FUNCTIONAL FARMHOUSE

An Ipswich farmhouse gets aesthetic and functional upgrade from Kristina Crestin Design.

- Alexandra Pecci

Being unafraid of “flipping the plan” led to a beautifully renovated and reimaged space at an 1880s-era home in Ipswich, where an elevated farmhouse aesthetic meets incredible function.

The homeowners, Michelle and Peter, had moved into the home years before with the intention of renovating but never did.

“They loved design but really needed some help in figuring out what they wanted,” says Essex-based designer, Kristina Crestin of Kristina Crestin Design.

That’s when Michelle and Peter called in the pros. The renovation and design project appeared on season two of the HGTV show, “Farmhouse Fixer,” which features Crestin and farmhouse renovator Jonathan Knight, of New Kids on the Block fame.

The house had great bones but clunky functionality. Too many windows resulted in glare on the TV in the family room; the couples’ dirty barn boots and riding boots lived outside on the porch because there wasn’t space inside the house; their office was small and cramped; a small step-down area in the living room and an unused downstairs shower left big pockets of wasted space.

That’s when Crestin and the team got “flipping,” switching the dining room and the family room; turning the office into a super-functional laundry-mudroom; creating a new office in the former laundry area; reconfiguring the front entryway so that it led directly into the mudroom; and removing the downstairs shower and unused step-down space in the living room to add more room to other areas of the house.

One of the most impressive changes is the European farmhouse-style mudroom. Its location directly off the front entryway allows Michelle and Peter to come straight inside after a day of working with their horses without tramping mud and muck through the house. Because it’s located right at the front of the house, it’s aesthetically beautiful, too.