“It always sort of felt just like ours,” says fashion and lifestyle blogger Noelani Zervas of her 1928 brick Tudor. Following a patient three-year search for a home with her husband, Michael, Zervas nearly gave up until they discovered this house in Milton, Massachusetts, a town just south of Boston. “The house was empty but had great bones,” Zervas says. Rumored to be constructed from the New England family behind Eddy Refrigerators, a 19th-century icebox manufacturer, the house has a complete steel frame and ceiling beams throughout. “The house just needed some TLC, paint and somebody with a little vision to pull it all together,” she says.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Noelani and Michael Zervas and their chihuahua, Ty
Location: Milton, Massachusetts
Size: 2,600 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 3 baths
That’s intriguing: All of the doors, cabinets and knobs were custom made for a left handed individual.
Theresa Fine
“I allow the house guide me. It has a great deal of great wood attributes: crown molding, framed arched doorways, beamed ceilings,” says Zervas. Since dark colour on the walls could have felt overwhelming with the dark wood trim, she stuck with a level cream shade downstairs.
This inviting living room is on the left of the entry staircase. The ceiling has been painted a deep orange, including thickness.
Paint: Buttered Yam AF-230 and Mascarpone AF-20, both by Benjamin Moore
Theresa Fine
“I looked for weeks for a classic chesterfield to our living room,” says Zervas. “I admit I threw in the towel and caved when Restoration Hardware had 20 percent off.”
After having buyer’s remorse from splurging in an Arco lamp, Zervas fatefully stumbled upon a much budget-friendly classic one at Abodeon in Cambridge.
Sofa: Kensington, Restoration Hardware
Theresa Fine
“I know what I like, but it doesn’t always have a rhyme or reason, or cohesive layout strategy behind it,” Zervas says. “I love a nutritious mixture and combining pieces from several periods — antiques with modern.”
Chairs: Overstock.com; coffee table: CB2; pillows: Home Goods; painting: classic, Skinner Auction House
Theresa Fine
An Asian rug runner is fitted to the first staircase, visible in the front doorway. Aside from adding visual attention, it was initially set up to help the couple’s pet chihuahua use the staircase.
Carpet: Landry & Arcari
Theresa Fine
The arched framed doorways, including this enchanting front doorway, are one of the numerous original and unique features of the home.
Theresa Fine
The turquoise and yellow living room curtains were handmade by Zervis’ mother-in-law, using ikat-patterned fabric from JoAnn Fabrics.
A framed 16th-century map, bought at Skinner Auction House, hangs over the large fireplace mantel.
Theresa Fine
Ty sits in his post on the living room couch, sporting a gentlemanly sweater.
Theresa Fine
The home office sits just past the living room. A 1940s table, a Ghost Chair and a cowhide rug signify Zervas’ self-described diverse and spontaneous style. Switching out the first curtains is following on her to-do list.
Chair: Louis Ghost Chair, Design Within Reach; rug: Natural, Fab
Theresa Fine
A nook and the kitchen connect the home office. The shelves are full of classic books and treasures from her family’s New Hampshire farmhouse.
Rug: Terra Kilim, Pottery Barn
Theresa Fine
“My best design inspiration has to be my grandfather. The guy was an antiquer, farmer, history enthusiast, and took me to my first auctions way before [the show] Storage Wars was cool,” says Zervas. “Among my favorite memories is of the afternoon he awakened to our family farm, truck almost to the ground, full of hundreds of pounds of brass items. He had scored big at a storage auction.”
Paint: Dark Teal 2053-20 and Dinner Party AF-300, both by Benjamin Moore
Theresa Fine
The kitchen is the only room that has been completely gutted and updated. Porcelain tiles created to look like the sausage of a sequoia tree mimic the look of a hardwood flooring.
Kitchen island: Restoration Hardware; closets and soapstone countertops: Metropolitan; ceramic tile flooring: Sequoia Coal, MS International; stools: CB2
Theresa Fine
The area is neutral and slick but warms up using conservative elements such as bin pull handles and a salvaged-wood kitchen island.
“The kitchen needed an update, so we focused our energy there and created our very own dream space after years of cooking in a small-apartment galley kitchen,” Zervas says.
Pendant light: West Elm; paint: Pashmina AF-100, Benjamin Moore
Theresa Fine
Antique silver contrasts with new silver within the sink.
Sponge holder: HomeGoods; stag cocktail picks: Williams-Sonoma
Theresa Fine
An original 1920s bath opens off the kitchen, complete with art deco subway tile. Greek key wallpaper by Jonathan Adler sets the background for an ornately carved mirror.
Zervas admits she is a bit of a “steamroller,” in her voice, when it comes to decorating their home, so she likes to incorporate Greek components to incorporate her husband’s Greek heritage into the layout details.
Theresa Fine
Funky patterned orange chairs surround a silver tree-like table using a 600-pound glass leading in the formal dining room.
Table: Sequoia Dining Table, Z Gallerie; light fixture: Cluster Glass Pendant Light, West Elm
Theresa Fine
Old paintings bought at auctions hang to signify Zervas’ love of mixing modern with classic style. “I favor something with background,” she says.
Theresa Fine
A little grouping of classic artwork from Zervas’ New Hampshire family room hangs over the minibar.
Bar: Lucite,Brimfield Antiques Show; drapes: West Elm
Theresa Fine
There’s another first art deco–style bath upstairs, tiled in a calm blue and updated with modern fixtures.
Theresa Fine
The upstairs master bedroom features dramatic deep blue nautical wallpaper adorned with squid, octopuses and jellyfish. A French gold screen adds a feminine touch.
Background: Captain Smith, Grow House Grow; headboard: Diamond Tufted Headboard, West Elm
Theresa Fine
A cabinet holding Zervas’ prized bags and shoes combined with two French-style chairs completes the sitting room of the master bedroom.
Cabinet, chairs: Skinner Auction House
Theresa Fine
A coral-inspired bedside lamp accents the motif and colour of the wallpaper.
Theresa Fine
In the guest bedroom, a cream-colored Eames chair creates a little reading nook next to arched built-in shelving.
Chair: Abodeon; Paint: Del Mar Blue 704, Benjamin Moore; curtains: Pottery Barn
Theresa Fine
Zervas scores lots of her home furnishings from budget-friendly shops such as HomeGoods, such as this writing desk and chair in the guest bedroom.
Print: Stacie Bloomfield, Etsy
Theresa Fine
The couple was initially drawn to Milton because of its proximity to town and for the superb neighborhood. “We know all of our neighbors. They have block parties. People walk anywhere, have lived here for decades and look to buy in the same neighborhood if they would like to change up things,” Zervas says.
Theresa Fine
Noelani Zervas, revealed here, provides this advice to those looking for their dream home: “Be patient. The ideal house will come together. Research your own neighborhood. And, I repeat, be patient. You can not do everything at once. Your sanity and budget will thank you.”
Share your creative home with us!