Libby Gudz-Reynolds wasn ’ t looking for a new home . The lifelong North Smithfield resident and her family — husband Nate , three daughters and pups Seamus and Oberyn — had just finished rehabbing their dream house .
But one day , driving by a gorgeous colonial on Great Road , she had a premonition . That house , she thought , will go up for sale soon . A week later it did . That ’ s how , four years ago , she and her family found themselves the new owners of the 1808 Joel Aldrich House in Union Village . And ever since , bit by bit — from garden and kitchen to bedrooms and baths — they ’ ve been making it their own . “ I love old houses ,” she says . “ I ’ ve always wanted to live in a house like this .” Bold swaths of color add atmosphere to almost every room . Gudz- Reynolds chose Olympic Black Forest paint for the dining room / library , where a rainbow-hued wall of vintage books are sorted by color . She started with her grandfather ’ s collection , and added to it throughout the years from books she found at nearby Antiques Alley ( formerly Stillwater Antiques ) in Greenville .
It ’ s one of her favorite spaces in the house . You can often find her there , nursing a coffee and doing a puzzle or game with her youngest daughter , sometimes with a fire roaring in the woodstove during the winter . She just added some wire cloches from the garden and an old broken chair from the basement to keep things fresh .
“ The seat has always been broken , and I hope to fix it someday ,” she says . “ But as it turns out , I ’ ve always loved things that were a little broken , so I actually may never fix it .”
It was only after buying the home that she discovered she ’ s related to its first owner : Joel Aldrich was a cousin ( and also an uncle by marriage ), and she ’ s related to most of the families that originally settled Union Village .
PREVIOUS PAGE : A cozy nook in the dining room / library . THIS PAGE , ABOVE : Vintage books and decor bedeck every corner . BELOW : Faces pop up in unexpected spots , whether in a fanciful vase or a piece of framed art . FACING
PAGE , ABOVE : Plants and greenery add warmth to a half-bath , as does Ralph , a golden crocodile wielding a crystal ball .
BELOW : A dresser from their previous home serves as a vanity .
104 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l OCTOBER 2022