I always mark my calendar and look forward to the annual Architectural Digest Design Show in New York City. It comes at a perfect time—when it’s not quite spring up here, but I’m ready to be done with New Hampshire winter. The show is full of inspiring new innovations and designs. This year was no exception.
When I first walked into this Sunapee kitchen, I could tell this was a kitchen that had seen thousands of family dinners, where parties and informal gatherings had budded and bloomed, where a busy family had landed after weekend days full of skiing. It was a space of love, complete with worn Formica and aging appliances.
Fifty years ago, in the fall of 1967, my parents, Gilberte and Andy Boghosian, took the first steps in what became a journey for our entire family. They opened a small storefront and fabric workroom at 10 Allen Street in Hanover, a building which had formerly housed a printing shop, a dry cleaner, an art supply store, a restaurant, and even a bowling alley.
Designed in 1949 by famous architect Edgar Hunter and featured on the cover of Architectural Record Magazine in 1953, this was Edgar and Margaret Hunter’s personal residence. Together, they spent two decades in Hanover, New Hampshire, designing homes while both taught architecture and design at Dartmouth College.
Working with a client for a number of years and developing a personal style together is what makes a project even more rewarding. When I received a call from this friend (after 20 years of working together, it’s tough to call her a “client”), I was excited to have the opportunity to work with her again and to help her plant new roots in a place that was so important to her. This property, located in the ocean village where she had spent her childhood summers and later summers with her children, would begin a new chapter for this couple.
Cheryl and the team at Gilberte Interiors hand selected materials and meticulously managed the custom fabrication of the elements to make this country escape a comfortable and unforgettable home.
Leaving a beautiful farmhouse in rural Vermont for “in town” living in Hanover, New Hampshire, appealed to this active couple. Planting themselves in Hanover would allow them to walk to the office, enjoy concerts and movies on campus at Dartmouth, and easily meet up with friends and other Dartmouth alumni for dinner.
A second home in Quechee, Vermont started out as an occasional destination for this busy career couple looking to get away from it all. They loved Vermont and the outdoor activities they could enjoy around Quechee, but weren’t sure how often they would be able to make the trip. The convenience of being able to simply pop into their country life was their first priority when it came to design. Since there is seldom too much of a good thing, they realized that their simple getaway home for two might be creatively adapted to allow them to host their friends and grown children too.
For some designers, building a relationship with a client is one part of the design process. At Giberte, it is the essence of everything we do.
