Judi Boisson spent five years thinking about what she really wanted and needed in an addition to her 1880 Victorian home in Southampton, N.Y. She has owned the house since 1984, and lived in it full-time since 1990, when she switched occupations, from running her beloved antiques shop to designing her own line of handmade quilts, the Judi Boisson American Home Collection.

Modern & Classic Kitchen

A meeting of centuries: A late 1700s corner cupboard is neighbour to a Blue Star stove. Ceramics by Judi’s daughter, folk artist Baret Boisson, add colour and charm to the kitchen.



Colourful Bedroom

Designing and overseeing much of the renovation herself over the course of two years, Judi at last has a home that honours the past yet is filled with colour and light and the laughter of young children running through its cheerful rooms.

In her bedroom, Judi surrounds herself with whimsical objects she loves, from the 1940s telephone lamps with push-button cigarette lighters to her “Mississippi Backroads” quilt.




Wraparound Porch

The 16- by 20-foot porch runs along the new addition. Judi can host a crowd there for meals under the shade of a beadboard-lined ceiling. Antique schoolhouse lamps offer light at night.




Kitchen Detail

In addition to the capacious kitchen, Judi added this 16- by 12-foot pantry for ample storage, prep, and cleanup space for entertaining. Windows and glass-fronted upper cabinets keep the pantry light and airy.

A well-placed window seat looks out on a gorgeous 100-year-old rhododendron. Judi’s “Ocean Waves” cover-up quilt makes the seat cushion.

Two sets of Fisher & Paykel dishwasher drawers (a pair in the kitchen and a pair in the pantry) offer plenty of dishwashing flexibility.

Judi’s handmade quilts, rugs, and pillows add bursts of colour to the all-white room. “Windowpane,” Judi’s hand-knitted cotton runner, softens the floor.




200-Year-Old Doors

Judi salvaged the planks and doors from a late-1700s house in Ohio 20 years ago. The beautiful comb-painting makes them “a work of art, not just doors,” she says.




Antique Cupboards

A corner cupboard from the 1700s was adapted with wood panels from the same old house. “It was serendipity that the old wood matched the cupboard almost perfectly.”




Old-fashioned Corbels

Judi designed these star-studded brackets to adorn the new porch posts as well as her kitchen island. Their weathered finish goes nicely with the stainless-steel stools.




Hydrangea Table Setting

"Colour is so flexible. You truly can go either subtle or strong."

Tip: To machine-wash quilts: Use cold water and a little Oxi-Clean; add 12 strips of Colour Catchers by Shout.




Text: Kelly Smith

photo credit: Keith Scott Morton