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There’s a particular kind of joy that announces itself before you’ve even crossed the threshold. At a shingle-style home on the shores of Farm Pond in Sherborn, Massachusetts, it arrives in a riot of color—a boathouse door painted the exact pink of the hillside rhododendrons beyond it, bee-filled apiaries stenciled in cheerful patterns, a bronze snail wearing a saddle in the mossy garden near the drive. This is a house that has been loved into existence, and it shows.
The town of Sherborn sets the effervescent tone. The Boston suburb, incorporated in 1674, was once the largest exporter of sparkling apple cider to Europe and is now a bucolic preserve of country roads, historic farms, and the glacial stillness of Farm Pond—all 125 acres of it, 54 feet deep at its heart, visited by bald eagles and ringed with blueberry bushes in the summer. The homeowners found the property during the early days of the pandemic, touring it with her daughter via FaceTime from California. What followed was a sweeping renovation—new additions, reconfigured rooms, bespoke furniture, and a landscape reimagined as a series of garden rooms designed for midday meandering.
Designer Whitney Talsma of Massachusetts-based Oliver James Interiors helped give shape to the couple’s sensibility, which was formed by decades of travel, collecting, an unabashed love of British color and pattern, and a real appreciation for the outdoors (as seen via the artwork throughout). The result is a forever home that feels less about well-appointed decoration than about unapologetic celebration: of family, of nature, of whimsy, and of the deep happiness of a full life unreservedly expressed. Says the homeowner, “Everything seems to get along together, as though this lifetime was destined to provide all the right pieces for our final home to be eclectic, warm, and completely harmonious.”
The Art-Filled Mudroom
Each painting in the mudroom’s colorful menagerie pays homage to the home’s surroundings, and the mix of antique frames adds to the collected feel. Red-and-white bench cushions also reference the landscape. A pair of straw hats on an antique bamboo hall tree bring texture to the space.
Get the Look:
Top Cushion Fabric: “Tulip Flamestitch” by Schumacher
Bottom Cushion Fabric: “Quercus” by Alison Gee
The Four-Season Sunroom
With its blue trim, mix-and-match wicker, a framed bird-and-botanical design by the late textile artist Paule Marrot, and a potted (faux) lemon tree, the four-season sunroom evokes the naturalistic ease of bespoke garden rooms found in English country homes. Red-and-white-striped garden stools bring a hint of unexpected whimsy.
On the opposite side of the sunroom, faux rattan furniture, featuring a quatrefoil detail and cushions in an ivory performance fabric, provides a serene spot to take in the sailboats from the nearby yacht club as they float by. Soon the family’s pedal-powered Swan Boat, a nod to the iconic vessels in Boston’s Public Garden, will join their ranks. A crocheted blanket and a pleated lampshade ensure that the sensible space still has ladylike charm.
RELATED: Inviting Sunroom Ideas for Creating a Dreamy Retreat
The Hallway Hideaway
To maximize the property’s charm per square foot, Whitney turned a new-addition hallway into a color-filled refuge courtesy of a breezy climbing-tree wallpaper inspired by British botanicals.
Two cozy, tucked-in seating nooks piled with pillows make for a favorite hiding spot when it comes time to play hide-and-seek with the grandchildren. Crisp green millwork reflects the verdant front garden, which can be viewed from the windows.
Get the Look:
Wallpaper: “Berry Tree” by Liberty Fabrics
Trim Paint Color: Breakfast Room Green by Farrow & Ball
Nook Paint Color: Slate Blue by Benjamin Moore
The Timeless-with-a-Twist Bedroom
An upholstered pale blue spindle bed sets a playful tone in this beadboard-paneled bedroom. A classic blue-and-white color palette was the jumping-off point for this space—the additional red accents, including the lantern hung above, add a fresh, contemporary twist to the timeless palette.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: Pointing by Farrow & Ball
Ceiling Paint Color: Catalina Blue by Benjamin Moore, 50 percent strength
“This piece barely made it into the room,” Whitney says of the guest bedroom’s hand-painted 18th-century armoire. “It had to be hoisted by a team of seven men up to the second floor and cleared the doorway by just an inch!” Woven textures dotted throughout the bedroom add even more cottage flair.
In the adjoining bathroom, a floral wallpaper was the jumping-off point for the verdant palette. The garden feel continues in the shower, which is clad in a trellised tile.
Get the Look:
Wallpaper: “Flora” by Schumacher
The Guest Bathroom
A yellow medicine cabinet pops against the guest bathroom’s reprinted archival wallpaper, designed by William Morris’s contemporary C.F.A. Voysey.
Get the Look:
Wallpaper: “Natural Butterfly” by C.F.A. Voysey at Finest Wallpaper
The Pattern-Forward Children’s Room
The preexisting painted windows inspired the children’s bedroom’s palette that now includes a red-and-blue wallpaper, cornflower blue twin beds, and red paisley bedding. To help visually ground the room, Whitney hung tramp art–framed mirrors—pieces from the homeowner’s museum-worthy collection—above the beds. A pine chest also provides some relief from the pattern play.
Opposite the beds, a red-backed built-in is the perfect display space for books and toys.
Get the Look:
Red Paint Color: Incarnadine by Farrow & Ball
Wallpaper: “Medlar” by GP & J Baker
The Practical-and-Pretty Laundry Room
A deep farmhouse sink and a rolling laundry basket ensure this utilitarian space that doubles as a bloom room is as hardworking as it is handsome.
