Tour a Renovated Colonial With Epic Parisian Style, Contemporary Color and Customization

This Old-Meets-New Family Retreat Balances Elegance and Confidence

How do you exemplify the je ne sais quoi of contemporary Parisian chic in Massachusetts? For starters, you enlist the services of Wellesley-based designer Nicole Hirsch, whose work combines the timeless appeal of classical architecture and bold, fresh applications of color.

That’s just what her clients had in mind. “This home belongs to the most wonderful, fun family who have two boys in elementary school. [They’re] both very active and love sports,” she explains. “It’s a 9,000-square-foot Colonial home built in 1987 that has been slowly refurbished since the family moved in. Our work on the home includes the entire second floor and primary suite, including the bedroom, bathroom and closet.” By knowing just where and when to apply boldness and restraint, she created a sanctuary that’s vibrant and restorative. Here’s how she brought it to life.

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Custom-Cut Broadloom Carpet Becomes a Bespoke Area Rug

The anchoring area rug in this space outside the boys’ bedrooms is actually broadloom carpet that Nicole’s team had cut down to size — a nifty pro trick. “The leather ottomans are from Mitchell Gold and we selected tones of teal and sage green for all the pieces to give it a pop,” she explains. “We grounded it all with that amazing camo rug from Fayette Studio.”

A Clever, Kid-Inspired Installation Makes Art Out of Play

Gallery walls are well and good, but their appeal is often lost on the elementary-school set. Nicole adopted an athletic aesthetic to create a one-of-a-kind display that reflects the boys’ youthful energy. “Though they aren’t skateboarders, per se, they love trying new and different activities and we thought these incredibly cool skate decks from the MoMA Design Store would pair perfectly in this hangout/TV/homework area.” Ultra-durable versions of Andy Warhol’s 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans? Genius.

SEE MORE: Personalize Your Space With a Gallery Wall

Basketball Display Adds a Punch of Color to Homework Station Shelves

This sleek workspace has a sense of fun, thanks to six graphic basketballs arranged on acrylic rings above the shared desk. “The boys both really love basketball and soccer and bringing in the graffiti balls was an awesome accent for the built-ins,” Nicole says. “We wanted the space to feel comfortable and fun. We designed the built-in double desks so they each had a place to sit and comfortably do their homework. We added metal cabinet fronts above for an edgy textural difference.”

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Monochromatic Photography Is a Serene Backdrop for Colorful Upholstery

How better to offset oceanic velvets and leather as Nicole did in the boys’ hangout room, than with an actual ode to the coast? This striking photograph of a California surfer is a limited-edition print by Shannon Howard that she sourced through Minted, a customizable collection of design work by independent artists.

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Marble-Topped Nesting Tables Elevate a Casual Seating Area

This graphic, eucalyptus-filled vase and the pair of occasional tables beneath it add just a bit of grown-up polish to this kid-friendly space. Like the ottomans’ satin brass swivel bases, they hint at luxury and layer Nicole’s design without making the room feel fussy.

High-Contrast Curves Define a Contemporary Double Vanity

Crisp black gooseneck faucets echo an arched motif that repeats along the grand upper edges of this generous mirror. A pair of crystalline pendants lend the space even more curvature and symmetry. Balance and repetition are the stars of the show here, though a gray shagreen box and a frosted glass decanter between the sinks keep the tableau from feeling too matchy-matchy.

Fringe, Channeling and Crystal Add Personality in the Guest Bath

At this makeup vanity, in turn, Nicole used more ornamental borders. The round teak mirror from CB2 features channeled detailing, and the Made Goods ottoman beneath it boasts swingy suede fringe that matches the channels’ width. Dried poppy pods provide organic texture, and a trio of vintage vessels add a just-so hint of glamour.

Smooth, Understated Bathroom Cabinets Let Dramatic Tile Take Center Stage

In this space, “the millwork is all very flat front and clean lines,” Nicole explains. “We decided to make a statement with the floor and leave everything else very clean and soothing.” She played with both scale and pattern in arranging this intriguingly irregular assortment of large hexagons on the bathroom floor.

