Tour a New Build With Historic Charm

Amy Church was looking to move closer to family in Northampton, Massachusetts, but a yearlong house search came up empty. So the mother of two took matters into her own hands. “I bought land and created a 20-slide deck about what I’d want in my dream place,” she says. Amy, a renewable energy expert, included all the features she loved from the historic homes she’s lived in: columns, dormers, wood paneling. “I always felt like those places gave me a hug, and I wanted my new home to do the same,” she says. Designers Sally Staub and Hannah Ray then helped her pick patterns that reflected her whimsical style — but also pushed her out of her comfort zone. “It’s even better than what I dreamed up,” says Amy. “And that’s saying something, because I dreamed big.”

Amy chose Craftsman-style architecture for its coziness and added an apartment above the garage to rent to a friend and her daughter. (Amy and her friend are both single moms.) The inviting teal color is Everard Blue by Benjamin Moore.

"This house includes so many great gathering spaces," says Amy — starting with the porch. A swinging couch from The Porch Swing Company is the most popular seat in the house.

“I wanted fewer walls than a typical Craftsman to create a good flow for entertaining,” Amy says. This room, which is open to the kitchen, is her family’s main hangout space; they love the cozy velvet couch from Interior Define and the West Elm swivel chairs. The Morris & Co. wallpaper was a must. “It reminds me of one of my mom’s antique lampshades,” she says. On the mantel: vintage bocci balls in a French bread tray.