September 19, 2018

An Exciting Big Project To Share!

I am excited to finally share with you guys a fun project I’ve been working on all year that I am hoping will be a new arm of my design business.  I was approached by local developer,  Finnegan Development, to help design the interiors of a community of homes they are building in the pretty suburb of Lexington, MA called Winding Road (and will be beginning another one is Weston, MA soon as well called Stone Ridge Lane!)
As a professional real estalker, I have long been driven absolutely batty by developers and builders making out-of-date, HGTV-inspired choices for finishes in their homes — especially expensive ones!  While I understand there is a budget to work within, many times I’ve found myself questioning why one would pick a tumbled travertine backsplash over a simple white subway (which is actually CHEAPER) in a New England kitchen!?
So to get the opportunity to create a series of homes in the taste of my own client base and personal preferences was such an awesome exercise as a designer! And the approach was really fun too — they wanted me to create three different “palettes” to work from — one “transitional”, one “contemporary” and one “modern farmhouse”. Granted, these were all based on the understanding that the palettes would need to have a general broad appeal for buyers, but with tweaks to give each one a unique personality.  We worked off plans drawn for them by various architects and even chimed in on the exterior colors and finishes, too.
So who wants to live in an Erin Gates designed house??? :)  Let me give you a sneak peek not only of one of the completed homes, which is already sold, but some glimpses at the boards from the other palettes we designed that are being used in houses being built as I type. (FYI – the images on the neighborhood website is not my work… so this is an exclusive first look!)
This house was designed with our “transitional” palette, incorporating both traditional and more modern choices that would appeal to a broad range of buyers.
Like this greige shingle and blue door (Benjamin Moore Charlotte Slate):
The entry is fabulous but not cavernous.

With a pretty, classic lantern in the stairwell.
The dining room featuring a fixture our clients LOVE:
The butlers pantry, with marble herringbone tile and a walnut counter:
This is a shot of the kitchen where the colors look correct (the pro images look a little warmer). We did elongated, slightly irregular subway tile and a marble-looking quartz counter.
I also really love these pendants and the mullions on the glass doors we chose.
Its the perfect sized kitchen, in my opinion:
Looking back into the family room:
The family room, with a coffered ceiling:
The formal living room has SUCH great light and large windows.
The master bedroom is huge, and we added some special sconces by the far window.
The master bath, with one of my favorite tubs and a bevy of marble!
We matched the deep grey of the tile to the vanity for some drama.
A bedroom:
Another guest bathroom with a blue-grey vanity and durable hexagon floor.
The material combinations came out great:
This would be a kids bath, in my view.  Shiplap halfway up the wall for easy cleaning and a linen-textured herringbone tile that is both pretty and durable.
Glass subway makes for a fresh and clean spa-like look.
The first floor guest suite bathroom with beveled subway.
The laundry room:
I love this third floor playroom space with the little reading nook! So sweet!
We picked schoolhouse style fixtures for this space:
The back patio:
And here’s the “Farmhouse” exterior palette and some interior boards!  This is being finished right now!
I’m really excited about this mudroom and powder room with its checkerboard floor and wood vanity!
The “Contemporary” home style:
I am particularly excited about this kitchen!!!  They let me do brass and some really amazing lighting!
I found this floor, which mimics the look of my master bath, for this master suite!
I really loved working with Finnegan — they are builders who really are about the quality of product the put out and really trusted me with these homes.  I am super excited to see the Weston homes begin (and do a traditional palette for those to add to the mix!)  If you are in the market for a new home, they will also build custom for you — you can even bring your own architect if you want (and designer, but I would hope it would be me!) :)
To celebrate, they are throwing a Block Party at the Winding Road location October 13th!  I’ll be there with Henry to play and toast this awesome partnership!  You are welcome to come and check things out, grab a drink and say hello!  If you can’t make it, be sure to check out their Instagram page for developments and news as well as sneak peeks of these homes as they are built!

ExploreEnjoy More