SEE MORE: 20 Hexagon Tile Designs

Pale Gray Hexagonal + Rectangular Tiles Are Subtly Chic in the Shower

Nicole moves from the drama of the mixed, oversized hex tiles on the guest bathroom floor to a more subdued and textural look in the shower, where dove gray tiles in a soldier pattern rise up and fall back to create a ledge for toiletries. A hardy aloe plant — which happens to thrive in the warmth it’ll get here — perches on the floating bench.

SEE MORE: Plants to Grow in Your Bathroom

Versatile Blue-Gray Paint Highlights Graceful Bathroom Architecture

Nicole chose Benjamin Moore New Hope Gray, a cool, silvery hue that echoes aquatic notes in the tile and artwork. With a crisp white frame and abstract washes of color, the Minted print she mounted on the wall collects the room’s tones in a single, serene expression.

SEE MORE: 40 Wow-Worthy Bathroom Decorating Ideas and Tips

Vivid Green Accents Bring a Neutral Bedroom to Life

Just as skiers’ bright gear pops against the snow in the framed art beside the bed, splashes of supersaturated color give this plush space a bit of an edge. Though accessories like the color study on the nightstand at left, the loveseat’s toss pillows and the books tucked beneath the nightstand at right might feel less significant than big-ticket elements like the upholstered bed, those touches are crucial to Nicole’s work.

“We really try to think outside the box when it comes to accessorizing rooms of any kind, so our process of sourcing those finishing details is always lengthy and is presented to the clients in the same organized fashion as the most expensive pieces of furniture,” she explains. “People often underestimate how important those finishing details are. But our job as their [design team] is not complete until those last elements are in place.”

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Well-Curated Memorabilia Adds Character Rather Than Clutter

A long, gray-stained dresser with luxe brass hardware complements the nightstand, and those right angles recur on a graphic charcoal-and-white area rug cut to fill the room. “When designing kids’ spaces, we always try to incorporate elements that lean towards their interests, while still keeping it clean and modern,” Nicole says. “We started with pretty blank slates in both boys’ bedrooms, so everything you see were additions we brought into the space.”

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Warm Beige + Kelly Green Are a Contemporary Love Match

With stacked tile walls and smooth silhouettes, the bedroom’s en suite is perfect for an active boy. With its showstopping ceiling, it’s also all-ages design inspiration. “We knew we wanted to infuse that cool ‘alligator’ green but do it in an unexpected way,” Nicole says. “The cabinetry on the vanity is custom and we did a stain on oak to achieve that beige/natural woodgrain look and feel.” That subtle graining gives the space a depth that balances the solid tones on the walls and ceiling, and sleek Cedar & Moss sconces add a touch of tailoring.

SEE MORE: Our Favorite Green Bathrooms

Streamlined Sink Hardware and Accessories Are Practical and On-Trend

A rubber-coated canister and soap pump from CB2 are clean and unobtrusive sink accessories. When it comes to styling vanities, “we like colors and textures that blend with the design of the space,” Nicole says. “Nothing too cute or whimsical.” As for the wall-mounted Lacava faucet, “We went with no hardware to keep it clean,” she explains.

Gleaming Green Shower Tile Makes a Strong Statement

Nicole inverted her color scheme in the shower, where high-gloss rectangular tiles glow in the sunlight and create a floor-to-ceiling repetition of the en suite’s green ceiling. White shelving creates contrast in the recessed storage area, and matte black hardware echoes the understated sink accessories.

Mixing those greens was no easy feat. “We went through several iterations of the green paint to get the perfect shade to coordinate with the shower tile and landed on Benjamin Moore Nile Green, which is the perfect shade for the space,” Nicole says. “Bold but not too jarring.”

