Name: Katin & Brandon
Location: Marblehead, MA
Size: Just under 2000 sq/ft (includes full unfinished basement)
Years lived in: Owned since October 2008
Last week you saw the kitchen, then the bathroom, and now it's time for the whole house. Katin & Brandon made a big move about 5 months ago: from a 600 sq/ft apartment in Cambridge to this roomy cape in Marblehead. A big chunk of that square footage is tucked away in a huge unfinished basement — which they have plans to tackle this summer — but the rest is a wonderful study in simplicity and light...
From the walls to the linens to the furniture, an array of neutrals carry throughout the house and keep focus on the abundant natural light that permeates every room. It's definitely a classic cape style house but with one big exception: the open plan living / dining / kitchen which is the heart of this home. We love the simple dividing wall between the living and dining rooms (who really wants to see the TV while you eat?) and the fact that the galley style kitchen remains open to both. The walls of windows on the first floor are amazing of course, but the skylight above the tight, narrow stair which illuminates the whole upstairs hall has to be our favorite light detail.
AT Survey
Our style: We enjoy mixing the classic and the contemporary, the eclectic with the refined. Clean, simple lines and an understated color palette provide the perfect backdrop for the mix of styles we enjoy.
Inspiration: Some of our favorite things are those we've found, collected and inherited over the years. Very often a single object with some history will set the tone for an entire space.
Favorite Element: Windows! The south-facing expanse of windows on the front of our house provides great light all day, beginning on the back porch in the morning and slowly making it's way throughout the rest of the house.
Biggest Challenge: Adjusting our furnishings over the years. Having moved seven times over the last ten years, it feels like we're always adapting to a new space. Quite the difference between furnishing a
600 square foot apartment in Cambridge and an expansive Chicago loft. We're finally done moving for a while *fingers crossed*
What Friends Say: Our friends may be more exicted for the coming New England summer than we are. They never turn down an invite to one of our famous summertime cookouts.
Biggest Embarrassment: The big empty basement. Our plan is to tear up the old carpet and turn it into an art studio for Brandon in the coming months.
Proudest DIY: We're days from renovating the upstairs guest bath... So ask us in a few months, hopefully we'll be proud!
Biggest Indulgence: Lately, it's been an Apple TV. We're slowing working to set it up so we can enjoy music in most every room, including the back deck this summer!
Best advice: Prioritize making your bedroom just how you like it — peaceful, clean and beautiful.
Dream source: New England summers bring with it lots of great antique shows and flea markets. We're always on the hunt for the next diamond in the rough. Also, we've been loving CB2 lately and can't wait for one to open in Boston!
Resources
Appliances: Tri-City Sales
Hardware: Restoration Hardware
Furniture: IKEA
Accessories: Weekend antique sales near Rowley, MA. Also, the Chicago Antique Market is a great resource in Chicago
Rugs and Carpets: FLOR. Just be sure to take the time to order samples before you make a purchase.
Beds: IKEA
Artwork: The Rhode Island Scool of Design (RISD) Alumni Sale can't be beat
Paint: Sherman Williams
Flooring: Hard to beat the original wide pine planks they used in 1850.
For a full tour of the open kitchen, check out The Kitchn tour here. For more on the bathroom, check out the bathroom gallery here. Thanks so much for sharing your lovely home with us, Katin & Brandon!
(Images: Wes & Kayla)
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Your home is beautiful!! Love all your windows and the wonderful light. Very inviting.
Thanks for sharing.
Boring, but I don't mean that in a bad way. It's simple, clean, very calming. Well done.
Nice. I like the restrained color palette and the light hand with accessories (clutter makes me scream). The kitchen and bathroom are standouts.
Enjoy your new house; I'm sure you'll do a great job in the basement.
absolutely love this house. so tasteful, simple and still intriguing. are you looking for a roomie?!?!!
I like the simple covering for the windows; where did you get the neutral Roman blinds?
Lovely. It's contemporary, yet still has that quintessential New England feel.
not often in decorating do whites and beiges become colors unto themselves... but you've done it gorgeously and effectively, especially in your living room and bathroom!
i am not sure if its the lighting, or the pairing with dark toned woods and sparingly rustic furniture, but you live in a beautiful white haven.
what color is the living room?
Beautiful house - that's one lucky cat! And kudos to you for showing us shots of the rooms and sightlines between the rooms, rather than only charming vignettes. I'm not opposed to vignettes - and yours were indeed charming! - but I like to see what a home actually looks like too. And yours looks lovely.
I love the built-ins, the kitchen, the woodwork and floors...
