By Andrea Timpano By Andrea Timpano | October 4, 2024 | Home & Real Estate, HBBO Home, HBBO Home Tours,
With help from PBF Homes, a couple transforms their new Wellesley condo into a pitch-perfect retreat.
Verdant hues in the kitchen reference the clients’ love for nature
After years of living in their 3,400-square-foot home, a Weston couple felt ready to downsize. They knew they wanted to stay in the suburbs, but felt a smaller space would better suit their needs. So the pair opted to buy a 2,000-square-foot condo in nearby Wellesley. They loved the single-story layout of the airy, light-filled unit, and its walkability to the buzzy attractions of downtown. But the look of the new-build condo, with its character-less bright-white walls, left something to be desired.
PBF Homes defined rooms in the open floor plan.
Hoping to invigorate the space with some much-needed personality, the homeowners turned to Needham-based PBF Homes (pbfhomes.com)—an interior design studio helmed by Pamela Brown Forman. The team soon got to work, devising a plan to transform the couple’s “sterile” condo “into a new space that felt warm and cozy,” the designers say.
Introducing color in the unit played a crucial role in banishing its lackluster vibe. The team’s carefully selected earth tones, including calming shades of green, soften the space and offer subtle references to the homeowners’ fondness for the great outdoors.
The painting in the dining room is of family pets
The PBF team also found inspiration in some of the couple’s existing traditional furnishings, which by request the pros worked into the scheme along with new transitional decor. A vintage chandelier from the old Weston house hovers above a freshly purchased Noir dining table, for instance, while a custom-cut fragment of a beloved rug that graced the pair’s former living room now covers the floor in the foyer.
Still, creating a welcoming environment isn’t just about choosing the right colors or juxtaposing long-loved pieces with newer finds. Boosting a home’s functionality can also have an inviting effect. Consider the unit’s open-concept floor plan, which combines the kitchen, the dining room and the living room in one space. Designers worked to define each area with furniture, strategically delineating each zone in a way that wouldn’t impede the owners’ ability to entertain friends and family. “Our goal was to balance the open space so each [area] felt distinct, yet worked together,” the designers explain. They also addressed the condo’s lack of storage by creating built-ins throughout the home, from handy cabinets and shelves in the living room to bespoke closets in the primary bedroom.
Overall, the project took two years to complete, but it seems it was more than worth the wait. “The client wanted…a home that feels fresh and updated, yet elegant and familiar,” the designers say. And, in the end, that’s exactly what they got.
Photography by: JOYELLE WEST