SEE MORE: 20 Bathroom Shower Tile Ideas

Deep Blue Grasscloth Establishes Tone in This Boy’s Bedroom

Swathed in textural Phillip Jeffries grasscloth and punctuated with crisp white molding, this bedroom is preppy and restful all at once. The custom rug from Art & Loom “was an integral part of pulling together the blue from the faucets in the bathroom (more on that in a moment) with the deep navy in the wallpaper,” Nicole explains. “The bolster pillows were also made custom by our upholsterer in that selected fabric.”

Crisp Tennis Prints Offset Moody Blue Walls

A pair of illustrations from German artist Rosi Feist’s Digital Paper Cut Outs series extend the graphic geometry Nicole established with the custom area rug. White legs and ash laminate highlight a long, low West Elm credenza, in turn, against the grasscloth.

SEE MORE: 24 Blue Kids' Rooms We Love

Eclectic Curios Lend a Youthful Vibe

“We love including pieces in kids’ spaces that are timeless and cool enough for them to grow with the kids as they get older. Nothing that feels overly juvenile,” Nicole explains. She reached for whimsical pieces like a chrome balloon dog for the credenza (find a similar one here) and a Jonathan Adler ‘Salvador’ vase for the grasscloth-backed built-in. That cylindrical glass vase full of brand-spanking-new tennis balls, in turn, is the ultimate high-impact (and ludicrously low-cost) finishing touch.

Graphic Wallpaper and a Concrete-Look Countertop Give This Neutral Bath an Edge

Though Nicole worked primarily in soothing shades of gray here, she folded in details that add interest to the design. “The wallpaper is a vinyl that allowed us to bring in a kind of graffiti cool pattern without being overwhelming,” she says. She topped the vanity with quartz treated to look like concrete —a touch that suits that street-art vibe to a T.

SEE MORE: 10 Eye-Catching Powder Room Wallpaper Designs

Vivid Blue Wall-Mounted Faucets Transform a Contemporary Bath

Those thoughtfully layered blues in the tennis-themed bedroom lead up to a spectacular finish (no pun intended) here at the vanity, where the quartz backsplash frames bespoke waterworks. “We knew we wanted a vibrant blue that wasn’t too juvenile looking but definitely made a statement,” Nicole says. “We had these faucets made by Watermark Brooklyn, and we specified the exact blue we wanted.”

Charcoal Penny Tile + White Grout = Textural Gray Shower Walls

Nicole mimicked the look of a small-scale wallpaper print with tiny, medium-gray tiles that almost make this shower look variegated at a distance. For fixtures, she turned from the vivid blue mounted above the sink to gleaming chrome.

SEE MORE: 15 Quirky, Fun Tile Ideas for Your Kitchen and Bath

Art Creates a Contemporary Sanctuary in This Guest Bedroom

Nicole’s homeowners provided the anchoring piece for this space; she, in turn, brought the room to life around it. “The bed was from our clients’ own collection and we made it work within the space,” she says. The striking “broken egg” trio on the wall brings a sculptural element to the design: “We wanted the art above that four poster bed to have some depth. These are from Phillips Collection,” she says. A trio of pillows in Kelly Wearstler’s classic Graffito fabric balance them on the bed.

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When Choosing Bedroom Art, Look For Low-Contrast Compositions

The abstracted seascape mounted beside the bed adds sophistication without contributing too much visual distraction to the space. “The art is a canvas we found that had really soft texture and tone to marry with the serene feel of the room,” Nicole explains. The vase on the occasional table between the slipcovered chairs functions in a similar way: the detailing at its rim makes it special, but its simple white glaze doesn’t compete with the view from the window behind it.

Tone-on-Tone Wallpaper Gently Reflects Light in the Bedroom

The guest bedroom’s elegant architecture deserved ornamentation that drew attention, then let all that glorious vaulting shine. “I wanted to use a wallpaper that had pattern but was not too jarring,” Nicole says. “Love this white on white pattern by Designers Guild.”

