Gardeners Present A Holiday Duet

2008 House Tour and Boutique
15 Colby Road

Festive red, white and green balloons were flying along with snowflakes in the West Street area guiding tourists to the holiday house tour and boutique sale presented anually on the first Sunday in December by The Gardeners' Guild of Braintree since its inception in 1975. The tour homes selected this year were the McGourty home on Colby Road and the Cummings home on Packard Drive, two equally lovely but differently featured colonial style homes.

At 15 Colby Road, Jane Bagley and Pam Palumbo coordinated the committees of guild members decorating each of the selected rooms. This is a two-story colonial home that was purchased as an antique cape style house in early 2005 by Brian and Laura McGourty. Shortly thereafter all but one wall was torn down and rebuilt as it currently stands with a columned portico front entry. The detached garage with a second story level was formerly a carriage house. All renovations were done by the homeowner's general contracting business, McGourty Company

As one approached the home, the picture was of a large, traditional New England style colonial home with A-frame dormers and many windows, all of which were adorned by balsam wreaths sporting gold bows and ribbons and lightly covered with the white new fallen snow. The small amount of snow added perfectly to the general holiday ambience and spirit. White wooden benches flanked both sides of the front entry door inside the portico and held shiny gold and green elegantly wrapped gifts. Tall boxwood trees sat in pots on the steps and were decoratively matched to the front door swag of mixed greenery, lime flowers, pinecones and chartreuse ribbons.


The detached garage was similarly decorated along with wooden half-barrels at both ends and in the middle filled with mixed wintergreens, ribbon and colored balls within the general chartreuse color scheme. The rear entry door into the mudroom was decorated with a huge balsam wreath, and wooden plant pots flanked the doorway holding mixed greens and berries.

The rear deck gave the impression of a ski lodge. Skis and poles stood by one wall and an antique wooden sled from which ice skates hung stood by another. Large snowman mugs holding hot cocoa sat on the ledge of the hot tub beside a plush white terry robe, perfect for the day at hand. A large Christmas tree filled one corner and was festooned with red glittered apples, lime green glittered pears and topped off with a golden bow. Greens surrounded the railings, slider doorframe and wrought iron dining set. A balsam wreath decorated in the chartreuse theme hung on the children's playhouse/slide in the back yard.

Outdoor decorations were the handiwork of guild members Jane Bagley, Pam Palumbo and Kathy Bowes ably assisted in the garage and rear areas by Lisa Galluzzo, Donna Marino and Christine Sarno.

The McGourtys warmly welcomed guests as they entered into the front foyer. Linda Barry and Barbara Black decorated this area, as well as the staircase, hallway and rear mudroom. The stairway and upper hallway appeared as a black and white photo gallery. Winter foliage including fresh white pine, holly, juniper and evergreens were wrapped around the stair banisters and along the wood rails down the hallway. Glittery blue, gold and brown ornaments hung from the railing. These decorations and color scheme continued throughout the foyer and back hallway along with strategically placed presents, elegantly wrapped. The mudroom coat rack resembled a cupboard and held children's colorful rubber boots, hanging mittens and ice skates along with beribboned baskets for storage.

Guests were graciously invited to view the second floor bed and bath areas although guild members did not decorate them. Three small children in a home could hardly be displaced by decorations. And their rooms were suitably attractive on their own.

A guest bedroom, bath and home office on the first floor were creatively decorated by guild members Mary Ann Wilbur (chairwoman), Kelly Draicchio, Ann MacCune and Barbara Sullivan. The inviting guest bedroom is one in which any visitor would easily relax. Its colors are soft pinks and greens, which give it a comfortable country feel. Natural pine, boxwood, holly and hydrangeas were used which gave it a wonderful seasonal feel as well as a nice fragrance. A striking vine wreath with pink berries and live greenery hangs on the wall over the bed. Beside the bed is a small Christmas tree decorated with pink ornaments, hydrangeas and topped with a big pink bow. The guest bath is bright and cheery in shades of yellow, white and navy blue with a warm beach ambience.

Down the hallway is the home office in a red, white and blue color scheme with a country décor. A small dark red berry tree in a pot sat on the workstation area. Whimsical plush Santas sat on shelves and seats and greenery was strategically placed within the room and a shelf of navy wicker baskets store some treasures.

The kitchen, dining room and family/living room are one large, open area sectioned off by the placement of a huge granite island and furniture. The first impression as holiday music played in the background was casual elegance. The black granite counters complement the cherry cabinetry. A large copper pot sits on the stove and a compote full of ornaments adorns one side of the island while a huge chocolate three-tiered square cake, generously donated by Ivy's Bakery, adorns the opposite side. An extra creative touch is the arrangement of vertical fresh asparagus spears surrounding a glass vase and held together with brown chiffon ribbons. Inside the vase is a bouquet of copper colored Alstrumeria

The dining table has been set with delectable treats on footed china and crystal and festooned with gold organza. A Christmas tree is adorned with copper butter mold ornaments donated by Williams Sonoma, glass acorn bulbs and customary glass balls and ribbons.

The general color scheme throughout the living space is chocolate brown, moss green and gold with copper accents. On this day, the fireplace crackles in the family living room, which is embellished with fresh greenery, sparkling lights, green wreaths, and elegantly wrapped Christmas presents. The ambience in these areas has been expertly created by Kerri Eck and her committee which included Karen Connelly, Elaine Couture, Diane Hanlon, Judy Paylor, Ginny Quinn and Lisa Reid.

Then it was on to another large, attractive living space, which the family refers to as the children's room, and with good reason. The vaulted ceiling is painted sky blue with clouds. The McGourty children are Lily age 8; Colin age 6; and Emmet age 4. They have their own child-sized stuffed chairs. Their wood table and chair set inspired the theme of the room for guild members – A MADD Hatter Christmas! This room was a child's fantasy of Alice in Wonderland and a tea party. Alice's turquoise party dress hung on the knob of a corner armoire. The Christmas tree and decorations were actually done upside down. Bright hues of fuschia, turquoise and purples with much glitter added excitement and were very attractive. Wreaths decorated in the theme colors hung on the white shuttered windows and the looking glass mirror was decorated with holiday greens. This particularly creative decorating fete was accomplished under the direction of Linda Solimini, ably assisted by Kathleen Doherty, Nina Egan, Christine McIntyre and Dawn Montgomery-Murphy.

We were then off to the home of Kathleen Cummings at 27 Packard Drive where Judy Caristi and Maggi Johnson coordinated guild committees handling the decorations.
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