A House Tour: Keri Russell

I so enjoyed reading this article and looking through the well-executed home this couple created. Though a renovation of this magnitude is hardly something that can be done by just anyone, the personal approach taken in the completion of their home is what I most admire. It is a very tangible expression of the couples hobbies, talents, family life, and appreciation for one another.

Without further ado, here is a look into the 1860's brownstone purchased, renovated, and resided in by actress Keri Russell, husband Shane Deary, and their son.

"The son of one of the most respected contractors on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, Shane Deary grew up in a house his father built. The apple, as the saying goes, doesn't fall far from the tree. Deary gutted the brownstone to brick and studs himself, then moved walls to open it up, must notably in the master bath, where no walls exists now. The pumpkin-pine floor stayed, though he painstakingly pulled up, numbered, restored, and nailed back every plank." 

"He dug joists out of a dumpster and saw the perfect kitchen table, then unearthed the house's old shutters in the basement and turned them into window castings. Beside their bed, a golden block of reclaimed pine flooring serves as a night table. After living out of a suitcase for years, Russell now hangs her clothes on sleek plumbing pipes Deary saved from a past renovation job."

"It was a collaboration from the beginning, with Russell sketching room layouts, choosing furnishings, and picking out fabrics while Deary took charge of materials - almost all of them cast off. The kitchen cabinetry is built entirely from a dismantled post-and-beam house, as are the bathroom vanities."

"The young actress is so enamored of her husbands talent that when it came time to fill the place with furniture, Russell made sure it didn't speak louder than the rooms themselves. She stuck with a neutral palette, kept it spare, and worked in as many textures as she could without straying into 'girly territory.'"

My favorite things:

The wood flooring and crown molding, of course. 

Subtile feminine characteristics in the furniture choices

The focus more on the architecture rather than filling the walls with artwork

The harmonious transition between each room

The unfinished fireplace in the kitchen

What do you like? What could you live without?

Featured in Photographer: William Waldron