SEE MORE: 30 Timeless Wallpapers You Won't Regret in 30 Years

Choose a Chandelier That Echoes Your Room’s Geometric Motifs

This luxe Arteriors pendant’s 12 radial arms form an Art Deco-inspired sunburst that complements the guest bedroom’s wallpaper beautifully. Its variegated shades, in turn, suggest Murano glass and soften its light.

For Statement-Making Storage, Think Outside the Dresser

Noir’s striking Maharadscha hutch is a sensational (and versatile) alternative to built-ins or case goods with drawers in this guest bedroom. “We wanted to bring in an element of curved design that also had the height to feel really prominent in the space,” Nicole says. “This piece felt so sculptural and also elegant.” To add interest and draw the eye upward even more, she perched a pair of rustic hand-woven baskets on top.

Curate Accessories by Color and Finish to Create Cohesive Shelves

This generous bedroom also features an elegant built-in. The key to its pitch-perfect styling? “We always keep built-in accessories color coordinated and diverse in shape,” Nicole says. “This one was extra fun because we had that beautiful wallpaper flanking the back so the pieces really popped off of it. In general, we pick no more than three colors or finishes and try and keep everything in that family.”

SEE MORE: 45 Must-Know Tips for Styling Your Built-In Bookshelves

Understated Marble Tile Lets Luxe Bath Hardware Have the Spotlight

For the guest bedroom’s opulent bath, “we enveloped the whole space in marble tile to give it a very spa-like feel,” Nicole says. “We really wanted to highlight the matte brass details throughout the space. We always love including accessories in bathrooms to give them the extra touch of refined luxury. Here we wanted them to really blend with the space, so [we used] white to bring textural elements in without having them stand out too much. Using textural accessories sparingly in a bathroom is really important.”

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Decant Bath Supplies To Create Visual Harmony in the Shower

Nicole used Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White, a cool hue with just a touch of gray, to frame the marble tiles’ delicate veining. In a glass-walled shower like this one, refillable vessels like the gold-necked white pump dispenser she perched on a shelf are key to streamlining the look of the space.

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Give Each of Your Bathrooms Their Own Character

These warm fixtures are a far cry from the chrome, black and blue in the boys’ bathrooms — and that’s a good thing. “There is no rule anymore about keeping hardware finishes consistent from bathroom to bathroom within a house,” Nicole explains. “Mixing metals is actually more popular than ever. In order to make your home feel truly custom, not builder grade, don’t be afraid to make each bathroom’s hardware feel unique onto itself.”

A Custom-Designed, Upholstered Bed Harmonizes With Bedroom Paneling

The principal bedroom’s stunning, custom-stained millwork called for a bed that was just as special. “We designed this bed to sit integrated into the wood paneling in the bedroom. So it was really about a piece that we could inset into the space and still have it feel grand and important,” says Nicole.

“We went through a lengthy process to find the perfect, luxe, green fabric for this custom bed. We ended up choosing a textured fabric by Pindler," she continues. "We then had it made by the team at [Massachusetts upholstery shop] Lousso Designs that does a lot of our custom upholstery. They had to finish off the piece on site to ensure it sat perfectly within the millwork on the headboard wall.”

SEE MORE: 100 Stylish and Unique Headboard Ideas

Custom Bedroom Sconces Double as Art

“One of our favorite elements in the bedroom is the jade stone sconces we had made with Apparatus Studio,” Nicole says. “We wanted bedside lighting that looked like sculpture and worked with their team to hand select the perfect jade stones to make these gorgeous fixtures.”

Beautiful Bones Meet Dynamic New Pieces in This Primary Suite

The way this elegant arch frames the room’s office space and its view of the woods exemplifies the painstaking approach Nicole’s team took to the renovation as a whole. “The exquisite custom millwork panels in the primary bedroom were really the starting point for the whole design. We wanted a very Parisian feel where it was old-meets-new and wanted that to transcend across all the spaces. We are very influenced by Parisian design and how old architecture combines with modern decor for the perfect synergy.”

