"Easy Does It"

This is a continuation of the work done by the fantastic interior design ladies featured in Traditional Home magazine's Classic Homes issue in November 2006. I love to live vicariosly through others. It is so much fun, especially when the ladies are young and beautiful! We have to wonder if they are still living in these homes. But no matter, we can still appreciate the work they accomplished. The photos were taken by Bruce Buck.

This Boston designer, Maureen Griffin Balsbaugh, took a laid back approach to decorating because everything she created needed to be dog friendly. She worked with leading names in the music industry including John Legend and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fame. She designed homes in L.A., New York and Boston. She wanted her homes to be comfortable and user friendly and achieved this by using warm colors and large furniture pieces.

I told you she was beautiful.

I love the arch leading into the dining room below.

The table and chairs were antiques and the table seated up to 16 people.

I am trying to visualize a dog on the sofa and I just can't see it. The oldest part of the 1776 home was the oval living room. The Murano glass chandelier was shipped from Italy unassembled and came in "a trillion pieces," said Maureen. "The electrician was an extremely patient man."

She converted three small rooms and a hallway into a large foyer.

I love the large breakfast room connected to the kitchen. Maureen entertained often in this room.

Maureen mixed traditional and contemporary pieces.

New windows were made in the kitchen to match those older ones in the rest of the home.

   

The butlers pantry displayed fine crystal and china.

 

French doors to the left of the fireplace opened to a hall that connected the family room to the kitchen.

The family room full of velvet, plumped with down furniture pieces made for a great place to watch football games. The TV was hidden behind an antique armoire. 

So what did this home look like on the outside? Well there was an arbor in front of the home that shaded the home with draped wisteria. I would hate to have had to pay for the intricate slate roof with all it's pitches. All in all, this was a beautiful home.

xoxo,
later.