Once Martínez arrived at the property, she began to honor the home’s heritage, preserving as much as possible while making the place her own with the help of a local housekeeper who loved the house and was familiar with its history. , had worked on it before. , She added a back wing to include a screened-in porch, a bedroom, an office, and a laundry room, then reconfigured the second floor to accommodate a second bedroom. To increase the functionality of the studio, she installed sliding doors, allowing her to transform the now always-open barn doors into a rustic frame for the views just beyond the glass. And she rearranged the kitchen, opening it up to the dining room, moving existing cabinets, and installing a copper-topped Devol island. “I love that these old houses have rooms with doors, but I really wanted the kitchen and dining room to be more connected,” she says. “I don’t do formalities very well. I wanted to use the room every day, and now we do.”
In keeping with her penchant for cozy interiors, Martinez brought in vintage pieces from her relatives’ homes throughout Massachusetts and purchased other vintage items along the way, combining them with romantic floral patterns and poppy prints from the area. Made a subtle impact on the reputation of. Vernacular—with a glimpse of the easy life of California. Nubby quilts add warmth to the bedrooms, a sultry gold fabric adorns a couch found at a thrift store, and an original soapstone sink enlivens the new mudroom. “Surprisingly, I think California was one of the inspirations,” she explains. “I love traditional New England architecture, but often the interiors seem too historical to me. There is a sense of looseness, depth and layering here that feels modern.”
