How to Create a Timeless Interior: Townhouse in Boston

The name Erin Gates, a designer and author of a popular US interior design blog, is not widely known to us, but she is a celebrity in her hometown of Boston.

It's easy to understand why Erin captivated the American audience — just take a look at her portfolio of projects decorated in a stylish and very life-affirming manner. Moreover, Erin's interiors are known for their enviable longevity. For example, the designer completed her work on this Boston townhouse six years ago, and its décor remains as fresh and, apparently, will stay relevant for a very long time.

The townhouse owners and future clients — a young couple with two small children who moved from New York to Boston — decided to work with Erin after finding her blog online. The designer was given complete creative freedom.

The townhouse was in good condition and even came with a baggage of well-preserved floors and several fireplaces.

The designer focused on long-lasting trends, multi-layered color palette, and a mix of prints. A lot of details in gold and brass — Erin’s favorite technique: warm metals were an integral part of her projects long before they entered the fashion trend.

The main theme of the interior was natural materials. Mostly it applied to the living room’s decoration: Erin used dark textile wallpapers with banana leaf fibers mixed in. Later, eco themes appeared throughout the house in the form of marble, textured natural fabrics, and woven baskets.

The resulting interior could be called traditional and even almost classic if not for the guest bathroom. Erin suggested a little 'mischievousness' and wallpapered the walls with her favorite Scalamandré wallpapers featuring leaping zebras.

Later, in her blog, Erin admitted that she desperately wanted to use these wallpapers but couldn’t find clients willing to go for it. These clients agreed without hesitation. The family, just like the designer, is convinced that a timeless interior is one with a twist.