Vintage touches help give a New Hampshire summer home a ‘little cottage in the woods' feel

Boston Globe

2 days ago

She quickly realized she wished to honor the home's 'little cottage in the woods' feel. 'I want it to feel familiar, like you've been here before,' McSherry says. 'I also want it to be a place where I can be a more relaxed version of myself.' Antiques (and near-antiques) were crucial to achieving the lived-in look. Any furnishings that aren't vintage are inspired by ones that are. 'To me, old is comforting,' she says.
The home also needed to work year-round; the family would be there as often to ski as to swim. McSherry points to the Mulberry wool-plaid fabric she used on the living room sofa as epitomizing the design concept. 'Plaid feels equally at home in a summer house as it does in a winter house,' she says. She loves that the colors are a bit off, too. 'They look dirty, faded, and worn,' McSherry says. 'Those are not bad words; I don't want clean, crisp, and fresh.'
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Guests come and go through the mustard front door, where they step onto a vintage Turkish rug. A midcentury tapestry picturing stylized figures of Mayan and Aztec dancers, which remind the designer of bugs, hangs on the wall straight ahead. As much as she wants things to feel familiar, McSherry also appreciates fun, and the quirky tapestry sets the tone.
New stairs to the now-finished basement are painted Benjamin Moore's Patina, a color that McSherry describes as 'dirty salmon.' Not only does the unexpected shade render the stairs a statement, it symbolizes McSherry's vow to push herself to take risks that she never would in her traditional Colonial in Newton. 'I'd tire of this color if I saw it every day, but for a weekend, it's so freaking fun,' she says.
The entry is inviting thanks to colorful architectural features and vintage finds such as the 1960s Italian rattan and bamboo pendant light.
Jared Kuzia
Ditto for the color in the kitchen: Benjamin Moore's Caponata, a dark plum. The upper cabinets and range hood disappear into the wall — Sherwin-Williams's Ivory Lace — while the plum-colored paneled fridge, base cabinets, and furniture-like island are earthy anchors topped with black granite. The hand-painted Tabarka Studio tile backsplash echoes the carefree greenery outdoors.
Stools are conspicuously absent from the island, which has glass-front cabinet doors to show off the creamy dishware inside. Not having island seating is a controversial decision, McSherry concedes, but she didn't want to clutter the space, and there's a banquette nearby. Needham woodworking studio Saltwoods made the table based on an antique McSherry loved and the vintage razor blade chairs inject woodsy Danish style.
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Martha's Vineyard artist Avery Schuster Bramhall created the painting in that corner. 'I sent her swatches of the pillow fabrics and tidbits about our family, asking for a still life that speaks to where we are at this time in our life,' McSherry says. 'She incorporated motifs that represent all of us, including the dogs.'
In the living area, cheerful still-life paintings hang in a line above the mood-defining plaid sofa. McSherry paired it with a slouchy sofa in a dewy morning blue Fermoie fabric that's printed with large-scale, wispy wildflowers meant to harken back to a great aunt's floral sofa. 'The flowers, butterflies, and weeds are fitting; I'm not tending to the yard here,' McSherry says.
McSherry avoided safe colors for the kitchen cabinetry, opting for Benjamin Moore's Caponata.
Jared Kuzia
Aside from the bunk room downstairs, the home has two bedrooms just past the salmon-colored stairs. The primary bedroom is wrapped in dusty mauve, while raisin-colored beams echo the rich kilim rug underfoot. 'The tone-on-tone-on-tone is enveloping,' McSherry says. 'I never lived with this color before, but I love it.' In the guest room, wallpaper with garnet vines and spiky blooms tops the chocolate brown beadboard wainscoting of the built-in bed, where a vintage Indian throw offers a random hit of glow-y blue.
The decor here in New Hampshire, McSherry says, explores her alter ego: the loose, chill side of herself that doesn't need things to match. It also represents who she hopes to become. 'I want to be the cool older lady who wears a caftan, chunky jewelry, and red glasses,' she says. 'This house shows how I can do that.'
Resources
Interior designer:
Meg McSherry Interiors,
Contractor:
Frank Wiggins Construction,
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Designer/homeowner Meg McSherry curated botanical paintings for the living room; artists include Shann Spishak, Chelsea Lyons Teta, and Jose Luis Pelaez.
Jared Kuzia
The primary bedroom is painted Hint of Mauve with Sequoia trim on the beams.
Jared Kuzia
Marni Elyse Katz is a contributing editor to the Globe Magazine. Follow her on Instagram