The new-construction farmhouse-style home that Michelle and Ben Langille bought in Manchester-by-the-Sea has a perfect no-nonsense layout that makes sense for them and their two teenagers.
“The flow of the house was practical and efficient,” says Michelle, adding that the fact that it’s near the water made it additionally attractive because the family loves going to the beach, kayaking, and paddleboarding.
It was a spec house, designed to appeal to a variety of potential buyers, but the high-end finishes were a tad too traditional and overly ornate for the couple’s lifestyle and taste. “We knew we wanted to bring our own design style to it, but we wanted to practice sustainability,” Michelle says. “We wanted to find a happy balance and let our style merge with what was there.”
Their first order of business was greening up the lot, which had no landscaping, and adding a pool, patio, orchard, and shrubbery that would shield the property from the eyes of drivers traversing the well-traveled road out front.
The interior of the house, which Michelle described as a blank slate, wasn’t so easily rectified, so they commissioned Manchester-by-the-Sea–based interior designer Jennifer Coles, of Coles Color and Design, to work around and modify the existing elements, which included custom built-ins and paneling in the kitchen and pantry.
“The challenge was to embrace what had been done,” says Coles. “The work that had been done was quality, so we didn’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We wanted to keep what made sense.”
She adds that she effected “little changes that made a big impact” such as changing the color of the kitchen pantry and retiling the backsplash. Coles helped the couple define their aesthetic, which Michelle describes as “minimalist but warm, inviting, and calm.”
Ben comes from a family of artists, so the couple has a lot of family artwork that they wanted to incorporate into the décor. “We used the colors of a small quilt piece by my mother-in-law—shades of green and blue and some red tones—and the greens of the plants I have throughout the house to set the theme,” Michelle says.
The seven look-alike bathrooms, which had identical mirrors, light fixtures, vanities, and tile, were the first alteration the Langilles requested of Coles. Some of them required only a new paint color and lights; but most were extensively renovated with the addition of custom vanities. Michelle asked Coles to clad them and the floor of the mudroom in Fireclay Tile, a sustainable, handmade product whose imperfections she loves.
“When you touch the tile, it has ridges, curves and bumps that make it feel alive. It makes each bathroom feel unique,” she says. “Yet it’s still quite understated.”
The foyer’s powder room, dubbed the “Beautiful Oops,” is Michelle’s favorite. It features a sink carved from a slab of onyx. When the custom piece was ordered, it was noted that each is different due to the unpredictable colors of the stone.
“The one we saw in the showroom was white with tiny orange and green striations,” Michelle says. “The one we got was lime green. So, we pivoted and picked a different wallpaper and paint color. It turned out beautifully.”
Coles designed a woodworking treatment to link the large front foyer with the long upstairs hallway and added wallpaper and ceiling lights.
On the main floor of the house, which was in an open-style layout, Coles added a wall at Michelle’s request to create cozier spaces. She also designed cabinet doors to close off the open shelving in the living room and pantry. These doors were designed to work with the home’s cabinet style as well as to introduce Michelle’s new aesthetic. Coles also contemporized the fireplace, which Michelle deemed “too ornate,” again using Fireclay Tile, and throughout the house switched out elaborate curved and grooved moldings with flatter panels.
The couple decorated the house with what Michelle says are “beautiful, meaningful objects that make us remember happy times.”
To that end, Michelle has displayed, in an upper cabinet with a glass-front door in her kitchen, the teacup collection that was assembled by her mother. Pieces from her grandmother’s glass paperweight collection are showcased in several rooms in the house. And she framed the art quilt the home’s color scheme was derived from. It hangs proudly and prominently in the family room.
The newly renovated new house makes Michelle feel at home.
“When I walk in the door, I say to myself, ‘This is my house.’”
colescoloranddesign.com