If you don’t take the risk, you will never know what is possible. Tracy Crawford lived with Craig Crawford and her children Riley (18) and Maggie (14), in a house that was adequate for seven years in Pittsfield. “I always thought, ‘Oh there’s my Dream House,'” says Ms. Crawford 54, owner of Evergreen Home Real Estate. Maybe one day.” The asking price was $1.3 million, which was too expensive for Ms. Crawford, who didn’t pursue the sale. The couple began to consider making an offer. The couple thought the bank might want to get rid of the property, so they bid $736,000. It was a risk, but it was worth trying. Ms. Crawford told her husband, “We only need to make an offering, and if it’s accepted, we’ll do this.” “We both said ‘If it is meant to be, then they will accept it.'” Ms. Crawford added. “Sure enough they did.” Ms. Crawford transformed the upstairs, which was originally an art studio into an apartment. She said, “I thought let’s redo it, and have it as a guest room.” The couple realized that the rooms at the back of the house were not ideal. They hired Pamela Sandler as an architect to fix the problem. Ms. Sandler explained that the house had many beautiful features, but that they were not cohesive. She changed the layout to include a large mudroom, and an expanded kitchen. Who was her favorite? Her favorite was Heidi Caillier, a Seattle-based designer who created traditional interiors with a modern twist that Ms. Crawford admired on Instagram.
She assumed that because Ms. Caillier lived on the other side of the country, she wouldn’t be interested in the project. The only way to find out was to ask. When she did, she learned that Ms. Caillier had lived nearby as a child and was thrilled to be involved.
“Tracy’s inspiration board was filled with pictures from my portfolio, which was so lovely,” Ms. Caillier said. “The whole design feel for this house is Old World British with old Americana, with lots of antiques, vintage and pattern.”
After working with Ms. Caillier over Zoom and email, the Crawfords moved into their barn apartment in September 2021 to allow Berkshire Construction & Logging to begin the interior overhaul.
The result was a home that looks almost as if it hasn’t been changed in decades — with a mudroom finished in floral Farrow & Ball wallpaper and wood floors painted in a diamond pattern; a living room wrapped in sage-colored paneling; and a dining room with scenic murals painted by James Mobley. The furniture is a mixture of antiques, new pieces with patina, (the kitchen island made by Matthew Cox), and contemporary items, including the sofa in the living room and a painted artwork from BDDW. The total cost of the project was $1.8 million. The project will appear in the book “Memories of Home” by Ms. Caillier, published next month by Rizzoli. The process of building the home was so rewarding for Ms. Crawford that she would love to work with Heidi once again.