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Distressed Metal Pairs With Cozy Boucle in the Principal Bedroom’s Sitting Area

Nicole ordered a sheet of bronzed brass for the fireplace surround. Could this be the chair rail of the future? “It was fabricated to fit perfectly around the fireplace and continue across the entire wall,” she says. “The chair and ottoman are from Bright Group which we had custom upholstered in a textured boucle.”

SEE MORE: Take a Seat: Main Bedroom Sitting Area Ideas

When Renovating a Room, Plan Ahead for Window Treatments

One of this office space’s cleverest details isn’t visible at all. During the construction process we had ceiling recessed spaces carved out so roller shades would be totally hidden when they were rolled up but come down at night for light blocking,” Nicole explains. The home sits on a sprawling parcel of land, and its owners now have a commanding view of the woods surrounding them — and darkness and privacy as needed.

SEE MORE: Do's + Don'ts of Designer-Worthy Window Treatments

An Architectural Dining Chair Suits This Contemporary Home Office

Nicole’s team designed the fluted desk, which she paired with a cane-and-velvet Artistic Frame dining chair. She sourced the accessories atop it, in turn, from Modern Relik and Lekker Home. “Every piece of hardware, wood finish and fabric was specially selected and designed for this project,” she says.

SEE MORE: 20 Stylish Desks That Will Make You Want to Work From Home

Craftsmanship Meets Simplicity in This Contemporary Woodwork

Nicole’s team collaborated with Boston artisans Kenyon Woodworking on the jaw-dropping millwork throughout the project. “Our clients wanted a design that was a perfect combination of traditional elements done in a modern way. So we wanted to make sure that gorgeous millwork was included,” she says. “We were really inspired by a Parisian design influence where all the walls were adorned with a very simple, clean paneling. We worked through many stages of what this paneling might look like, each time simplifying so it was incredibly sophisticated but not too ornate. The wood is rift sawn oak and the stain is a custom blend.”

SEE MORE: Warm Ways to Add Modern Style With Woodwork

Custom Runner Adds Art Underfoot En Route to the Walk-In Closet

This eye-catching abstract pattern leads from the primary bedroom to its retreat-within-a-retreat. A graphic choice like this one is perfect for a narrow space where wall art might feel oppressive. The movement within the piece draws the eye down the hall and up the stairs, and its darker tones complement the luxe bronze-and-black canisters overhead.

SEE MORE: Top 10 Stair Runner Styles

High-End Finishes Turn the Closet Into a Personal Sanctuary

Nicole’s clients wanted “to completely overhaul their closet so it not only held all their clothing and accessories in a more efficient way, but looked gorgeous.” In a makeover aiming for what she calls “wow factor in its entirety,” she created a dressing area with multiple islands, custom LuxHoldups smoke Lucite hardware, Urban Electric Co. chandeliers, and luxurious touches at every turn.

SEE MORE: 25 Ways to Maximize Storage in Your Walk-In Closet

Touchable Textiles Give This Walk-In Closet a Boutique Feel

“When creating large, custom closets we like to not only design to the footprint of the space, but also really evaluate our clients' wardrobes and build accordingly,” Nicole says. “We knew we needed lots of long, hanging space but wanted to make it special by adding glass doors and stunning custom hardware and millwork. The fabric on the banquette seating is a textured boucle to add softness to the space. We selected a very elegant flat weave carpet from Stark to run throughout the entire space.”

SEE MORE: Make Your Closet Look Like a Chic Boutique

Give Your Closet Design the Same Attention You Give Your Bedroom

The millwork in this space is all custom light oak, and the island countertop is Sky White Quartzite with 3” mitered edges. “We wanted this to be a closet that was also a retreat,” Nicole explains. “Where [our clients] could go to relax and really enjoy all their gorgeous clothes and accessories.”

