58].
Bench at foot of bed: Icon Group, 617/428-0655.
Carpet (“Rowena”/Morning Glow): Patterson, Flynn & Martin, 212/688-7700, pattersonflynnmartin.com [59].
Blinds (“Angle River”): Manh Truc, through Gerald Pomeroy Design Group, 617/227-6693, geraldpomeroydesigngroup.com [1].
Wall paint (“Coral Essence” #2007-40); ceiling paint (“Opal” #OC-73): Benjamin Moore & Co., 888/236-6667, benjaminmoore.com [42].
Trim paint (#DKC-4): Donald Kaufman Color, 800/977-9198, donaldkaufmancolor.com [16].

BEFORE Master Bedroom

Space was being wasted around the sitting area of the original master bedroom.

AFTER – Master Bedroom

Angling the bed proved an easy solution to a previously awkward arrangement. A cool palette begins with a subtle grid-patterned carpet and continues to the walls and ceiling. Re-covered in a subtle paisley from Schumacher, the comfy club chair and ottoman are good to go. A silver-leaf Century Furniture bench covered in an Osborne & Little fabric by Nina Campbell is as feminine as the window treatments fabricated from Lee Jofa’s silk and linen “Enchantment.” The palette continues into the bath.

Drapery and shades (“Enchantment”/Silver Birch #ED85120.725, by Threads): Lee Jofa, 800/453-3563, leejofa.com [14].
Bed (custom design by Gerald Pomeroy): Connors Design, 508/429-4980. Bed skirt fabric (“18-Ounce Linen”/Pebble #91024-01): Rogers & Goffigon, 203/532-8068.
Bed linens: Gattle’s Fine Linen Store, 800/634-4369, gattles.com [66].
Quilted coverlet; polka-dot pillow; duvet: Bloomingdale’s, bloomingdales.com [43].
Chair and ottoman: owner’s collection.
Chair and ottoman fabric (“Sarawak Paisley”/Alabaster #174381): Schumacher, 800/523-1200, fschumacher.com [10].
Throw: Bloomingdale’s, bloomingdales.com [43].
Round table by chair and ottoman (antique, Moroccan style): The Barn @ 17, 617/625-5204, thebarnat17.com [37].
Floor lamp (“Soho Adjustable Floor Lamp” #FL08025): Shades of Light, 800/262-6612, shadesoflight.com [55].
Carpet (“Cane”/ Menthe): Stark Carpet, 617/357-5525, starkcarpet.com [8].
Bench (“Metro Luxe”): Century Furniture, 800/852-5552, centuryfurniture.com [67].
Bench fabric (“Orinoco” #NCF3741, by Nina Campbell): Osborne & Little, 617/737-2927, osborneandlittle.com [56].
Double swing-arm light (#HL-1706): Hinson Lighting, 914/881-1473.
Wall paint (#DKC-57); trim paint (#DKC-71): Donald Kaufman Color, 800/977-9198, donaldkaufmancolor.com [16].
Wooden-armed chair by window: owner’s collection.
Chair fabric (“Pebble Texture”/Aqua #63661): Schumacher, 800/523-1200, fschumacher.com [10].

Master Bedroom Details

A curvaceous headboard and sweet details in the bedding add to the romance of the bedroom.

Bedside table; vase on table: owner’s collection.
Headboard fabric (“Masonry”/Seaglass #28647.115): Kravet, 888/457-2838, kravet.com [71].

Master Bedroom Details

Silk and linen window treatments from Lee Jofa add an ethereal element to the already-dreamy bedroom.

BEFORE Master Bathroom

The master bath did not reflect the same modern maturity that the homeowners desired.

AFTER Master Bathroom

By replacing the busy wallpaper with soothing neutrals, designer Gerald Pomeroy achieved an airy freshness in the master bathroom.

Cabinetry; countertop: existing.
Sconces (“Soho Sconce” #SC08050 PN): Shades of Light, 800/262-6612, shadesoflight.com [55].
Stool: owner’s collection.
Stool fabric (“Pebble Texture”/Aqua #63661): Schumacher, 800/523-1200, fschumacher.com [10].
Paint (#DKC-57): Donald Kaufman Color, 800/977-9198, donaldkaufmancolor.com [16]. Sink; faucets; covered jar by sink; mirrors: owner’s collection.

Portrait

Homeowners Frank Wineski and Lynn Dale. “There were reasons to redecorate,” says Frank, who’s retired. “The house should reflect our new realities, plus it really needed it!”

Rear Exterior

Views of the salt marshes, bay, and sky are ever-changing from this vantage point, which also reveals the additions made to the house over the centuries.

A View of the Bay

The family counts themselves lucky to have such lovely views of Duxbury Bay from their Massachusetts home.

Another waterfront remodel

Why stop here? Also from our pages, here’s another beautifully remodeled waterfront home [93].