This vibrant family wanted to highlight their home’s historic features, but bring in surprising modern touches to keep it from feeling stuffy. They also needed all spaces to be liveable for a big dog, two active sons and a busy lifestyle. We removed dated stacked stone veneer from a fireplace and replaced with a statement porcelain slab with marble veining. We painted the wood-paneled office in glossy navy, and added playful wallpaper in kids’ rooms and the sunny kitchen to brighten those spaces. All upholstery prioritized hard-working performance fabrics and cleanable smooth services, poufs and modular seating allowed for changeable seating arrangements and pillow forts, and the kitchen was furnished with a huge expandable table to allow friends to pile in, and to supplement the limited formal dining space for holidays and parties.