A Forever Home, Inspired Interiors and A Design Consultancy
Journal Entry 1, Building A Forever Home
Building A Forever Home
Building a home is one of the most exciting adventures of a lifetime. It can also be one of the most challenging. To visualize a two dimensional blueprint as a three dimensional construct is a bit of a gift; to truly analyze it and understand it as a working, operational, and functional home is quite another story.
Architects, masters in the field of the abstract and visualizing three dimension, draft homes with their own creative genius. However, just because a design is architecturally drafted based on conceptual ideas out of the mind of that creative, and then ultimately crafted and built as such by a contractor, does not necessarily mean that that particular design is perfectly suited for you, your family or your lifestyle.
Analyzing a blue print and floor plan to masterfully adapt to the needs of you and your family takes a critical eye. A new home build is a collaborative effort on the part of the homeowner, an architect, a contractor, a host of tradespeople, and often a designer. They each serve a different function throughout the new build process. House plans are just that, a house plan. It’s a transformative process to elevate that house into a home. A designer may well be your saving grace.
Photo, Rebecca Charamut Cass
Living in New England
Fifteen years ago, I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to build my dream home. And I can safely say, it wasn’t a coincidence that that dream home I sought, would revolve around a common style of home popular in the picturesque area known as New England. New England is a stunning depiction of some of the earliest of America’s history with six states each known for their immense natural vistas and views as well as their colorful and cultural marvels. To travel through the States of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont promises endless natural beauty between the stunning coastlines on the east, and the lush mountain ranges to the west. Perhaps the most notable feature of this area is the varying beauty that comes with the changes of seasons. It is a gift to live here as a designer. It affords endless changing visuals in pattern, color and texture.
Homes from farm style cottages that dot the pastoral, colorful and expansive countrysides, lead to small beautifully manicured wineries tucked away down windy country roads with seemingly endless rock walls.
There are quaint, vintage seaside cottages and sprawling ocean homes along the eastern seaboard weathered by the ocean wind and salty air. A plethora of foliage and floral gardens bloom continuously with the seasons’s bounty.
New England has a stunning unmatched beauty with the magnificent change of seasons. Fall is particularly lovely as the foliage changes from vivid green to the warm colors of autumn. This photo of glorious New Hampshire illustrates lush gardens which yield a magnificent floral bouquet and a bountiful harvest. The palette in all its perfection will change yet again as fall makes way for the long cold winter.
Photo, Abby Charamut
All over New England are homes of many style. From the very first time I set eyes on the beautiful magnificent mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, when I was very young, my love of the European infused architecture and exquisite elegance in these homes of a grandeur scale became my dream and my passion. I developed a love for everything European, especially things french-inspired. And as luck would have it, my honeymoon as well as my early career afforded me the opportunity to travel to some of the grandest cities around the globe soaking up the cultures, landscapes and architectural wonders.
Location Location Location
In deciding on where to build your dream home, the old adage, location, location, location is everything. My family roots were from New England ~ this place which holds endless stories of the history of a nation. I settled in the village of Kensington in the town of Berlin, in the state of Connecticut. My sister dubbed a perfectly fitting name for me in the new build I was about to embark upon, what I thought of as my castle, my chateau, my manor in-the-making. She dubbed me “The Duchess of Kensington.” She was right…I felt like a Duchess. The old cliche, “Your home is your castle,” couldn’t have been better said.
My home was modeled after this beautiful stately design by William E. Poole, a brilliant architect. The details of this Federal Colonial, called the Providence, replicate this exquisite style of home which features the finest of New England design very much inspired by the grandeur of Europe. Mr. Poole, inspired by the trademarks of the New England federal style, included, “Palladian windows, medallions, fluted Pilasters and pediment entries” as the hallmark of this stately beauty.
I have lived in my residence for fifteen years and each time I drive by it, I still admire and adore this place I call home. It’s a gorgeous cream-colored Federal style early American home often seen in southern plantations, hence the name, “The Plantation House” by my builder.
The benefit of being the geographical center of this state is that it is a wonderfully strategic location. It allows a perfect two to four hour radius to everything! The majestic Green and White Mountains are to the north, the historical city of Boston is to the northeast, my beloved Newport and Cape Cod are to the east, and cosmopolitan New York City is to the south. New England is perfection…it has all this and everything wonderful in between.
In the process of my new home build, I had been employed as a sewn products expert as a custom interior decorator at a fabric company called, Fabric Place headquartered out of Boston. In what was a stunning surprise to all of us in the summer of 2006, the company began the abrupt closing of all five of their retail locations. I had served many clients while working there for over five years and I was reluctant to let them go. In August of that year, Inspired Interiors LLC, was born and for 15 years I operated my business under that name. More recently I rebranded and renamed my business to more closely align with my design aesthetic. I am a designer of many things….art, fashion, costumes, computers and interiors….hence Rebecca Charamut Cass, A Design Consultancy. Welcome to my little corner of the world and the unfolding of a design story.
Photo, Rebecca Charamut Cass
Inspired Interiors and A Design Consultancy
In the process of building my home, I was thrust into an interior design business when the retail store I worked in closed. I will write more about that in due time. The truth is, if I only knew then what I know now in building a home, so many decisions would have been differently made.
And that my friends is exactly how I ended up here with this blog. I will not lie. Building both a home and a business simultaneously, raising a family, supporting my husband in his professional position, as well as caring for aging parents has been quite the fifteen year adventure. And yes building a home is an arduous process even for a designer. It takes creativity, money, vision, planning, attention to details and most of all patience, and not necessarily in that order.
Think of it much like a journey because that is exactly what it is! To bring the initial project to fruition, to admire the masterpiece you have created, and to accept the mistakes that were made is the culmination of design excellence. But, the reality is, that when you think you are done, you aren’t ~ making a forever home is an endless journey which changes just as you and your lifestyle does.
Yes…building the home of your dreams is just the beginning…so that too is where I will begin. And along the way I will share my love of interiors, fashion, entertaining, beauty, adventure and travel all in the glamorous and glorious world of design! Welcome to A Design Consultancy!
I am Rebecca Charamut Cass, a Connecticut based interior designer. I believe every home should tell the story of where you have been, where you are and where you are going. I believe design is a lovely layering of elements to create a unique composition. My signature style is predicated upon a neutral color palette as the foundation for the design concept. Brush strokes of color are masterfully added and the further layering of pattern, fine furnishings, carefully selected art, and uniquely coordinated accessories complement the design ideal. I strive for a livable luxury luxury experience and comfortable elegance. I look forward to working with you.
