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This page: Contributing to the clean, casual feel, the CFC Lilia console with casters is adorned with beach-themed decorative accents and family mementos. Other special personal touches include the custom-made white lacquer cabinet under the TV and the painting by the homeowner’s late mother, which hangs on the wall opposite the window. Opposite page: The sculptural floor lamp by Arteriors draws the eye upward to the colorful abstract oil on canvas by artist Alfred Ortega.
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When Robyn and Alex Kelly and their five kids, then ages 5, 9, 12, 14 and 20, moved into their custom-built, 8,200-squarefoot, New England shingle-style dream home in Westfield in 2012, they thought they had all the bells and whistles. With seven bedrooms, seven-and-a-half bathrooms, a three-car garage and 2.5 acres of landscaped property featuring a resort-like saltwater pool and multiple outdoor entertainment spaces, the home had been thoughtfully and lovingly designed for highend living at its most spacious and inviting. But it turns out the 1,800-square-foot basement wasn’t up to the style standards of the rest of the home. It was already three years into their move and the deep downstairs—featuring a kitchenette, a bar area, a play/craft room, a recreation room, a home gym and a guest suite with full bath—still failed to draw much family traffic. “It was finished, but it was super dark and no one ever wanted to go there,” Robyn says of the space, which was painted in dark grays and decorated in a mismatched style with red cabinets and “all the leftover furniture” that hadn’t made the cut in the upstairs living areas. Deciding it was time to call in creative reinforcements, Robyn asked interior designer Judy Sturdevant of Westfield-based Freeman Hall Design to help her turn her “dark and gloomy” basement into a “fun and bright space” where all the family members—especially the kids—would want to spend time. The two had met and clicked when both were involved in a show house charity event. By then Robyn’s home had already been decorated, but when the downstairs begged for an uplift, she immediately thought of Sturdevant. “I love Judy!” says Robyn. “She really listened to what I wanted and steered me in the right direction to be a little braver and do things I might not have done on my own.” The rest of the elegant home was mostly decorated in subdued colors and patterns. But for this downstairs space, Sturdevant envisioned a breezier, more relaxed, fun feel with play-hardy performance furniture and fabrics and eye-catching pops of color.
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