In this post we take you through how to create a classic New England Style Home. Tips from colour schemes through to blinds, storage and wall covering choices.
What is a New England Style Home?
The New England style takes its inspiration from the homes in the region itself. New England, in the USA, is a region of six states including Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Originally, the style was exported from the aesthetic and design of homes in the South East of England.
Exterior New England Style
New England houses often feature timber house side walls, open porches and big sash windows / sliding doors. Historically, tall chimney stacks were also a feature of New England houses and while they still are to this day, are more often replaced with a metal range and stove, particularly in America.
Interior New England Style
Internally, New England style is synonymous with neutral colours and pastel shades – and often features white as the primary ‘colour’ scheme. The look is characterised by louvre shutter blinds and doors, wooden flooring and bright – often open plan spaces – with lots of light. You will often see white / light colour millwork and design features taking centre stage, for example around ceiling lights / fireplaces etc.
There are of course variations to this dependent on the property itself. For example, coastal New England styles may feature more blues – in particular navy, and subtle accents that reflect the proximity to the ocean.
Cottage New England style may feature more exposed brick work and beams – albeit beams that may often be painted in white and pastel shades.
How to create the New England home style
Keep the overall aesthetic in mind
When designing a home in the New England style, keep in mind clean lines, relaxing white and pastel colours and a focus on making the home feel light and airy.
The devil’s in the detail
Many properties with the New England style bring the panelled walls of the exterior, indoors – with wall panelling particularly popular in bathrooms, kitchens and hallways. Much of this style can be achieved using James Mayor’s Wall Panelling Kits.
Think about your storage
The New England Style is all about decluttering and creating a calm, restful home. Whether you’re tight on space or your home lends itself to a more open plan style, storage is crucial in both making smaller homes feel bigger and in making sure you don’t feel lost in a bigger area.
Window benches with storage inside them are the perfect addition to any New England Style home. The wood panel detailing fits seamlessly with the theme and, once painted in either white or soft pastel colours, such as light blue or pink, this type of storage solution adds a wealth of charm to any home.
Choose custom fit storage, including cupboards shaped to the contours of your home for that classic New England style. One of the main characteristics of New England houses is pitched roofs at 30-45 degree angle and often the roof area is used as an extra room – so make the most of the space up there by having bespoke fit furniture that hugs every nook and cranny.
Classic shutter style
Nothing says New England Style more than louvre shutters and blinds. Getting these bespoke fit to your windows and painting white, or again a light pastel colour, creates a stunning feature for all windows in the home. They offer great control over the amount of light you let into a room – and sun in the summer when you want to have a cooler space – and add an extra layer of security behind any window.
Kitchen style
Shaker kitchen designs work perfectly to create the New England style – with their clean lines, edges and detailing. If you really want to go authentically New England – you may even want to make the style of cooking a part of your day to day life – with seafood a particularly famed cuisine synonymous with that region of the US. If you go to Maine in Boston for example, the lobster is pretty much the speciality of the region!
New England Style homes – space permitting – will often feature kitchen islands for preparing food or entertaining guests and a larder with wood panelled doors and shelving – for storing all of the goodies needed for residents of a region that loves its food.
Bedroom style
The bedrooms of your New England style home should be a place of tranquility and clutter free. Storage is a key focus again, with wardrobes and cupboards that should be bespoke made to suit your lifestyle e.g. a space to neatly store footwear for those of you who can’t resist another pair of must shoes, or taking consideration into the length of storage required, if for example you need to hang lots of dinner dresses or suits.
The bed itself should reflect the overall theme of your home – so wood panelled headboards and minimalist wooden side tables / small drawers for extra storage, are the order of the day here.
On the other side of the room, consider a chest of drawers to keep everyday wear in order and make finding the perfect outfit, a doodle. As usual, these should be painted in light colours and custom fit to the shape of the room to maximise floor space.
So there we have it – a bit of inspiration for creating your own New England Style home. Thanks for reading.