Built in 1890, the Abba Burnham Estate (Burnham is the “B” in B&M Baked Beans) hadn’t seen significant interior renovations for nearly 20 years when designer Leandra Fremont-Smith came to the project. To complicate her charge, the space was not being renovated in whole, but rather in phases, so a significant part of the design involved getting the updated parts of the home to play nice with the as-yet untouched parts of the home. “As we were updating one room,” Leandra says, “it was critical to make sure the adjacent rooms coordinated nicely, even if they were not having much work done.”
The key was allowing both historic and contemporary detailing to carry throughout the Cumberland Foreside space. For instance, notice the original diamond-shaped ceiling embellishment in the entryway. (Raised paneling is a hallmark of the Federal style.) “That original detail was put in to chart your eye flow as you come in the entrance,” Leandra says. “It’s like a hint for a surprise. It trains your eye to look up and leads you to a dramatic formal staircase.” This original ornamentation became the inspiration for a set of custom leaded-glass cabinets in the updated kitchen. “We used that same diamond pattern on both sides of the hood,” says Leandra, who personally designed the glass doors before handing them off to Innovative Glass and Home for fabrication. “We were always trying to keep details repetitive,” she says. Another instance of repetitive detail, also in the kitchen, can be found in the island’s coloring, a rich blue-grey (Inchyra Blue No. 289 from Farrow & Ball) that can be spotted again in the pantry’s hand-blocked wallpaper. These touches, though subtle, create a strong cohesion, operative at near-unconscious levels.
In the library, Leandra grew more overt in her melding of historical and contemporary elements. Several built-in shelving units, as well as a built-in desk, had been added to the room at some point, which, once removed, required a careful recreation of the original paneling and pediment work. “We spent a lot of time on the woodwork, on all the paneling design,” says Leandra. “Our hope was to mimic the original design as closely as possible.” To this task, Downeast Woodworks brought their considerable talent, experience, and know-how. “They were excellent,” Leandra says. Once the new-but-meant-to-look-old panels were complete, the library received an unapologetically modern coat of blue lacquer (a combination of blues, actually, giving the room a finish, both bold and custom).
“It really was a project about paneling,” Leandra says. Additional recreated pieces can be found in the downstairs bathroom, painted a more neutral white but topped with a lush green animal-scape wallpaper inspired by William Morris. “I love to do color in small spaces,” Leandra says. (See also the pantry, with cabinets in Silver Gray by Benjamin Moore and picket wood-like framing on the ceramic tile).
Of course, while well-blended throughout, some elements of the home lean more purely historic. Consider the grand staircase. Elaborate stairways, like extensive paneling, are a mainstay of the Federal style. Sexy and sinuous, this one’s course seems to ooze into the foyer, languid and elegant at once. Here, Leandra wisely advanced a less-is-more approach. The treads were swapped for a darker finish, and the original design was left to shine. Wow.
Likewise, more wholly contemporary moments appear as well. While the main staircase was preserved, a less aesthetic, more utilitarian back staircase was excised entirely, redesigned, and reconstructed in a new location. This move, among other layout advantages, allowed for the addition of a second-floor in-law suite, a dog wash station, and a mudroom. The new mudroom’s MJ Blue Blazingstar tile and Morris lighting fixture by Visual Comfort list heavily modern.
The kitchen, too, although cleaving to original architectural details, is not afraid to go rogue. On the cabinetry and island, raised paneling is eschewed in favor of flatter and sparer millwork, which are more akin to the Quaker style than the Federal. “The clients didn’t want the whole house to feel one way,” Leandra says. “The pendant fixtures are a modern brasserie style as well.” Sereno Gold quartz on the backsplash, along with a wet bar backsplash by Mosaic Surface, bring glints of reflective gold, ivory, and silver to complement the brass hardware throughout. “Durability was also important for this young family,” says Leandra, hence the bronze and rope barstools with performance fabric seats. And for the floors, rather than stick with the original wood, a much more resilient porcelain faux-wood tile by AKDO (Woodland in Dark) was laid in herringbone and bordered with a brass Schluter. “This kitchen may be in a historic home,” Leandra says, “but it is definitely for a modern family.” ▪