...and especially the restrained pallete - it's so soothing.
But those two sofas in the sitting room look like they're staring each other down - They're ready to fight! Spread 'em out and put something in between those two!
Beautiful!!!Where did you get the floating kitchen shelves?
Thanks.
Gorgeous! I, too, want to know what color your living room is! I love how you were able to create a great look without a lot of cost, especially in the furniture department!
I love the sink! Is it a 24" wide sink? Thanks.
Beautiful.
Would love to see more exterior shots.
A beautiful house. I love the mix of old and new and the warm wood with the cool color palett.
Very nicely done... completely neutral, yet it doesn't feel at all "beige".
Love the powder room paint color above the white paneling... Any idea what color it is? Would love it for my bathroom!
Love the palette -- big fan of whites -- and the textures.
Also most impressive is that this level of completion only took you 5 months!!!
you have a beautiful home... im so glad to see the house tour after seeing yout gorgeous kitchen!
and i love that you have quite a bit of ikea furniture but it doesnt have the ikea showroom look. its beautiful AND accessible! lovely!
Beautiful! What are those stair runners? Love them.
Wow, they made Ikea look really, really good. That bathroom is absolutely to die for. Everything is nice, and calm and clean. No clutter at all, wow. I'm gonna say it again, wow.
Where is your clutter? I'm extremely jealous-- I love how simple, clean, and sophisticated your home is, but I have so much junk and so many knick-knacks I don't think I could ever create the same effect!!
Fresh and beautiful!
Really nice... I imagine it'll get even better over time.
this is one of my favorite house tours ever. so calm and peaceful and beautiful!
This place is as close to my wanna-be style as I've ever seen. Beautiful, spacious, calm, edited. Lovely!
Love this house! Also would like to know about the roman shades - these can't be IKEA?!
Really lovely! Fresh and open, yet cosy. I love it!
I'm so envious! Well done, can't wait to see more.
Calming and really beautiful, but it also seems a bit cold (sorry). I can imagine it is a wonderful place to return to after a harrowing day of work though and I love the bathroom. Kudos
Perfect house.
To me, the kitchen looks...maybe not quite done? Something just a little too bare about some of the kitchen walls so it feels a bit chillier than the rest of the house.
Hate to even say that, because it really is perfect.
One more vote for the Roman shades - they are lovely. Where are they from?
One of the best house tours I've seen here. Nice to see a spare, edited space that still has lots of warmth. (I don't understand the common notion here that clutter=cozy.) Your natural light is doing you *loads* of design favors! Beautiful, top to bottom.
Beautiful home! My husband and I just moved into a cape outside of Boston and this provides us a lot of inspiration! What is the name of the paint color in the living room?? Also, did you install the kitchen cabinets? If so where did you source from? Thanks for a great house tour :-)
Very nice and calming. I really like it. Would love to live there. Great in many ways.
Can you tell us all of the paint colors in EACH room? Even the white used for the trims. I'd like to know it all! Thanks!
this is beautiful. it's definitely a new favorite of mine.
Beautiful home! Thanks for the tour.
Did your living room rug also come from FLOR?
Love the clean austere aesthetics of it. Really in quiet good taste. What a delicious relief from all those clutter palaces we are battered with daily at AT. And totally personal unlike the other extreme end of sterile glossy "designer" nonsense.
Thanks so much for all of the kind words :) A few answers:
- The Roman shades were custom sewn. In our previous apartment, we had some from IKEA that were strikingly similar, but the the texture of the linen is a bit different & definitely changes the way they fall.
- The living room rug is from IKEA. We love it (as does the cat), but it produces a lots of dust. If anyone has a suggestion of a source for a replacement with a similar look, we'd love to hear it!
- bepsf is right! The two ivory loveseats do look like they are going to fight. We have really struggled with the layout of the small front sitting room, putting tables in different spots, etc. I guess there's more to do :)
- The Shaw's Original Farmhouse sink in the kitchen is 30"
- Cabinet Source: http://www.oceansidecabinets.com/
- I believe the floating kitchen shelves were custom
- We'll try to wrangle up some paint colors, so we can post them here
This place is G-R-E-A-T! The bedroom in particular. I would never get out of bed. BTW, how many times have you bolted awake and banged your head on that sloping ceiling? I once live in a tiny little 2-story doll's house, and it took me months to remember to roll out of bed instead of sitting upright. You've done a beautiful job.
I'm in love with that kitchen...especially that rug. I also love all the natural light...you've done a beautiful job with the place!
http://www.carinagardner.com
love that sink so much.