SEE MORE: Specialty Features for Your Closet

Primary Bath Suite Is a Spa Built for Two

As with the millwork in the primary bedroom, Nicole turned to the experts at Kenyon Woodworking for one-of-a-kind luxury in the bath suite. “The cabinet millwork we designed and worked in partnership with Dave Kenyon,” she says. “We knew we wanted to do a gorgeous stain on white oak, but we needed it to be a little more elevated, so we incorporated the inlaid brass to give it that extra level of sophistication.”

SEE MORE: 75 Dreamy, Spa-Inspired Bathrooms

Brass Accessories and Simple White Vases Layer the Vanity Design

“The sconces are from Allied Maker and we had them made in a soft brass to pair with the inlays in the cabinets and the hardware pulls,” Nicole says. Between the dazzling woodwork and the sumptuous marble, little more was needed to complete this tableau. “The trays are just simple brass bathroom trays that we sourced from an online home boutique.”

SEE MORE: 5 Strategies to Declutter Your Bathroom Countertop

Inset Vanity Mirror Reflects the Showstopping Shower

Embedded in the bath suite’s marble backsplash panels, the vanity mirror doubles as a portrait of the space’s signature feature. The wall-mounted faucet and integrated sink perform their duties almost invisibly, letting the eye go straight to that magnificent reflection.

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Inlaid Cabinets and Chevron Tiles Add Subtle Detail to Bathing Area

Nicole chose rift-sawn oak for the woodwork in the bath suite. “We wanted something that would show the grain of the wood and be a fabulous canvas for the perfect custom stain — which took many rounds to achieve — that we formulated with Kenyon,” she says.

Sculptural Black Soaking Tub Creates a Strong Silhouette

This lovely Victoria + Albert vessel doubles as artwork in the suite’s light-filled soaking nook. "The selection of the black-and-white tub was a really important element to the design. We wanted the tub to feel important and tie back to the black steel accents on the shower enclosure," Nicole says. In a contemporary, minimalistic retreat like this one, a three-legged side table with a faceted vase of hellebores is the only bath accessory one needs.

SEE MORE: 30 Freestanding and Pedestal Bathtubs

Don’t Be Shy About Installing a Major Light Fixture in a Large Bathroom

Nicole knew the principal bath needed a fixture that could stand up to its post-renovation grandeur. “The chandelier in the bathroom is the Cloud by Apparatus Studio. We needed something that had a bold presence without overpowering the space,” she says. “We had this fixture made to accommodate the newly created vaulted ceiling and stunning skylights that we added during construction. It measures close to 40” in height and 40” in diameter. It is a real wow factor when entering the space.”

Three-Sided Shower Is the Home’s Grand Finale

“When we first sat down to conceptualize for this primary bathroom, we knew the shower was going to serve as the focal point for the room,” Nicole recalls. “It was always going to be a three-sided shower so having that perfect balance of glass and steel was of paramount importance. We brought this idea to the clients and they fell in love with it. We worked lengthy hours with the teams at Curl Architecture and Lynch Construction & Remodeling to achieve this showstopping architectural feature in the space.”

SEE MORE: 75 Walk-In Shower Designs for a Luxurious, Spa-Like Bathroom

Walk-In Double Shower Features Symmetrical Fixtures

“It was quite an undertaking to make that steel and glass beauty come together, but it was well worth it,” Nicole says. “It is such a stunning focal point.” Understated hardware and an inset trio of shelves reinforce the installation’s monumental symmetry.

Marble-and-Glass Shower Feels Like a Private Paradise

When sun pours in through the bath suite’s skylight and this chamber fills with steam, a bather can imagine they’re indulging themselves at an exclusive European retreat. “From a design standpoint, we wanted this entire space to feel like elegance and luxury,” says Nicole. The quiet perfection of this chamber is a testament to her team’s success.

SEE MORE: Our 40 Fave Designer Bathrooms

This Massachusetts Family Home Channels Parisian Chic

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