Painted Lady

A kaleidoscope of color catapults a restored 1800s Victorian into a bold new era.

- design firm Reider + Co / writer Carisha Swanson photographer Read McKendree / architect Niche Architecture + Interiors

WHEN DESIGNER Rachel Reider first walked into her clients’ 1896 Victorian home outside of Boston, its bones were impressive, but much of the original character had been lost. “The home had been renovated by a developer who stripped away quite a bit of the architectural detail,” she says. “The clients were really interested in bringing that back.” Paint and wallpaper decisions were put on the back burner as Reider and the architects studied archival photos of the house, using them as a guide to bring historic details back onto the scene.