Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/121906
"Robin is an artist," says Anne Hajjar of her designer. "She'll mix patterned fabric, a printed carpet, a floral bedspread, and it all goes." Shaped, tufted headboard, M. Vargas Upholstery. "I wake up and can't believe I'm sleeping in there. The colors are soft, but it's feminine and glamorous."—ANNE HAJJAR wanted something lovely enough for hosting guests, but resistant enough to stand up to wet towels and feet and Popsicles and all the things that go with entertaining in the summer and beyond," Pelissier says. "We used a lot of indoor/outdoor fabrics, which are mold-resistant and scrubbable." In the more polished common spaces, the designer selected furniture in neutral or solid textured fabrics, along with copious Phillip Jeffries woven wall coverings—soft surfaces that balance the architecture's weighty feel. Imported Italian limestone accents one of the house's fireplaces. Then came the vibrant accessories, like pillows, ottomans, and books. "[The couple's] aesthetic is very Mediterranean, and they love Moroccan pattern and color," Pelissier notes. Nowhere is this more evident than in the home's 12 bathrooms—each with its own unique style, using tiles such as laser-cut marble, limestone, and simple ceramic—and in the gold-leaf monogrammed "H" on the custom black wrought-iron staircase. "With Anne, more is more, which was really fun," says Pelissier. "It's on the Vineyard, so I thought we could experiment with colors I'd never use in my suburban house," Hajjar says of the jewel-toned interior palette. Pelissier concurred, noting that rooms with such high ceilings and large windows tend to "eat up the color." A few days before the installation, feeling that the walls still needed more life, Pelissier called the Boston gallery Jules Place, known for its vibrant artwork. "I said I was hoping they could send someone down with some art. They did, and it was amazing. I thought, We're never going to be able to use all this, but we took every piece." While Pelissier shied away from delicate lighting, fabrics, and furniture in the main areas ("I wanted them to have a coffee table you could sit on!" she says), the master suite and Anne Hajjar's dressing room were a different story. Deeply stylish and always on the move, she craved an indulgent personal retreat. Pelissier obliged, creating a separate dressing room and bath with two crystal chandeliers, gilded benches, and floor-length closets for the homeowner's gala-ready gowns, accented by raffia wall coverings in an iridescent lavender hue. For the master bed, she layered a tufted headboard and Oscar de la Renta fabrics for a custom, couture look. "I wake up and can't believe I'm sleeping in there," Hajjar says. "The colors are soft, but it's feminine and glamorous." Charles, who works in real estate and hospitality, was less particular about the details. "He said, 'I don't care; I don't need a closet,'" Pelissier recalls with a laugh. "For him, family comes before all else." Tailoring the design to suit such a dynamic yet grounded couple made the project one to remember, she adds. "That's the fun of the business: the yin and the yang, the push and the pull." Fine-tuning the design until everyone was thrilled—architect, designer, and both homeowners—made for an exhilarating journey. In this case, "thrilled" wasn't a hard place to get to. "They're an exceptionally enthusiastic, fun-loving, joyous couple," Pelissier says. And with a finished dream home filled with friends and laughter, it's not hard to see why they're smiling. BC BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 110-115_BC_F_Home_LATESPRING13.indd 115 115 4/10/13 11:53 AM