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Classic Revisited

A Blackstone neighborhood Colonial gets a family-friendly update

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Kate Gerencser is an East Sider – born and raised – and it’s where she makes her home today with husband Steve and their young children. About the area, Kate offers, “We love the ability to walk to shops and restaurants, but still have a small backyard and a neighborhood feel.” The family lives in a classic 1920s Colonial-style home, and while they admire its integrity, wanted it to be more open, fresh, and accommodating to their busy patterns of use.

The Gerencsers reached out to Kelly Taylor of Providence’s Kelly Taylor Interior Design (KTID), with what Kelly reveals was a pretty common request: open up the kitchen and create a mudroom. “The entire east side of the house was a rabbit warren of rooms,” says Kelly, who set to work reconfiguring the first floor to satisfy the couple’s wishes. With her team, Kelly relocated a tight side entry to the rear of the house, transforming what was once an odd room to a bright and functional mudroom/breakfast area. “We added a banquette, bench, and plenty of open and closed storage so that while useful, the space never feels cluttered.” Loads of floor-to-ceiling closed cabinetry was also installed, which now stores everything from coats to crayons. “And we added a new window above the banquette to balance the one that was already there.”

Once a very traditional footprint, Kelly also worked her magic on the powder room and dining room, which now boasts interesting seating, cabinetry, and a new lighting plan. “Pretty spaces aside, at KTID, we aim for impact,” says Kelly. “We are very proud of our work on this project because this is a family home and they have been so positively impacted in every moment of their daily lives by the changes we made. We are thrilled with the results, but more importantly, they are.”

“We wanted a soft, natural, soothing palette that felt bright and clean,” homeowner Kate explains. “With all the happy chaos in our life, a calming backdrop seemed to make sense.” Kate cites the now-open kitchen as one of her favorite spots. “It acts as the hub of the home,” she begins. “Our friends and family mean the world to us and we entertain often. We can dress [the kitchen] up or down, and just as easily accommodate milk and mac-and-cheese at the island for a playdate for three-year-olds, or a charcuterie spread for grown-ups.”

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