A Chic Downsize Renovation Rises in Concord

By Michael McCarthy By Michael McCarthy | April 9, 2021 | Home & Real Estate,

THE CLIENT

For a home located a few blocks from Concord center in the historic district, a husband and wife with two college-age children decided to downsize from their original family home. They wanted their new place—a 4,000-square-foot historic property—to be accessible for Sunday morning walks and nights out for dinner while remaining in the community they love. They wanted comfortable, approachable living spaces, with hints of refinement, to share family memories.

THE PROJECT

The couple tapped Tiffany LeBlanc (leblancdesign.com) to inject her magic for a full interior design of the home. LeBlanc also worked in tandem with KVC Builders (kvcbuilders.com) and Battle Associates Architects (battlearchitects.com) for a full renovation of the master suite and bath, all bathrooms and the kitchen’s countertops and backsplash tile.

THE APPROACH

When it comes to working with clients, LeBlanc says it’s critical to have a common understanding about the breadth of the project. “Before the design starts, we share images; we have a design kickoff meeting, where [we discuss] the clients’ hopes and dreams about the home and how they want to use the space,” she says. “Ultimately I design around the feeling they want to have in the home. I think of myself as a translator of their wishes into a three-dimensional interior design scheme.”

THE WISH LIST

“The clients’ biggest goal was to create a more streamlined master suite and to give the house a renewed sense of style— [plus] updates with 21st century technology,” says LeBlanc. “The historic architecture also set the perfect stage for smart, clean-line transitional interior furnishings. The client was open to some playful moments throughout the house, including the dining room wallpaper and keeping the painted floors in the second-floor bedrooms, which added to the personality of the home.”

THE CHALLENGES

As is typically the case when working with an older home, LeBlanc notes there were hurdles like opening up smaller rooms and following the historic preservation guidelines for Concord. The bones of the home, however, provided the inspiration for overcoming every obstacle and giving her clients rooms that seamlessly blend contemporary lines with a historic vernacular.

THE FAVORITE SPACES

“Within my work, it’s always important to have layers of texture and materials throughout the home,” says LeBlanc. “We elevated the spaces with natural fibers, luxurious linens and raw silk. All of this creates sheen and contrast in the design. Soft metallic elements [in each room] add a level of polish to spaces.” In the living room, LeBlanc and her team layered elegance and style in every square inch. They lined the room with a sisal carpet from Merida (meridastudio.com) and with an overlay carpet from Steven King (skcarpets.com). LeBlanc added a sofa and chairs from A. Rudin (arudin.com) and wallpaper from Phillip Jeffries (phillipjeffries.com). For the master bedroom, LeBlanc created a relaxing sanctuary with a custom upholstered bed from Partners in Design (partnersindesignltd.com), linens from Bonsoir (bonsoirfinelinens.com) and benches from Wesley Hall (wesleyhall.com).

THE OUTCOME

“They are wonderful clients and were very pleased with the design,” says LeBlanc. “We’ve been in touch over the past year, and they’re loving the space. We’re thankful to have such great clients who trust us to shape such an important part of their lives.”