Tour a Classic New England Colonial With Major Style

Erin Gates is the name and creative mind behind Erin Gates Design. The Massachusetts-based designer hails from Connecticut where she grew up in a design family. Today, she puts her pedigree to good use both as a designer of luxury interiors and the author of two books. She shares her three-bedroom, Colonial home in Newton, Massachusetts, with her husband, Andrew, son, Henry and the two family dogs.

Six years ago, when Erin and her husband purchased their home, they did so directly from the daughter of the original owner. Built in the 1940s, the center-entrance Colonial home still had all of its original features and decor, requiring a complete makeover, from top to bottom. "We did four separate renovations and additions, all with my father's architectural firm, which was fun to partner up on," she remembers.

The last step of the renovation was turning an old porch into a family room. It took some work, but the end result is another of the designer's favorite spaces. "I adore the vaulted ceiling, the beams and the see-through fireplace. It came out exactly how I wanted it to." Filled with her signature style, it's easily one of the most comfortable rooms in the home. "I feel like it has personality without being eccentric or quirky, and elegant without feeling stiff and formal," Erin muses about her home. "I love that it feels polished but comfortable and says a lot about who we are as a family."

As the home took shape through multiple renovations, Erin and Andrew reserved the later phases for expanding the home further, taking on external projects like widening the driveway and adding a stone retaining wall. The basement was one of the family's last renovations. It was converted specifically with Henry in mind, and it has the color palette to prove it. As in his bedroom, reds, blues and whites intertwine throughout the space. With an easel for art and fun art on the wall it's the perfect play space for expanding little minds.