A Builder-Grade White Living Room Gets Its Historic Charm (and Coziness) Back
When you’re dealing with a historic home, you have to take its quirks (both good and bad) into consideration when making it your own. Olivia Barry chose her Hudson Square duplex because of its quirks.
“The chimneys were in horrible shape when I moved in,” she recalls, for example. “In the bedroom, I just get it professionally cleaned once a year … however I don’t use that fireplace because it was a pretty hefty price tag to fix it. However, I did fix the living room fireplace …my favorite fireplace contractor inserted a new sheet metal chimney within my chimney, and sealed my box to make the fires draw upward better. It was a bit of a process, and it was definitely expensive, but it is so worth it to have a safe wood-burning fireplace.”
In addition to the fireplace, Olivia made some other changes to create the colorful and eclectic landing pad of her dreams. Despite still having its historic 1830s bones, the space had gotten the builder-grade special with crisp white walls and woodwork. Here’s how she added some warmth back in.
The walls and windows got some paint love.
One of her favorite things about the townhouse is the living room windows. “The room bathes in natural light, thanks to south-facing windows that capitalize on the low-rise buildings across the street,” Olivia says. She knew she had to draw attention to them and make them the centerpiece of the room.
She did just that by painting the trim and casings a rich brown (Benjamin Moore’s Bittersweet Chocolate). She used a limewash paint (Portola Paint’s Mission) on the walls, and she worked in conjunction with a professional painter.
“I did some portions to show him how to do it, and then he would finish it out when I had to go to work,” Olivia says of the limewash treatment. “My tip is to be chaotic, and the more chaotic, the better your walls look. When I forgot the purpose of the texture, I got a little linear in my strokes and it doesn’t look as good as where I got kind of crazy with the edges.”
With new warm (and textured) paint, the living room feels more enveloping — and the natural sunlight is literally framed like art on the wall.
The decor creates a cozy atmosphere.
Some of the pieces Olivia brought with her to her new place didn’t match the cozy, lived-in vibe the space had. So, she opted to switch out her sofa for the Aria sofa from Sixpenny, which, as the Sixpenny website describes, is “a little bit doughy.”
“I layered my rugs to create a more dynamic effect, and to help make my couch corner feel a little less square,” Olivia says. And the set of three nesting coffee tables make the best use of the tight space Olivia was working with.
The living room has cool shelving that wraps around the door.
And because the home is on the small side, she had to think creatively when it came to figuring out storage solutions for her collections. Enter: cool custom shelving around the doorframe that leads to Olivia’s home office. She designed the shelves herself, and then her contractor helped her bring them to fruition.
“I really like the shallow shelf where I have photo frames and trinkets displayed,” Olivia says. “It creates a little ‘exhibition’ of my favorite people and objects!” The shelves, much like the entire room — and home — are personal, well-planned, and perfectly unique. “Over 18 months, I methodically selected paint colors for walls and trim, chose window treatments that balanced light with privacy, and incorporated custom millwork to showcase the various objects and books I’ve collected over the years,” Olivia says. And her hard work and patience paid off: Her historic home is now filled with layers of stories and charm, both from the past and Olivia’s present.
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