October 2022 | Page 108

THIS PAGE , ABOVE : The verdant , sunny kitchen has an airy and open layout . BELOW : An egg chair and a wall of Mixtiles peek out from the living room . FACING PAGE , ABOVE : A thirteen-foot double vanity and vintage Persian rug give the master bathroom a chic boho vibe . BELOW : Exposed 200-year-old wooden beams add depth to the master bath , while details like colorful thrifted pottery and a monkey figurine in the shower add whimsy .

Moody Blues
The kitchen was one of their biggest projects . It was cramped and dated — not an ideal gathering space for a family of five .
“ It was pretty awful when we started ,” says Gudz-Reynolds , with its bulky white cabinets , a built-in hutch and segmented spaces that made the room feel claustrophobic . It took them a few months to design the layout , and eight months in all to complete .
They gutted the room down to the studs and started installing the cabinets on Thanksgiving , finishing in time for Christmas . They moved the stove against a wall , removed a breakfast bar and installed brand new cobalt cabinets , a marble backsplash , a spacious kitchen island and quartz countertops .
Libby and Nate designed and crafted the floating wooden shelves surrounding the stove , using attic floorboards removed from the master bathroom . They sanded them down , but not too much — they wanted to leave the original details and nails hammered in here and there . Modern pendant lampshades , plenty of greenery and a collection of colorful glass fishing floats complete the inviting space , while Libby regularly rotates decor and signs — “ No working during drinking hours ,” “ Maybe swearing will help ” — to keep it fresh .
It all makes for a kitchen that ’ s now used as a gathering space , instead of a cramped and dated relic from the ’ 90s .
“ I never wanted to sit in it before ,” she says . “ Now it feels cozy — that ’ s what I like . I want a home that feels cozy .”
106 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l OCTOBER 2022