COLONIAL REVIVAL

A RENOVATED COLONIAL IN READING DELIVERS CLEAN LINES, SOOTHING NEUTRALS, AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY FEATURES.

- JENNIFER SPERRY

Homeowners Dan and Lindsey Bello are no strangers to renovations: They had previously refreshed a circa 1890 home in Reading and know full well the process's challenges and rewards.

When they purchased another property-also in Reading, close to their children's schools, with a generous yard plus poolscape-they knew the 1946 garrison Colonial needed a lot of work.

"The interior was dated with a lot of dark wood paneling, wallpaper, and drop ceilings. There was also an awkward boxed-in spiral stair taking up a lot of the footprint and making furniture placement difficult," recalls Dan of the initial aesthetic. The family moved in and started construction-a full gut down to the studs-in less than a year.

The couple tasked interior designer Liz Marchant Ourston, principal of Liz Marchant Interiors, with overseeing the home's transformation after a referral from Lindsey's brother (Ourston worked on his home in Washington, D.C.). Originally from Detroit, Ourston has moved quite a bit, including 10 years spent in Southern California. She handled the North Shore project adeptly from her home base in Austin, Texas, aided by a couple of in-person visits.

"Typical of an older house, the layout was really tight and closed-off,” recalls Ourston. The Bellos have two young children and wanted the home to function better for their needs. They craved better flow throughout.”

Larger improvements involved a second-story addition above the existing single-story family room) to form a primary bedroom suite with bathroom and walk-in closet. The builder, Choice Builders of North Reading, also demolished the tight winding stair and replaced it with a more practical straight stair.