House Hunters
Nick Spain: We initially wanted to purchase a motel in the Catskills, but ended up in a very different place, both building-wise and geographically, in the Berkshires. We made an appointment to see it on New Year’s Day in 2016, and immediately felt in love, and turned it into the six-bedroom Filomena house, named after Bolognino’s grandmother, and available to rent on Airbnb. [Spain’s firm Arthur’s Design handled the interiors.]
Fixer Upper
Michael Bolognino: The 1850s-era Italianate house was a former Catholic church rectory until bought by a family in the 1950s who raised 12 children there. When we found it, its bones were excellent, but the color choices inside were wild—all yellow and teal. During renovations, we made sure to maintain the property’s historical integrity by preserving the gorgeous hardwood ceilings, as well as uncovering the original wood in the butler pantry. Each room at the Filomena now features an original piece from its long history, which was exactly our guiding principle.
NS: I used my admiration for the traditional Italian style as a jumping-off point as far as colors, forms, and shapes. We wanted guests to move through these spaces as a progression of colors. My background in theater helped a lot during the design process.
Favorite Spots
NS: The pink-hued living room that’s also known as the ‘ladies who lunch.’  There are a lot of oddball details here, including the oil paintings of older women who look so secretive. Those little touches do resonate, however, the dining space of the room gets the most compliments. It’s so dramatic with just a single light fixture suspended from the ceiling, making guests feel enveloped in darkness—almost like having a dinner in an abyss.
Precious Moments
MB: We had our wedding reception here last fall, which was just the perfect symbol of everything. Dancing with Nick and seeing the light coming out of the house that we bought together was just epic for me—the perfect cap to a two-year renovation project.
Photography by Zio and Sons
