A week after finishing an interior design project, the team at Main Street Home heard back from their client who had only just noticed a small design detail: A small, antique brass boat with a little brass fisherman. “It really wasn’t a big deal,” says Emily Field, one of the principals. “It was an accessory in their bookshelf.”
But to the client, whose husband was from Gloucester, it was more than a mere decoration. It was also a thoughtful and intentional nod to who they were as people that made them say, “Wow, this space really feels like us,” Field says. That’s the overarching ethos and philosophy of Main Street Home, a Lynnfield-based, full-service interior design firm helmed by Field and co-principals Laura Healey and Nancy Rich. It specializes in residential projects, with the occasional commercial project, as well.
“Our bread and butter is really going into an existing space and bringing that to life,” Field says. “We always say that when we complete a space, we’ll reveal it to you and then five minutes after you could have a party there, because it is complete, down to candy in the candy dish.” That kind of “soup-to-nuts” service is evident throughout Main Street Home’s projects, which are not only beautiful and stylish, but rich with thoughtfully layered details. Moreover, each of the principals’ design aesthetics bring something different, from Laura’s cleaner lines and softer color palettes, to Emily’s more unconventional pattern mixing and creative takes, to Nancy’s approach, which seamlessly blends and marries the two.
“Our aesthetic tends to be traditional in the core of it, but we love to infuse patterns and textiles and textures,” Field says. One great example of this is a new construction home in Lynnfield for which the team worked with the builder to help choose the finishes, then designed the space from top to bottom, including living areas and play areas, like a finished basement with a custom bar, golf simulator, and pool and ping pong tables and a space for their little girl that includes a custom vanity with a pink quartz light-up countertop.
Field points in particular to that home’s sitting room which she describes as “spectacular,” thanks to clients that trusted process and were willing to be gently nudged outside of their comfort zone. For instance, the room features a beautiful, bold wallpaper by Thibaut featuring stems and leaves in soft lavender and green. That’s paired with a sofa in rich, striking emerald green, as well as other furniture in greens and soft, smoky blues, including a barrel chair in a soft, blue and white leopard print. “That space was about mixing patterns. But not everything has to steal the show,” Field says. “It’s one of those spaces where people would walk in and go, wow, I would have never done this on my own, but boy, do I love the end result.”
Other projects also capture the unique personalities, interests, and aesthetics of their clients, like a pool house designed to look like an authentic Irish pub. Another current client asked for a library inspired by Beacon Hill Books and Café in Boston, so the team is working to evoke the feeling of an “heirloom storybook” with soft, muted base colors and details like custom upholstered chairs featuring hand-embroidered scenes from the classic book Make Way for Ducklings and details like vintage chairs and plaid wool fabrics.
The finished product will feel like a pretty, vintage, hand-illustrated storybook, “without feeling juvenile or young, but giving that lived-in, Nantucket, Boston, old-school feel,” Field says. Field is also excited about the emerging trends for spring, summer, and beyond that are bringing a return to more traditional designs mixed with a modern edge, including antique pieces, patterns like checks and florals, darker toned woods, and more traditional hardware with an antique look.
“That direction of things is really exciting for us because I think it’s where we thrive,” she says. The team at Main Street Home also thrives in seeing projects through from beginning to end and making every house feel like home. “We like each space to feel personal,” Field says. “It’s really about creating somebody’s home that they’re happy in.”