Cheryl Boghosian, ASID, lead designer at Gilberte Interiors of Hanover, New Hampshire, recently transformed a home for clients by re-imaging the spaces and creating a new, fresh look that reflects their lifestyle.

The clients, who were purchasing a home and relocating to New Hampshire, wanted Cheryl and her team to design a home that was uniquely theirs. Gilberte Interiors is a family business that was formed nearly 60 years ago in 196 7. The firm has in-house designers who collaborate with teams of architects, contractors, and specialists to take projects from conception to completion. This project, which involved reimagining and repurposing spaces as well as creating a new interior design, was an example of that teamwork.

Utilizing the Home in a Better Way

“The existing home was lovely but reflected the family that had constructed the house years ago,” explains Cheryl. “The spaces felt more delineated, and the layout of the home was chopped up. We worked to open areas and created space and a sense of light, while still using rich, inviting tones and textures.” Cheryl continues, “Our design style is to make sure we listen to our clients as they tell us about their lifestyle and what appeals to them. Our goal for this project was to incorporate much of their existing furnishings and extensive art collection and create spaces that felt designed with all of this in mind, not forced out of place.” The next step was for the design team at Gilberte Interiors to examine the home’s layout, rearranging walls, plumbing, lighting, and archetypal elements that could be incorporated in another space. Then they worked to select wall finishes, flooring, lighting, and additional furnishings that would enhance the ambience of the home. The result was a design that utilized the footprint of the house in a better way that suits the needs and style of the clients. “The renovations dearly had challenges, but our clients worked through the process and options with open minds and respected recommendations,” says Cheryl. “We worked to incorporate fixtures and finishes that feel well-connected with the changes we made in the balance of the house.” The layout and function of many spaces in the home were changed to suit the needs of the clients. This included carving out an area for an added elevator and guest suite with a kitchenette. While this added to the challenge, the contractors discussed feasibility and options with the Gilberte team. Then the team worked with the clients to make sure the house incorporated these changes and were well-placed, creating a flow to the home.

The Gilberte team reconfigured the layout and updated the design of several bathrooms to use the spaces more efficiently as well as to give a more contemporary look that mirrors the overall design of the home. The bathrooms, especially the hall children’s/guest bathroom, had been sectioned off and had fixtures and finishes popular at the time of construction. Each bath was stripped to the bare bones and reconfigured using a new design. They also expanded on the guest bath over the garage to create a generous space with a beautiful walk­-in shower. Using wall-mounted vanities helped create more of a sense of spaciousness as well.