Katie and her husband wanted a home where they could be themselves. The couple asked Samantha Arak, a friend of Katie’s from college, to design stylish rooms where they and their two young daughters could live, play, create, and grow together.
“Some clients design with entertaining in mind,” says Arak, owner of Medford-based Samantha Carey Interiors, “but the focus here is on immediate family.”
The couple desired every room in their Arlington home to have purpose, often multiple purposes. In addition to versatility, the couple asked for cozy, welcoming, and, above all, family-friendly environments. The kids should be able to enjoy every room. “The girls run laps through the house, up one staircase and down the other,” Arak says with a laugh.
The directive was tested from step one. Architecturally, an inherently formal double-height foyer prompted Arak to rethink the approach. “A console table and tailored bench didn’t land for them. They wanted something more low-key,” recalls the designer, who “plopped in” a swivel chair upholstered in a hardworking fabric. It’s suitable for pulling on shoes and doubles as a comfy pit stop on the kids’ indoor running circuit. It also establishes a relaxed tone up front.
For a personal touch, Arak arranged a gallery wall that includes a wedding photograph of the couple in the mountains, watercolor prints from Katie’s parents, and a family art project. “It’s those small details that pull on heartstrings and create the magic of home,” notes Arak.
The designer turned the sitting room into a chic and snuggly library that delights the kids and feels good for grownups. In place of French doors, blue pocket doors are surrounded by built-in shelving with reclaimed white oak accents. Ample storage makes the room a frequent destination for board games and bedtime stories. Katie and the girls pile onto what they call “the queen seat,” a softly rounded chaise upholstered in a colorful tweed befitting a Chanel suit.
The sitting room’s wallpaper is playful too, with leafy vines hosting butterflies and bees. Candy-striped ottomans are perfect perches for playing Candy Land around the table—its wheels make it movable for impromptu Twister. Pillows fashioned from vintage Hmong textiles and raindrop-patterned roman shades amp up the style, as does the room’s finishing touch: a custom-painted magenta lantern. “I kept layering in color to see just how much they would go for,” Arak relays.
For the adjoining family room, Arak first dismantled some unsightly—and structurally unnecessary—architectural elements. “There was a tragic arch and two Greek columns that demarcated the seating area from the breakfast area and kitchen,” explains the designer. With the newly clear floor, Arak centered a large sofa upholstered in indoor-outdoor fabric on the fireplace and added an antique Tabriz rug.
Full-length purple drapes—more dusky plum than Barney the dinosaur—add a fun punch of color. “You don’t walk in and say, ‘Oh, look at all this purple drapery,’ ” says Arak.
In the dining room, gray-green accents shine against a beige grass cloth base while terracotta in the vintage Persian rug imbues warmth. The mood here is more subdued but not uptight thanks to scale and the chandelier’s surprising silhouette. As requested, use of this room does not require a special occasion.
The sturdy oak dining table makes the space approachable. Katie appreciates how the circular shape skews casual and feels inclusive. “Everyone is an equal with no head,” she observes.
That its large enough for assembling a 1,000-piece puzzle with enough surface area leftover for dining was also a selling point. Sometimes it hosts LEGOs or journaling. “We can do different things and still be together,” Katie adds. “I hope it’s a place where our kids will gather with friends as they get older.”
