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.

Sally and Hannah suggested yellow cabinets, and Amy green-lighted the idea — then panicked. “I worried it would be too bold, but it’s perfect,” she says. (For a similar look, try Semolina by Benjamin Moore.) The counters were a happy accident: Amy had ordered white quartzite, but when she went to pick them up, they’d been sold. These deeply veined ones have caramel tones that complement the paint. “It was meant to be,” she says. The barstools are from Industry West, and the wood pendants are from Barn Light.

Never mind the name: Amy and the kids eat breakfast at the kitchen island and dinner right here. "There’s no formal dining room in the house — and we don’t miss it at all," says Amy.

The antiqued gray oak table is from RH, and the captain’s chairs are from Pottery Barn. As a nod to the surrounding nature preserve, Sally hung an oil painting by local artist Dave Gloman. The chandelier, from Lumens, looks like leaves in a fairy-tale forest.

The door to this space is hidden in wood paneling, so Amy has to show new guests where it is. “It gives me the opportunity to tell them about my old home obsession,” she says. Inside she paired vintage-looking green Zia tiles with dragonfly wallpaper from Harlequin and a leggy industrial sink from Signature Hardware.

Indigo grass cloth wallpaper from Schumacher and a matching painted ceiling (Newburyport Blue by Benjamin Moore) make for a moody, dreamy space. “I wanted it to feel like the night sky,” says Amy, a self-described moon worshipper. The metal chandelier is from Shades of Light, and Sally and Hannah scored the 1970s Swedish leather lounge chair at a flea market.

Each of the four bathrooms in the house has statement tile. In this one: ceramic navy hexagons with hand-painted stars from Original Mission Tile, along with large white subway tiles and 2-inch white hexagons from Daltile. The sconces are from Rejuvenation, and the mat is from West Elm.

The woodsy theme, including Cole & Son birch tree wallpaper, was inspired by the world of Harry Potter. (Liza has been a superfan since she learned to read.) The custom-built bed came straight from Amy’s original list of dream features. “Liza wasn’t sold, but I told her to trust me,” Amy says. “There are bookshelves at her head and feet. How cool is that?” The pink tufted velvet armchair is from Wayfair.