STATE OF PLAY
A Wellesley basement is transformed into a kids’ play sanctuary, complete with smart storage.
A new craft area PHOTO BY SARAH WINCHESTER
Designer Nicole Hirsch (nicolehirschinteriors.com) had a tall task from her Wellesley clients, who have four children under the age of 10: make a basement activity space as gorgeous as it is functional. “The most important piece was to hide away unsightly clutter,” says Hirsch, who is also renowned in the Boston area for her contemporary designs in every room of the home. “Having organized, functional storage allows kids to enjoy their toys more. It keeps a basement from looking like a hot mess all the time. It was also important to make this toy storage visually bold and sleek.”
The family’s children now have plenty of room to roam. PHOTO BY SARAH WINCHESTER
Hirsch’s team created custom toy storage with the help of Hunter Antonitis of New England Custom Cabinetry (necustomcabinetry.com). “We ripped out dated, open shelving and built huge floor-to-ceiling shelves with internal cabinets that we lacquered in Benjamin Moore (benjaminmoore.com) Bold Yellow. Next to that, I designed large floating toy bins that little kids can easily pull out and stash small toys. We made these pullout bins clear fronts so the children could easily [identify] the toys. We also wanted this space to come alive, so we commissioned a bold, graphic piece of art by Linda Colletta (lindacolletta.com) to run the expanse of the wall above the bins.”
Designer Nicole Hirsch created a kids’ wonderland in a Wellesley basement with exceptional storage bins with clear fronts, plus art from Linda Colletta. PHOTO BY SARAH WINCHESTER
The space also had a large craft table in the middle of the room, gobbling up square footage and interrupting traffic flow. It had to go. “We needed to create a craft area that was out of the main play space, which allowed for a great work station, ample storage and a cool feature wall that gave the kids a place to display their creative works of art,” says Hirsch. Hirsch’s team also worked with Atonitis to tear out old cabinetry at the bottom of the stairs and create a long, wall-to-wall built-in desk and cabinets. “This space easily seats four children and houses long pencil drawers and side cabinets,” she says. “Some of our favorite elements are the wire and clip lines that we strung on the wall overhead to hang all the kids’ beautiful creations. The best piece of the craft area is the custom drip paint mural done by Joan Kingsbury (joankdesign.net). We had her do a really modern take on drip art on the back wall of the craft table and then mirrored that bold yellow in four yellow acrylic chairs by Kartell (kartell.com).”
Vibrant zebra carpeting sets the stage for fun. PHOTO BY SARAH WINCHESTER
Hirsch created a comfy media space for movie nights PHOTO BY SARAH WINCHESTER
“HAVING ORGANIZED, FUNCTIONAL STORAGE ALLOWS KIDS TO ENJOY THEIR TOYS MORE.” –DESIGNER NICOLE HIRSCH
Media and snack storage. PHOTO BY SARAH WINCHESTER
A bright bathroom for children and guests PHOTO BY SARAH WINCHESTER
Another item on the clients’ wish list: an area where their kids could enjoy movie nights with friends in a relaxed cozy atmosphere. Hirsch transformed an old bedroom into a sleek, kid-friendly media room, with a sectional from Kravet (kravet.com), pillows from Savannah Hayes Studio (savannahhayes.com) and wallpaper from Designers Guild (designersguild.com). “It also needed to sleep guests if someone was in town for the weekend, so we needed to create a custom, large sectional that also pulled out into a double bed,” she says. As the children grow, so will the list of memories in this new cherished den of fun—which makes Hirsch incredibly proud.
Photography by: Courtesy of Sarah Winchester
