‘It Felt So Sterile!’ – Designer Jess Cooney Used Every Decor Trick She Knew to Breathe Life and Personality Into This Once-Bland Home

‘When I first saw this Victorian home in Great Barrington, MA, it felt very sterile,’ says interior designer Jess Cooney, founder of Jess Cooney Interiors. ‘The floors were painted gray, the entire house was white; it was all very fresh, but it didn’t have any personality. This wasn’t going to suit the people who lived there – a pair of grandparents from New Jersey who love to host their large family, love to have parties, and are very lively.’

Jess’s goal was to make the home feel warmer and more energized, and to find a way to add a butler’s pantry and make the whole house design feel a little less… disjointed. ‘I wanted to layer spaces so they were decorative and charming, each with its own unique personality, but also ensure that no design decisions were made in isolation – if you saw a color in one space, it would pop up again somewhere else,’ Jess says.

The result is a home that is as perfect for the two owners as it is when their entire family comes to visit, with a decor scheme that – through dynamic use of color and pattern – encourages a sense of joie de vivre and instant party spirit.

The Kitchen

The biggest change Jess made to the house layout was adding an island to the kitchen, which she painted black to make it a true focal and central point. ‘The thing about this house is that it has very strong lines, and everything is very straight,’ Jess says. ‘I wanted to lean into that with the big, bold, square-edged kitchen island, but then also needed to soften the space with the curved lighting and stools.’

The choice of black was also made with modernity in mind. ‘The house was very coastal before and the kitchen was all white, which felt a little conventional,’ Jess says. ‘Having a big black island in the middle of it was much more contemporary and changed the whole feel of the room.’

The Butler's pantry

Adding a butler’s pantry was the primary wish of the homeowners, and Jess was able to create one in the through-space that leads into the dining room. ‘This neat design shows that you can have a small run of space in a hallway – this was about 5 feet – and use all the vertical area to make it highly functional,’ Jess says. ‘In fact, this felt a bit like magic, as the kitchen doesn’t have a ton of storage, so it was a wonderful way to add in more cupboards.’

The owners like to entertain a lot – particularly around ski season – so extra cabinetry within reach of the dining table was key. ‘Adding in the pantry means that the good glassware and tableware are within much easier reach of the table,’ Jess says. And of course, it’s black to help forge a connection with the kitchen island.

The Dining room

‘I really wanted to bring in more vintage furniture, which is a nice way to layer in warmth and a feeling of eclecticism,’ Jess says. ‘I sourced an antique farmhouse table, refurbished the client’s antique chairs, and added natural woven chairs with black frames that tie to the windows for a punch.’

She says that mismatched chairs tie into the charm and rustic vibe of the house and its areas. ‘Playing around with chair styles takes away the formality you might get from a matching set,’ Jess says. ‘For a country home, it makes the mood feel more inviting and relaxing. When you have a piece like the table, which has already been used many times and is already worn in a little bit, then you don’t feel too precious around it – you can relax more easily while eating at it.’

The Entryway

There are two sets of stairs from the first floor up – one by the butler’s pantry (above, left) and one in the front entryway (above, right). In the entryway, you can just see the gray flooring that Jess inherited from the previous ‘sterile’ decor scheme.

‘We thought about sanding the gray floor, but in the end decided to keep them and layer them with vintage rugs,’ Jess says. She has some advice for working with gray, which is a color you might not expect in her warm-toned schemes. ‘People are afraid to mix warm and cool tones – but you can definitely use warm tones with gray,’ Jess says. ‘In fact, this contrast gives a home dimension and interest.’

The Living room

The living room is actually two spaces next to each other – a main lounge area and then a reading nook in the big bay window in the alcove joined onto the back.

‘I really wanted to utilize the bay window, and the owner loves to sew,’ Jess says. ‘It made sense to put these two reading chairs there in this nook so that in this big, open space, there was a little area that seemed a bit more cocooned.’

Her choice to cover these vintage chairs in a riotous patchwork fabric was very intentional. ‘The house is very traditional, with its picket fences and white gates, so we wanted something a little less predictable for this corner,’ Jess says. ‘We had the chairs and wanted to add a bit of a punch to them, hence the patterned upholstery, which has the dual effect of immediately drawing your eye to them and then to the view beyond the window.’

These unexpected moments are key to how Jess works. ‘You don’t want it to be predictable, you don’t want to know what the rest of the house is going to be – you want a bit of tension,’ Jess says. ‘It can feel predictable if you’re doing the whole space the same, and adding in a few fun moments helps to set a delicate balance.’

The Bedroom

The impressively large bed with its graphic frame was custom designed by Jess. ‘It was kind of in keeping with the rest of the house,’ she says of how its black frame links to the black stair rail, windows, kitchen island, and butler’s pantry. ‘But then of course we had to add in something a little unexpected, which is where the green drop pendants on either side of the bed came in.’

The bed is almost as large as the room it’s in, but that was part of Jess’s plan, too. ‘The bed has a real weight to it, in the same way that the kitchen island does,’ she says. This means that it’s not just the focal point but a statement piece of furniture that entices you to want to get in it.

The Bathrooms

Jess loved picking wallpapers for the bathrooms and was pleased that her client was all for having a bit of fun in this area.

‘The owners were totally game for wallpapers being added and for being a little cheeky with the prints,’ Jess says. ‘In the primary bathroom (above, left), we used a grasscloth because it was well enough ventilated to withstand it, while in the powder room we used a standard paper.’

It was in the powder room (above, right) that Jess decided to paint the shiplap she inherited black, transforming it from the white it was when she arrived at the project.

‘Painting it black took away that coastal feel of white shiplap, but kept the texture and interest,’ she says. ‘When you have a smaller space, it’s fun to embrace dark colors and make it a little moody, and the tiger print was so fun that we felt this was the perfect balance.’

Jess’s transformation of this historic house from something safe and sterile to characterful and bold is a masterclass in the use of black as an accent. The color appears again and again – on the island, the windows, the butler’s pantry, the primary bed, even the shiplap in the powder room – and each time it serves to underscore the other design choices she has made. It catches the eye, anchors the space, and helps create a daring yet relaxed aesthetic.