The annual Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour fundraiser put on by the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club showcased seven amazing homes where guests were invited to visit the first floor and outside spaces last Saturday.
Architects, interior designers, contractors, landscape designers, and builders were on hand to rake in the compliments and answer questions specific to the homes. The creatives were easily identifiable as those wearing high-style footwear instead of the little blue booties the rest of us donned at the entrances.
The mix of houses included those recently built; historic homes, including one selected by the Wellesley Historic Commission for a prestigious Historical Preservation Award; and interior designer Erin Gates’ own home.
Funds raised from Kitchen and Home Tour ticket sales, along with the Club’s other events throughout the year, allowed Juniors to give $170k in grants and scholarships in 2023.
Tour-goers were strictly prohibited from taking pictures, and indeed, I was tattled on a couple of times for my rogue behavior to Juniors standing sentry. But it was all on the up-and-up—The Swellesley Report had received prior permission to capture the beauty.
Here’s what I saw when paying my calls at a couple of the homes:
Wellesley Farms neighborhood—a home set among the woods
The long driveway leading up to this 2019 Wellesley Farms Colonial gives visitors plenty of time to enjoy the bucolic setting. Landscape architect Matthew Cunningham kept his design plan natural with an emphasis on native shrubs and trees, and clumps of ferns that thrive in the dappled sunlight. What little grass there is on the 1.25-acre property shares space with clover and crabgrass. If a bare patch appears, grass seed is thrown down and told, “Good luck.” No green sod carpet treatment here. The small front-yard pond wouldn’t appreciate the fertilizer run-off.
The Juniors took a greener approach to the Tour this year. Gone were the hundreds of lawn signs that used to clutter the town ahead of the Tour. They weren’t needed as the tickets sold out faster than a Taylor Swift concert. Also, the co-chairs dispensed with balloons in front of the houses to signal their location. Ticket holders (and their GPS systems) were trusted to figure it out.
Wellesley Hills, perched on a hill
The four-floor structure built into a steep hill in 1876 has always looked like it had stories to tell. Held by one family for 50+ years before going on the market in 2022, the home was for over 100 years an owner-occupied inn/lodging house. The 8k sq.ft. building could easily have become another Wellesley teardown. But the new owners instead brought a creative spirit and plenty of attitude to what is now a quirky single-family, set on 2/3 acres.
First thing to know is that this house is pure fun. The homeowners are art collectors, but that doesn’t mean they’re above a matchbook collection displayed in a glass jar, or leaving the family silver to tarnish on the top shelf in the bar nook. They’re into high-low messaging. Original contemporary art shares visual space alongside a collection of old and well-worn books. A hand-painted mural on the dining room ceiling coexists with the whimsy of an acrylic mannequin, gazing out the window at the street scene, dressed only in a fur coat. “I always jump when I see her,” a Club member whispered.
What’s next for Juniors
- The 5K Wonder Run has been shifted from its usual spring date to October 2024. The fun community tradition attracts runners and walkers of all ages.
- Wellesley Marketplace, Nov. 23, 2024, at Wellesley High School
The premier juried artisan gift show is considered Wellesley’s official kick-off to the holiday season. Over 200 shopkeepers and artists—local and from around the country—convene at WHS as 2,500 shoppers browse and buy. - Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour, May 3, 2025
Interested in joining the WHJWC? Learn more about the Club here.
