It’s never polite to rush your elders – a bit of wisdom that applies well to old houses. That’s why Nancy and Rick Chace took a few years to get to know the Victorian-era cottage they bought in the historic downtown district of Bristol. Just a stone’s throw from the harbor, the home is nestled among shops and restaurants. “It’s a wonderfully walkable waterfront community,” Chace says. “A quintessential New England town, first settled in 1680.”
The home itself was built in 1896 and has undergone many changes over the decades. Under the Chace family’s stewardship, it underwent a major refurbishment. The couple realized that while they loved their home’s historical roots, they wanted brighter interiors and an updated floor plan that would work for a family with two children. “We lived in the house six or seven years before really getting a handle on how to modify the floor plan,” Chace says, pointing out that the historic neighborhood protects the appearance of the external architecture but allows homeowners greater freedom to design the interiors. “We didn’t want to extend the existing footprint of the home for budget reasons, but we had a vision of a more open floor plan, especially for the rear portion with access to the backyard,” she says.
Armed with plenty of advice from architects and designers, they gutted a warren of small rooms at the back of the house to create a roomier kitchen that opens to a mudroom by the back door, and a spacious family bathroom. Other rooms have flourished under Chace’s uncanny knack for combining old furnishings with new, punctuating the decor with a smattering of industrial elements. She finished by enveloping everything with hues that shift from blue to green with the sunlight. “Each room and each piece received a special treatment – a wash of paint, smart slipcovers or a jaunty tablecloth – to bring it into the fold.”
Speaking of the bedroom’s dreamy glow, Chace notes that though the blues and greens don’t exactly match each other, they work happily together. “For me, they are soothing because they harmonize and stir up visions of the coastline,” she explains. The color was the starting point and sparked every other purchase: a vintage table as nightstand/bedside table, a flea-market chair, and bed linen both new and old.
“I love mixing past and current items because it makes the interiors more personal,” she explains. “The rooms don’t look like we made one trip to the home store.” Over the years, Chace had discovered the transformative powers of chalk paint. “I gravitate toward watery tones,” she says, “not beachy hues but softer blues, greens and bluish greens that remind me of watercolor paintings. They are so pretty and calming. Then it’s just fun to drop in a pop of bright blue or even a touch of red.”
The palette is the perfect backdrop for the finds she brings home. “I have a special attachment to Americana, painted furniture, and vintage items,” she says. The dining room notably gathers elements across eras for a design that transcends time. Together, the union of 1960s chairs, a vintage farmhouse table, a Victorian mantel, and a new arched mirror is a perfect microcosm of the things she loves.
Chace sees cottages as time capsules where people add their own touches to furnishings before passing them on to successive generations. “Our home is a witness of sorts,” she says. “The belongings and collections take on a unique personality. I wanted it to have meaning, with layer upon layer from past generations and ours. I love this house because it’s like a snapshot of us through time.”
Rooms throughout the Chace home skillfully incorporate elements of the family’s personal history and a strong sense of place. A curated collection – which includes everything from antique signage and nautical maps to a Rhode Island dish towel – serve as thematic anchors.
Bristol’s State Street is the place to be on May 2 for the Spring Festival, a day of 70-plus vendors, chef-driven food, live music, and more, that is part of a series that returns in August and September. Rain or shine, set your GPS to 1 State Street, Bristol, for a reference point. Learn more at BristolMerchantsAssociation.com
This charming town known for its patriotic pride buzzes year-round and is filled with walkable districts ready for shopping and dining. Some places to get you started: Franklin Street: Grasmere; Hope Street: Beau Menswear, Caron Jewelers, Gray’s Ice Cream; State Street: Folklore Provisions; Thames Street: Empire Tea and Coffee; Wood Street: O’Brien and Brough, distillery and tasting room.
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