This home is very nice...simplicity with farmhouse charm. You're lucky you have a lot of natural light, and as previously said in another post, you've used a lot of restraint in the decor. It's very serene and lovely!
Beautiful job on your house! I was wondering where the bar stools are from-they are amazing and simple.
I loved the FLUOR carpet tiles laid in the kitchen. Really nice combination of colors with the rest of the room. I usually object to the oversize farmhouse type sinks, but in this kitchen it looks just right.
To have a beautiful house in New England ready for the summer -- you have my congratulations and my deep wish that I knew you and would be expecting and invitation.
One of the loveliest (and most inspiring) apartments that I have seen on AT. Thanks for sharing!
Love those awesome vintage pieces - the office drawers and the art deco radio. Beautiful home!
Beautiful and calming. This house reminds me of my old preference for the New England farmhouses I grew up with. Those bar stools are perfect - where are they from, and what sort of wood? I have a Shaker side table that would be so much better if it were that color, but it's maple and I doubt re-staining it would come out right.
Beautiful, i just love it! I find my self scared of white but you pulled it together so well. So soothing! And it looks like you have lots of Ikea stuff but you place it so beautiful, def not over kill Ikea. Great job! Cant wait to see what you do with the basement.
Beautiful home. I love the floors and bathrooms especially!
You house is lovely, and I am quite envious! I would also like to know where the bar stools are from. Thank you!
Beautiful and Amazing is all I can say! Wow, Congrats on a great home. Where did you get your nightstands from? and the couches in the sitting room?
Much love from Los Angeles!
You have such a great blend of character pieces and clean lines. Well done. I'm so envious! Aaaaand with all those lovely windows, I'm willing to bet your cat has more than one favorite "blast of sun" spot to nap in.
Last year, I stayed the weekend in this house just before the previous homeowners had begun the gorgeous renovations that are featured in these photos, then once again right after they finished. This post is a great tribute to the beautiful work they did on all the rooms pictured here before they sold the house to Katin and Brandon.
Good luck with the bathroom and basement, guys.
Sorry people, but you won't get answers to paint colors, roman shade information, stools, kitchen or bathroom design, etc. as these were done by the talented previous designer owners.
love the lack of clutter!
JB Designs built many of the projects in this beautiful home. We worked extensively with the previous owners to fulfill their vision throughout the house. The final result is stunning.
The kitchen island was designed to match the shaker-style cabinets with the thick walnut butcher block bringing out the warm tones of the flooring. The built-in cabinet in the living room also made use of the clean lines of the kitchen. There is room for a small television but all of the components are hidden within the cabinet with the help of a remote control relay device. The floating shelves in the kitchen are walnut and were installed using heavy-duty L brackets attached to the studs.
Upstairs, the walnut vanity with double sink echoes many of the design elements of the first floor. The rich color of the walnut, the open slatted shelf, and the thick unadorned legs, all mimic the well-balanced design of the first floor.
Missing from these photos are the reclaimed oak coffee table and the walnut-framed mirror above the vanity.
Many compliments to the new owners for their contributions. The house looks incredible.
You can view these projects along with many others here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbdesigns/sets/
JB Designs
custom woodwork
Lynn/Boston
(781) 584-4567
anyone know where those brown/blue pillow are from?
I see there is still interest in this post - we are flattered...
sopey - the pillows are from Target!
btronist - the nightstands & couches in the sitting room are from IKEA
Liana & AmyJo & taracakes - I'm not sure about the bar stools, the previous owner added them! I think they are custom.
Wow beautiful furniture, and the colors are so nice and classy. And you have a gorgeous cat! I want to live here.
The bar stools are from Oly Studio. olystudio.com.
Simply my favorite AT post ever. I keep coming back for inspiration. Love it so much.
I LOVE your space and all that you've done to it. Wow. I could go on and on. I do have one question.
Where did you find the side table next to the white chair in the tv room? I've been looking all over for one like it.
Thanks.
Lovely home, I am having sconce issues and I wonder if anyone might know where that sconce in the hallway is from?
I love the living room sconce too! Any ideas as to where it is from?
Lizatthemarket, I believe the living room wall sconce is the Tolomeo Wall Spot.
http://www.ylighting.com/art-tolwlspt.html
We have one on either side of our bed and just love them.
Love everything you did- we live in a cape style house too...i enjoy the tour and looking into ideas how we can transform ours to something like this! perhaps you can help me when your are down in the New Jersey area! Right now am still looking into how to expand the back side of the house where the kitchen is?... It is inspiring how you guys are great diy-project takers! Here's to a wonderful job well done!