Summer Thornton is no stranger to updating historic homes for modern-day living: Over the course of her career, she’s worked her magic on landmarked Art Deco apartments, a former lakeside inn, and her own Chicago Victorian. So when a couple asked Thornton to update a sprawling 1874 farmhouse a stone’s throw from the water in Traverse City, Michigan, she was more than prepared to find the right balance of old-time charm with of-the-moment convenience.
Pierre Frey’s Madame Elisabeth wallpaper and an antique English console and chairs set a historic tone in the front hallway, while a colorful Andy Warhol print adds a jolt of modern energy. Pendant lights, Aerin for Visual Comfort.
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“We knew we had to find a special spot for these antique cranberry colored hurricane sconces and the stair hall landing felt like just the spot,” says Thornton. The bench is covered in a Christopher Moore fabric.
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“Light and bright” was the directive for the living room, where classic Pierre Frey printed fabrics contrast on the windows and Oly daybed contrast with a modern painting by Kendra Davis.
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“Our goal was to protect and embrace the historical integrity and charm of the home and neighborhood, but make it function well for a family with three young boys,” says Thornton, who was joined on the three-year project by her firm’s designer Whitney Mersman. “They are a fun, young family, and we wanted to inject that energy in the design, too!”
To accomplish that, her team embraced an ebulliently eclectic medley of color, pattern, and materials. The theme is immediately evident upon entering the foyer, with its 18th-century inspired Pierre Frey striped wallpaper, sleek alabaster pendant lights, and a 19th-century antique wood console, above which hangs an electric Andy Warhol print. “We wanted you to walk in and know this house was going to be fun-loving and witty,” Thornton explains.
A graphic striped kilim rug sets the stage for an explosion of pattern in the dining room, including Iksel’s Indienne wallpaper, chairs in Décores Barbare’s Casse-Noisette print, and printed lampshades by Bunny William Home. The art includes a custom painting by Studio BK (left) and a pair of Josef Albers prints (right). Lanterns, Vaughan.
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A Casamidy mirror and Louis XVI bench are an elegant addition to the dining room.
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Charlie, the family dog, basks in the sun-flooded kitchen, which Thornton updated with a LaCanche range.
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The dining room is similarly character driven. “We took the formality out and instead filled it with warmth and layers,” says Thornton. The original wood-burning fireplace and adjacent firewood storage nook were left intact, with the surrounding brick receiving a coat of white paint, while the room’s original wood ceiling beams were recreated. Another patterned wallpaper, a linear floral based on an 18th-century “indienne” motif that could be a cousin of the foyer’s, adds movement, while a striped Anatolian kilim rug makes a graphic statement.
There’s no shortage of charm in the living room, where slipper chairs in a Clarence House fabric are trimmed with flouncy skirts and a Bunny Williams Home sofa is topped with Décores Barbares floral pillows. The clean lines of a Visual Comfort aged-iron chandelier and Baker coffee table keep things in balance.
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The family’s three Lego-loving sons “weren’t so sure at first” about the idea of floor-to-ceiling Farrow & Ball floral wallpaper in their playroom, “but ultimately they agreed— and loved it!” Custom ottomans in Radcliffe Tartan by Scot Meacham Wood Home. Table, Jayson Home. Credenza, Haute Living.
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“It all started with the idea of an antique marble and terra-cotta checkerboard floor pattern,” says Thornton of the primary bath. “They’re unexpected together, but feel like they’ve been here forever.” Sinks, Kohler. Curtain and lampshade fabric, Décores Barbares. Lanterns, House of Antique Hardware.
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When it came to the kitchen, Thornton’s team rethought the entire floorplan. “Originally, the space was laid out in many small, separate areas. We redesigned the layout and opened it up, but still kept the farmhouse charm,” says the designer. Newly installed gray-and-white honed limestone floors appear as if they could date back to the 19th century, as does the well-worn antique French farm table. The space is by no means a period piece, though: Rich plum cabinets (in Farrow & Ball’s Brinjal) with gleaming brass hardware bring the glamour, while Josef Hoffmann’s bentwood-and-cane counter stools add a modern note.
With doors that open to a balcony overlooking the pool, the new pool house “is where the homeowners can serve up cocktails to their guests while watching the kids play,” says Thornton, who added gravitas to the bright mood with a antique Belgian chandelier. Counter stools, Design Within Reach. Faucet, Waterworks. Sconces, Visual Comfort.
William WaldronDuring the renovation, the homeowners also added two new buildings—a two-bedroom carriage house and a small pool house—to the property. “We wanted them to fit seamlessly into the historical architecture of the main house,” Thornton explains. While the interiors of the pool house were “a bit of an intentional departure” (think walls and ceilings lined in pale knotty pine and sleek marble countertops), details like the green-and-white checkerboard marble floors offer subtle nods to the main house. “It’s a sophisticated party pad!” enthuses Thornton.
While the courtyard is a favorite family hang-out in the summer, its appeal isn’t limited to warm weather lounging and entertaining: “They use the fireplace in cooler months and host movie nights for their friends and family,” says Thornton. Furniture, RH Restoration Hardware.
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