Name: Drew and Mindy and their beloved dog, Winnie Cooper
Location: Melrose, Massachusetts
Size: 1,700 square feet
Years lived in: almost 2 — owned
After I walked up the steep-ish, ample stairs to the front door of Drew and Mindy's house (greeted along the way by Winnie Cooper!), I walked in and remembered why it's so much fun to be a house tour blogger. I was instantly smitten with their delightful, beautifully curated home (and their dog, but that's another story).
Drew, a creative consultant, and Mindy, a wedding planner for Altieri Events, make a dynamic home design team. Here are some of my favorite elements of their space: the incredible use of blues and grays with red accents (I'm not typically a blue person but their space made me want to rush home and repaint my house); their amazing art collection (Drew owned and operated his own gallery in the South End up until 2006); the gleaming orange-toned hardwood floors; the cozy overall scale of the home; the beautiful balance of masculine and feminine elements (this is hard to achieve!); the clever layout in the living room with the floating desk (it's never easy to arrange these long, narrow living spaces); and even though Drew and Mindy are chomping at the bit to renovate the old school kitchen, I happen to love it.
Winnie Cooper is very lucky to live and play here. Well done, Drew and Mindy!
Apartment Therapy Survey:
Our Style: Mid-Century and Contemporary, but still warm and comfortable.
Inspiration: Drew's Arts and Crafts fascination started with Frank Lloyd Wright and the mid-century influence comes from his education as an Industrial Designer. Mindy is inspired by color and texture - but the fairly neutral wall colors are good for the art! (plus design*sponge, Elle Décor & apartment therapy).
Favorite Element: Wall Color Choices (with minor exceptions), all of the light from the windows, and the art.
Biggest Challenge: Keeping the house clean and not obsessing over the condition of the more pricey furniture items. And, finding 4-6 used Cab Chairs by Mario Bellini for our dining room. Call us!
What Friends Say: Like they're honest with us about the house! - but seriously, most of them say it feels very calm and inviting - especially being up high and looking out at treetops... and everyone loves that pencil point grey color in the dining room (below the chair rail).
Biggest Embarrassment: The bathroom and kitchen still need work, they are relatively untouched since we moved in. And the lighting...It's tough to find good stuff that you can live with, we have yet to invest in new fixtures. Also, Mindy said she'd paint all the trim - we've been here over a year... ahem.
Proudest DIY: Drew took off from work and spent a week straight painting every square inch of the interior prior to moving in. The schedule was 8 am to about 3 am for six days. He lived off of Melrose's Liberty Bell cheeseburgers and Mountain Dew (if you call that living).
Biggest Indulgence: Sadly, some new plumbing in the basement! But for fun, it's usually art related.
Best Advice: Figure out which pieces of furniture are worth spending good money on. Also, remember that you can get value out of things like furniture and art. For example, when you buy something at Ikea, it's like a car leaving a lot, it's worth a lot less when it leaves the showroom. Mid-century and antique furniture, even if used, can retain its value should you wish to sell it in the future for whatever reason, including trading it in for something new and different. And as far as choosing colors - it's only paint. If you don't like it, you can change it!
Dream Sources: High Brow Furniture, Room and Board, Machine Age (Boston), Herman Miller, Knoll, Cassina
Resources of Note:
PAINT & COLORS
• Main Hall, Upper Dining Room, Living Room, Upper Hallway: Behr Silver Sateen
• Lower Dining Room & Den: Behr Pencil Point
• Kitchen: not quite the blue I wanted...
• Stairway Accent Wall: Behr Chianti
• Master Bedroom: Benjamin Moore Charlotte Slate
• Guest Room: Behr Verdigris
• Drew's Office: Behr - messed up color mix, so "happy accident forest green"
• All Trim: Behr Ultra White
ENTRY
• table: Eileen Gray (Knoll)
• chair: Eames LCW (Herman Miller)
• antique rug: Ebay
• "Bank in the form of a Pig": Harry Allen
• Art: blue painting by David Moore, Print by Shepard Fairey
LIVING ROOM
• Sectional Sofa: Boston Inteiors
• Noguchi table: Herman Miller
• TV Stand: Nelson Bench by Herman Miller
• Blue Saarinen Chairs: purchased by Drew's father in Kansas City (
• Teak Desk: Abodeon in Cambridge
• Rug in sofa area: Chiasso
• Rug under desk: Ikea
• Art:Nixon and Mao prints by Faile, Bird print by Jungil Hong, Painting over the mantel by Peter Opheim
DINING ROOM
• Marble Saarinen table: Knoll
• Plastic Chairs: Design Within Reach
• Rug: Antique
• Vintage Chairs: Brimfield
• Red Wing Pottery: Prismatique is the line of that particular design, designed by Belle Kogan
• Art: Drawing by Ben Peterson, Photograph by Lori Nix, Screenprint/Drawing by Alex Lukas
KITCHEN
• Butcher Block: Ikea
• Cabinets and Tile same as when we moved in and in desperate need of a makeover
STAIRWELL
• Red Chandelier (came with the house - probably from Home Depot, we painted it red)
• Prints: Shepard Fairey
MASTER BEDROOM
• Copenhagen Bed: Room and Board
• Print: Shepard Fairey
GUEST BEDROOM
• Bed and Comforter: Ikea
• Rug: Ann & Hope
DREW'S OFFICE
• Eames Lounge: Herman Miller
• Flat File: Secondhand
• Desk: Ikea
• Office Chair: Costco
• Antique Mission Barrister Bookcase
• Art:Horizon Paintings by Judy Maloney, Explosion Painting by Mark Schoening, Blotch Painting by Chris Teasley, Bench in Snow Photograph by Remi Thornton, Dog print by Faile, Somerville Gate (in case) by Geoff Hargadon
Thanks, Drew and Mindy!
Images: Kyle Freeman
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