By Madison Duddy By Madison Duddy | October 4, 2024 | Home & Real Estate, HBCA Home, HBCA Home Tours,
A converted church in Newburyport found its afterlife as a warm, contemporary condo.The home’s warm and inviting living room was formerly part of the church’s nave.
While no architecture is set in stone, people renovate historic properties every day, tearing out ornate molding—I personally shed a tear for this one—and more. A desire to not only preserve original details where possible but highlight them is rare. When one couple longed to give a church-turned-home new life, award-winning interior designer and stylist Joanne Palmisano (joannepalmisano.com) was the ideal partner in design.
Cozy details are found throughout the home, including these swivel chairs from Four Hands.
“It was super important to me to highlight the church’s features, history and past because it’s a pretty special building,” shares Palmisano. “My favorite thing to do is to really listen to the building and not only respect but highlight it and pay homage to it.” Stepping into the three-bed, 2 ½-bath home is a religious experience where contemporary touches and earthy tones complement existing details. The living room welcomes visitors with a warm embrace— formerly part of the church’s nave.
The kitchen sink area was built around two vintage church doors from an architectural salvage shop.
A skim-coated concrete fireplace climbs two stories, anchoring the space. Surrounding the hearth are leather chairs, a gray sofa by Four Hands (fourhands.com), a black Artemest (artemest.com) iron wood coffee table and a red, blue and black-colored oriental. However, the room’s most striking detail is undoubtedly the original hand-carved baluster lining the second level of the space. To make this detail stand out, the designer painted the existing bookcases along the left wall with high-gloss black paint and lined them with found objects, tomes and picture frames. Complimenting the shelves are black hardwood floors that the designer salvaged with a fresh coat of paint.
The living room’s black bookselves pair perfectly with the black floors.
“The clients wanted something that felt modern, chic and fun,” she says. “They wanted this to feel much more like a high-end luxury New York City apartment.” Down the hall, find a sleek, light-filled contemporary kitchen that feels inconceivably open. Upon further inspection, one notices the absence of overhead cabinets congesting the crisp, white walls. An extra deep farmhouse sink bookends the countertop with two pantries, hidden by old church doors, for storing dishes and dry goods. The designer added a high-gloss black paint to the vintage doors, complementing the dark-hued island base and lower-level cabinetry.
For this half-bathroom, the designer chose the Lightbearer sconces from Anthropology as a nod to the home’s former life as a church. They reminded the designer of an altar server carrying incense down the aisle during mass.
An expansive quartzite island at the center of the space is ideal for the client’s entertaining ambitions. As a large bar, the island can fit leather hightop chairs on three sides or be left bare for standing room. Above, spot modern greenwood pendants with mirrored smoke glass hanging like individual water droplets from the ceiling. Creating the whimsical effect was no small feat, as an electrician had to install light boxes over the island one by one, but it was certainly worth it.
Original stained glass windows adorn the dining room.
“It looks so stunning in person,” she shares. “At night, when all the lights are out, except for this one, it feels like a social gathering atmosphere.” Finishing off the space are rust and neutral tones, including a custom copper hood above the Thermador (thermador.com) range, red oriental accent rugs and herringbone hardwood floors. Wander upstairs, past the Lumin Lamp House (luminlamphouse. com) staircase rotating chandelier, to the primary suite—multi-colored light streams through an original stained glass window, brightening the moody yet cozy space.
The bedroom features family heirloom vintage chairs, a vintage rug and unique artwork.
With the faith of her clients, Palmisano painted the ceiling black, highlighting a striking copper-colored dome. Before the renovation, the dome melted into the neutral ceiling. Now, the juxtaposition of the black and an antique gold ceiling light from Crystorama Lighting (crystorama.com) highlights the detail like fine art.
A Lumin Lamp House staircase rotating chandelier commands the upstairs hallway view.
“When that light’s on, and no other light is in that room, it truly feels heavenly. It’s pretty amazing. It just glows,” the designer notes. Completing the space is an eyecatching en suite with an arched ceiling shower. With sustainability guiding her choices, Palmisano wrapped the space in recycled glass tile, which has a marble look. After completing the project, it exceeded the designer’s expectations and the clients were simply blown away. She concludes: “I was so pleased and really grateful that they let me play in their beautiful church home.”
Design Details
Type
Single-Family
Interior Designer
Joanne Palmisano
Joannepalmisano.com
Stylist
Karin Lidbeck-Brent
@karinlidbeck
Builder
Matt Scanlon
RESOURCES
Kelly Wearstler
Vanity pendants, primary bathroom
Vanity pendants, second bathroom
Kellywearstler.com
New England Loom
All rugs and runners
Newenglandloom.com
West Elm
Dressers, bedrooms
Wall sconces, primary bedroom
Westelm.com
Photography by: JOHN BESSLER Styled by KARIN LIDBECK-BRENT