Green Dreams

A Winchester couple decides to go green, but puzzles over the perfect shade.

‘My wife has been trying to get me to do a green kitchen for five years,” admits homeowner and real estate developer Richard Beliveau. “We did a black island in our house in Southie, but truthfully I didn’t love it.” So, when he and his wife, Amy Beliveau, purchased an old Victorian in Winchester, he agreed to try it. The most challenging part, he says, was picking the right shade.

“I showed them about 20 different greens,” says interior designer Anne Becker, hired by the couple to help get the details of the remodel just right. Once they narrowed the selection to three, they had wood samples made in each. The winner? Benjamin Moore’s Caldwell Green, a hunter green with blue undertones.

Knowing they wanted to combine green cabinets with white ones, the couple asked Becker to help them figure out which color would go where. Ultimately, they went with green on the island as well as on the west wall of floor-to-ceiling cabinetry. The upper and lower cabinets on the range and sink walls are white. “Bringing green over to the other side felt too heavy,” Becker says. “This configuration feels balanced.”

Becker helped identify the right countertop, too: Neolith’s Calacatta Luxe, a sintered stone surface with charcoal and gold veining. “I was nervous about doing real marble with kids; this is a better fit for our lifestyle,” Amy says. The stone, which Becker pulled up as the backsplash to make the space feel cohesive, ties to the brass accents Amy was drawn to.

For lighting over the nearly 10-foot-long center island, Becker picked three burnished brass pendants with large globes by Kelly Wearstler. Richard loves how the style brings together a new and

old sensibility, but thought they should go with two lights. “I typically go with two or four on our projects, but Anne was adamant,” he says. Becker also advocated for going big. “I like the drama of larger scale lights,” the designer says. “Lights that are too small look like a mistake.”

The finishing touch was a breeze. Becker was all for reusing the midcentury modern Cherner stools the homeowners had in Southie. “They’re classic, comfortable, and funk up this fairly traditional kitchen so it doesn’t take itself too seriously,” she says.

Everyone loves the final result. “I can’t tell you how many people ask me what the color is when I post the kitchen on social media,” Richard says. “It’s perfect.”

Send comments to magazine@globe.com.

Below, left: The team demolished the secondary stair to open up the space and accommodate a breakfast area to the right of the island.

Below, right: The green doors directly adjacent to the exterior door lead to a walkin pantry. “My aunt and uncle had a hidden pantry in Atlanta, which we thought was really fun,” homeowner Amy Beliveau says.

Left: Interior designer Anne Becker pulled the backsplash up to the ceiling behind the bar and the contractor suggested using antique-style glass.