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Simply Mauvelous

Shades of pink and purple alongside traditional architectural details ground a Boston high-rise and give it a touch of glam.

BY ERIKA AYN FINCH

High-rise living tends to skew sleek and neutral both inside and out, and when a pair of empty nesters reached out to the team at Heather Wells, they did indeed want something modern for their Boston pied-à-terre—just not too modern. “With buildings like One Dalton, there’s a tendency for the apartments to feel light and airy,” says senior designer Lily Heil, “but our goal was to make the space feel significant. Through interior architecture, textures, and colors, we were able to set this unit apart from others while nodding to the building’s modernity.”

Initially, the clients requested that classic neutral palette—a stark contrast from the end result. A living room rug and a rotunda cabinet in shades of mauve wound up sparking an entirely different color scheme: variations of pink, purple, and mauve with subtle veins of blue—most notably in the two bedrooms—throughout. “There are so many versions of mauve,” says Heil. “It’s not overly feminine, and we used the handsomeness of the furniture to balance out the color.”

Metallic accents in the form of light fixtures, hardware, and, in the living area, a built-in bar with a striated eglomise backsplash glam it up a bit. In the entry hallway and the rotunda, which features access to the bedrooms, living area, and laundry, silk wallpaper on the walls and on the rotunda’s coffered ceiling adds richness to a part of the home that initially read as sterile. The addition of white pilasters goes a long way in cozying up the hallway, too.

ABOVE: Senior designer Lily Heil incorporated copious amounts of texture, seen here in the Toyine upholstery on the Christian Liaigre sofa in the living area. Simes Studios created the slick eglomise back on the builtin bar. LEFT: Narrow-planked stained-oak floors in a herringbone pattern anchor the home with a traditional touch. The artwork on the grasscloth-covered walls is by Miya Ando.

THE ONLY THING THAT HAS MORE INTEGRITY THAN THE HOMES WE BUILD ARE THE PEOPLE WHO BUILD THEM.

This is Kenneth. He’s been building extraordinary homes for the past 35 years. They’re not just built with the finest craftsmanship, or the best materials available, they’re built with values, by a team who respects everyone they work with, who never takes a shortcut, who gives 100%, 100% of the time. Because that’s as important to Ken as the shingles, the foundation, and the plumbing. In fact, it’s why he built a whole new company — to go back to the values he began his career with. He wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither should you.

In order to get as close to the panoramic views as possible, the design team collaborated with upholsterer McLaughlin on a taupe boucle sofa that hugs the living area’s curved wall of windows. Low backs provide comfort without obstructing the sights.

WE’RE A COMPANY THAT TREATS PEOPLE SO WELL, THEY DON’T EVEN WANT TO RETIRE.

This is Denise. She is the Chief Financial Officer at Kenneth Vona & Son Construction. She runs the place, overseeing everything from ordering critical company supplies to accounting, payroll, and keeping all the inner workings of the business in top shape. Denise worked for Ken for 20 years before she retired but came back to work for him when he began his new company. That’s how much she respects him. See, when you treat people well, the way Ken always does, they want to return the favor.

“The entire residence is elegant but with so much charm,” says Wade Bergeron of F.H. Perry Builder. “When you walk in, the architecture leads you to the living room, where through the windows you can see forty miles in either direction. It could feel like walking out on a ledge, but instead the views come to you, making it feel like a home rather than a perch in the clouds.”

As the project evolved—the pandemic turned it into a three-yearplus process—Heil began to recognize the wife’s personality in the design details, even though the couple was at their primary residence hundreds of miles away. “There’s this serious structure but also some softness and glamour,” Heil explains. “When she arrived for the install, I noticed her mauve nails coordinated with the apartment. It’s always great to see how the design of a home can impact personal style—and vice versa.”

IT TURNS OUT THE BACK OF THE HOUSE IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE FRONT.

This is Patrick. He’s Chief Operating Officer at Kenneth Vona & Son Construction. With vast experience in construction and development, he and all his positive energy lead the administration and human resources side of the company and works alongside Ken on Business Development. Patrick’s camaraderie and leadership sets the tone for the whole team. Proving it’s not just the people who build our homes that make them exceptional, it’s also the people who don’t.