This Designer’s Cozy and Welcoming Farm Home Was Designed for Hosting

Owner: Designer Mary Maloney of Bee’s Knees Interior Design

Location: “Our home is located in Hopkinton, Massachusetts,” Maloney says. “We [relocated] back to our Massachusetts roots from the Pacific Northwest.” After an extensive search, this stunning home in Hopkinton eventually won out. Plus, a fun fact: at 26.2 miles west of Boston, “it’s the host town/starting point for the Boston Marathon,” Maloney says.

Size: Alprilla Farm is nestled on an “acre-plus lot, with 3,200 square feet of living space.” 

A Home That Was Meant to Be

“I wanted an old home with a big barn,” Maloney says of the wish-list (and long search) that led to Alprilla Farm. “My husband grew up in an old home, so he was less enamored with the idea. He was terrified of the unknown. We decided to rent for the short term, with the hope of finding our dream home. It happened on move-in day!” 

On the day the family moved into their temporary rental home, the owner—who also happened to be a real estate agent—mentioned a nearby, pending listing in a “coveted neighborhood,” explains Maloney. “And the rest is history,” she says. “I remained on-site with the moving crew, while my husband raced off to check out the home. We signed papers the next day: It was meant to be!”

Style

Maloney describes her aesthetic as traditional and transitional: “I love to mix new with old. A warm and cozy vibe beckons and speaks to me!”

“The home is a reproduction style. It has the look and charm of an old home, but it was built in the ’80s,” Maloney says. “Updates were needed, but they would be far less complex and costly compared to a historic property. The place oozed charm: A traditional center chimney colonial on a great lot, built on a former farm/apple orchard, with original old fieldstone boundary walls!”

A Blend of Flooring Throughout

“We have a combo of flooring—most of the main home living area has wide pine plank flooring, with tile in the bathroom areas and wall-to-wall carpeting in four of the five bedrooms,” explains Maloney. “The pine plank ... is a great look, appropriate to the architecture of the home, but hard to maintain, as the wood is soft. Our sweet Murphy [the family dog] helped patina the floors significantly.” 

“I have chillaxed a bit on my perfectionist traits, but I am looking forward to refinishing them, someday,” says Maloney. “The tile flooring is functional and attractive for the bathroom areas, [but] we would like to add heat to the tile floors that are due for updating. I prefer wood flooring for the bedroom areas but the wall-to-wall is much cozier for our long New England winters. The bedroom carpeting will need to be updated soon … the jury is still out regarding which direction to go.”

Room to Grow in the Heart of the Home

“The kitchen is the hub [and] heart of the home,” says Maloney. “My husband loves to cook, and the kids are following suit. The kitchen has met our needs nicely, but we are overdue for updates. Our family traditions and gatherings areas have recently changed. We hope to carry on all the wonderful traditions that the older generation established and become a central gathering point for family events.”

When it comes to the kitchen reno, Maloney is already working on her plans. “[It] may include taking down an interior wall and expanding the kitchen into the dining room,” she says. “The connecting dining room is charming, but no matter how hard I try to divert the crowd, everyone wants to gather and hang out in the kitchen. Working within the existing footprint will save significantly on renovations costs and, fortunately, the wall separating the rooms is not load-bearing.”

The Bedrooms

“In 2007/08, we converted an unfinished second-floor attic space into our primary bedroom area,” says Maloney. “We added a fireplace, dormer windows, wide plank flooring, built-in drawers/storage, and we roughed-in the bath/closet area.”

Along with the dreamy primary bedroom, there’s a lot to love about the additional bedrooms, too. “The bedrooms get lots of natural light,” Maloney says. “There is plenty of closet and storage space, and ample room for family and overnight guests. A mix of furnishings, decor, and cozy bedding will hopefully entice our kids to return home, often!”

The Bathrooms

“College tuition payments delayed the completion of our dream bath, but time flies, and the new bath is now completed,” Maloney says. “The bath includes a heated tile floor, a curb-free glass-enclosed shower with a linear drain, and a large soaking tub.  A good long soak calms my nerves and lowers my blood pressure—particularly at the end of a stressful day! Now we just need to complete the closet space and update the bedroom decor. The goal is to be photoshoot-ready this spring!”

Exterior Charm

When it came to renovating the exterior of the home, Maloney was considerate of its original style. “We wanted to add to the exterior charm while also making improvements and updates that were appropriate to the architecture of the home,” she explains. “The windows were a disaster. The seals were broken—they were unsightly and offered little protection from the elements.”

With Jeanette Thomson of Thomson Architects, Maloney created an exterior to love. “[Thomson] did an amazing job,” she says. “Most of our windows have been updated with true divided light windows, as would be typical in an old home.”

Along with the windows, they worked on other updates, as well. “Additional improvements included a new front entry … a shingled roof overhang to the garage door area, new dormer windows, a new roof, and new clapboarding and trim. The exterior color, called Bee’s Wax [by Sherwin-Williams], makes all the exterior elements sing/come together nicely,” Maloney says.

Best of all, thanks to their beautiful new windows, “the house gets lots of natural light, something I crave,” Maloney says. “Large trees around the perimeter give us plenty of privacy, but their placement allows ample light to enter.”

Rooms That Evolve With the Family

“The unfinished basement is home to both the workout and workshop area,” explains Maloney. “There is a first-floor [primary bedroom] which has yet to be used as a bedroom. Our kids were babies when we moved in, so we wanted to be on the same floor. We still call the space the playroom, but we are empty nesters now, and the space serves as a multi-function area—primarily as a workspace, which has received ample use.”

A Collection of Vintage Finds

“Our home is a mishmash of furnishings and collectibles,” Maloney says. “The place is filled with repurposed and updated consignment and antique store finds. The walls and shelves are covered with artwork created by friends and family members, all of which tell our story.” 

An Outdoor Space Filled With Potential

“The backyard is very private and peaceful—nature abounds,” explains Maloney. “The birds chirp all day, the owls who at night, and the mourning doves welcome the new day. The summer cicadas and peepers in a nearby pond keep our city slicker friends up at night, but everyone looks forward to the return of the hummingbirds! The views transition throughout the seasons with fall and winter being a favorite. The fall colors never get old—the house feels so cozy with a freshly fallen snow and a warm fire within.”

But as idyllic as it all sounds, Maloney has plans for updates. “That’s not to say it could not be improved upon! I still long for that big ‘old’ party barn,” she says. “A charming multi-purpose space for indoor/outdoor living and entertaining. And while we are dreaming, let’s add a saltwater plunge pool and an outdoor kitchen, someday!”

“We would [also] love to add an ADU/barn—a space to downsize to—when the kids take over the primary living area,” Maloney adds. “Hint, hint, one must have dreams!”

Finding Charm in the Imperfections

“I used to sweat our home’s many imperfections, but I now realize that the imperfections add to the charm and attraction,” says Maloney. “Friends and family like to gather here because it feels cozy and relaxed.”

And when it comes to entertaining, that’s the true heart of Alprilla Farm: “Our entertainment formula has evolved through the years,” Maloney explains. “I focus on creating a cozy nest/living environment while the rest of the family focuses on meal preparation. It’s a great partnership. A cozy environment, in combo with great meals, makes for memorable gatherings!”