Í
AMY Lipton found love on the Internet.
The chef and her family were preparing to relocate from coastal New Jersey to Wellesley, Massachusetts, when a routine emailblast from the design website Houzz.com landed in Lipton’s in-box. She clicked on a featured room by interior designer Katie Rosenfeld, and felt the unmistakable zing that lets you know you’ve found “the one.” Another click—to Rosenfeld’s own website—deepened Lipton’s feeling that she had found the perfect decorator for her new home, a 100-year-old colonial perched high on a hill surrounded by greenery. “I loved every picture in Katie’s portfolio—her sense of color, the way she mixes traditional furnishings with bright colors, the mix of patterns, and the way everything seems to click through,” says Lipton. So she couldn’t believe her good luck when it turned out that although Houzz features designers from all over the world, Rosenfeld lives in neighboring Weston. Lipton contacted Rosenfeld immediately and scheduled a meeting for Some colors her next pre-moving trip carry from north, and from the first room to moments of their lunch, the room—what duo’s happy fate as client Rosenfeld and decorator was sealed. calls “thread“Katie exudes creativity ing the color and warmth,” says Lipton, “and that was the feeling I needle.” wanted for our new home.” The two soon put their heads together, collaborating on exactly the sort of surprising yet entirely comfortable mix of colors and patterns that had initially drawn Lipton to Rosenfeld’s work. The hues of blue and green that Lipton favored are common choices, Rosenfeld says. But to the designer’s delight, her client was game for snazzing things up with the bright colors in the fabric Rosenfeld suggested for the familyroom drapery. “That fabric was mind-blowing to me,” says Lipton. “As soon as Katie showed it to me, I knew I had to use it.” With the color scheme and signature fabric selected, Rosenfeld moved on to choose a mix of coordinating materials to complete the look. Some colors carry from room to room—what Rosenfeld calls “threading the color needle.” Other shades appear just in one space or another, but can be relocated as needed. “The way Katie designed the color 108 NEW ENGLAND HOME MARCH–APRIL 2014
MA14 Abeles-Rosenfeld-Wellesley.indd 108
2/11/14 9:39 PM