Historic Home Tour with Traditional Home Decor
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This historic home tour with a fresh take on traditional home decor celebrates the soul of New England historical architecture with a cozy and fresh renovation. Join me and let’s get inspired!
When a historic home gets a renovation, there’s always a risk it loses some of those special details that make it special in the first place. Now, in this historic home tour, the complete opposite happened.
In today’s home tour, we’ll see how designer Lisa Tharp took this Second Empire landmark in Concord, Massachusetts and brought it into the 21st century without removing a single thing that gave it character.
The tall ceilings, the original moldings and the stunning deep window casings are all still there doing exactly what they’ve always done, just with a fresh aesthetic.
The renovation took form by warming up the color palette and introducing furnishings that allowed the original architecture to breathe.
There are no busy patterns or competing focal points. Just beautiful proportions, layered neutrals, and materials that get better the longer you look at them. Linen, soapstone, antique brass and natural wood are just a few that elevate this home tour’s spaces.
Every single room in this three-story home flows into the next harmoniously, and here at Shabby we know that kind of cohesion is a lot harder to pull off than it looks!
Historic Home Tour with Traditional Home Decor
From the kitchen to the sunroom that is just pouring with natural light, this historic home tour has details worth studying.
Go ahead and join me in this home tour, y’all! And don’t forget to save it for later, too. You’re going to want to come back to these rooms more than once!
A Nancy Meyers Kitchen
To start, we’ll go straight to the kitchen.
It has that Nancy Meyers quality where you can almost picture someone making coffee in a chunky sweater on a Sunday morning. I just love it so much! It’s traditional enough to feel rooted, but there’s a cosmopolitan edge that gives it a unique charm.
A big part of why it works so perfectly is the cabinetry. Inset doors painted in the warmest greige (softer than white, warmer than gray) going all the way up to the ceiling.
If you have a kitchen with average-height cabinets and you’ve always felt like something was off, this is usually why.
That gap between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling can seem like a random detail but it has such a huge impact on the visual harmony of the space.
Taking them all the way up is one of those changes that transforms the whole room.
Another detail that makes this space? The dark soapstone countertops! Those are doing the other half of the work. In an all-neutral kitchen, you need something to anchor the space, and stone in a deeper tone does that without introducing color.
Similarly, the island seems more like a worktable than cabinetry.
With a thick butcher block top, simple painted base, a couple of worn stools pulled up casually on one side, it helps give this kitchen a collected and layered feeling.
Living Rooms Where Architecture Shines
The living spaces are where the architecture really gets to shine.
The formal living room looks like it has always existed in this house, which is the best thing you can say about a renovation!
The architecture has some generous proportions. Tall ceilings, deep crown molding, windows that go almost floor to ceiling. Instead of filling all that space with furniture, the design pulls back.
A sisal rug, a handful of seating pieces in warm neutrals, the original fireplace with its dark marble surround left completely intact.
Among this neutral palette of creams and ecru hues, the fireplace adds contrast with its dark marble.
The built-ins flank the fireplace on one side and they’re styled the way built-ins should be — with room to breathe. Books stacked horizontally, a few objects, plenty of negative space. If your built-ins feel cluttered, that’s usually the fix right there.
Then there’s the smaller sitting room just off the main living area, and this one is my personal favorite.
The oversized sculptural pendant light is the first thing you notice. It’s warm and organic and just unexpected enough to make the whole room feel curated rather than decorated. The seating is more intimate, pulled closer together, and framed documents on the wall add a layer of family history that makes this whole space even more cozy.
Two rooms, same palette, two completely different moods. That’s a good design in my book!
A Dining Room Where Old Meets New
The dining room is where things get a little unexpected — and I’m SO here for it!
The carved white marble fireplace seems to be original to the home, and the design team paired it with a long walnut farm table and woven metal dining chairs.
Ornate historic marble next to modern wire seating? Yes!
It shouldn’t work, but it really, really does. It’s that sort of contrast what gives this room its personality, and it’s a trick worth trying.
One piece that reads very old, paired with seating that feels more current… that’s all it takes to update a traditional dining room without making it lose its character!
The bar cart in the corner is worth a closer look, too. A simple brass rolling cart does the job of a built-in bar and it’s such a smart choice in a dining room.
Behind it, two oversized botanical prints in black frames run almost floor to ceiling. Going to such a large scale for the artwork can seem like it’s too much in theory but it is what makes this room work. Go smaller on that wall and the whole corner falls flat!
The Charming Sunroom
And we get to my favorite room in this whole house, y’all!
After all those beautifully layered formal rooms, you step in here and everything just loosens up. Glass on three sides, a fiddle leaf fig that is basically a piece of furniture at that point, a Scrabble board on the coffee table.
I love the live-edge wood coffee table on its black iron base for this sunroom in this historic home tour. It brings in that organic warmth without competing with all the natural light coming through the windows.
Sometimes the best thing you can do with a beautiful view is simply frame it and enjoy!
A Quiet Bedroom & Elevated Bathroom
The primary bedroom keeps that same calm running through the whole house, but it has a little more warmth to it than the rest of the rooms.
The headboard is the detail I keep coming back to. It’s a wingback style upholstered in a soft block print fabric. I really like how subtle it is, just enough pattern to be interesting without taking over.
And the way the bedding is layered underneath it, cream and white and a little bit of ticking stripe, with mustard velvet pillows dropped in front. Such a lovely pop of color!
The floral curtains are another surprise. Same idea — a little more going on than you’d expect, but they’re soft enough in palette that they read as neutral from a distance. That’s the thing about patterns in a neutral room. It’s not about avoiding it, it’s about choosing the right scale and tone.
For a final room, we’ll take a peek at the main bathroom.
Here, the capiz shell chandelier stands out right away. Its layered shell panels catch the light in a way that feels soft and a little glamorous at the same time. Perfect for adding some texture and movement in this all white bathroom.
Wall-mounted faucets keep the marble countertop completely clean and uncluttered, which matters in a small space. And a cute acrylic ghost chair tucked in the corner adds a little unexpected detail that is practical and doesn’t visually crowd the room the way an upholstered piece would.
Get The Look – Historic Home Tour with Traditional Home Decor
Now for the fun part! I’ve rounded up some of my favorite pieces that capture this home’s style. Warm neutrals, natural textures, and a few classic shapes that never go out of style. Whether you’re starting from scratch or just looking to refresh a room, these are the kinds of pieces that work hard and age beautifully.
Glass Chandelier | Accent Chair | Rolling Bar Cart | Marble Bowl | Coffee Table | Moss Balls | Wood Cutting Board Set | Swivel Bar Stool | Glass Table Lamp | Ceramic Vase | Floral Pillow Cover
If you loved this tour, make sure to pin it and share it with a friend who needs a little design inspiration today.
And as always, I’d love to hear which room was your favorite — drop it in the comments below!
Want more home tours to inspire your home revamp? Have a look at these. I’m sure y’all will love them!
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