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This passion led them on a twenty-five-year journey of collecting. Along thes way, they educated themselves, learning the story behind each piece, and this understanding added to their appreciation. As time passed, the Laroses’ acquisitions began to shape the look of their two homes, in Portsmouth, N.H., and New York City.

Today, both locations have evolved into stunning masterpieces of interior design that feature incredible collections. Yet each retains a warm, welcoming feel, probably because the Laroses collect from the heart. “We don’t collect for the sake of investment, or because a certain piece is recommended,” says Larry. “We buy what we love, what speaks to us. Each piece evokes a memory, a feeling.”

The Portsmouth House
It was love at first sight when Janet and Larry saw the Tobias Langdon House in Portsmouth’s South End. Built in 1710, the home belonged to Captain Tobias Langdon, grandfather of the illustrious John Langdon, who was the first “president” of New Hampshire, a member of the Continental Congress, and one of the framers of the Constitution.

His home sits in the city’s historic waterfront district, an area where houses cluster close together, and narrow streets ramble right past the front doorstep. This was a neighborhood of fishermen and sea captains, and even today, the fishing boats unload just a few blocks away.

“We were looking for a weekend place, and this house is a perfect fit for us,” says Janet. “We love history, and the Langdon house has a wonderful past. It is also located in such an historic area––steps from Strawbery Banke and Prescott Park, and in a city itself rich with history. We were fortunate to find this house.”

“We collect antiques and art, especially Early American furnishings, and paintings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century,” adds Larry. “In refurbishing this house, we were able to indulge our love for these things.”
When the Laroses bought the house, it was in good shape structurally and fully modernized. However, it lacked the rich details of the period, and the Laroses spent a year restoring the house to its historic glory.

Upon entering the home, visitors are immediately transported to a pastoral scene of rolling hills, vivid foliage, and soft blue skies. The entryway opens into the stairwell, and the entire area is painted with a vibrant mural, which illustrates the change of seasons as it transitions from the first to the third floors.

“This is called a triple-run staircase because there are three flights of stairs and two landings between the three floors,” says Larry. “Triple-run staircases are unusual and unique to Portsmouth. In Georgian houses, such as this one, a large chimney was typically placed in the middle of the house. This limited where the stairway could go; having a triple run was one way to make room. Not many triple-run stairways remain intact. During the first and second world wars, many homes converted their third floors to apartments to accommodate the influx of sailors and workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The third stairway was blocked off, and an alternate entrance provided.”

The mural is not original to the house, but murals were common in a home of this period. “During the nineteenth century, a number of itinerant painters traveled through Portsmouth, offering to create murals at fairly reasonable prices,” explains Larry. “Many homeowners took advantage, so it would not have been unusual for a home such as ours to have one.”

The Laroses’ mural was painted by local artist Will Perkins of Ipswich, Mass., whose design is based on paintings of the Hudson River School, particularly those of George Inness. The Laroses have two of Inness’ works at their New York City home, and enjoy the calm, pastoral scenes he depicts.

Setting the mural off perfectly is the pale green woodwork, treated with an antique finish, and the chocolate-and-white checkerboard floor.

The white squares are a pearlized opalescent white, giving them extra luster. “The checkerboard floor was very popular in Portsmouth,” notes Janet. “You will see another example at the Wentworth Gardner home.”

To the right of the stairwell is the living room, done in vivid blue paneling and decorated with numerous pieces of Early Americana, including a wooden flag, a large carving of a wooden rooster, and a varnished chest with a patriotic emblem.

Contrary to popular belief, early Americans loved color, and homes of the day were frequently painted with striking tones. The colors chosen by Larry and Janet are not original to the house, but are hues of the period.

Adorning the fireplace mantel are decorative wood pieces representing key influences of the period: a carved codfish, a rooster symbolizing farming, a Native American figure on a racing horse, and two Chinese men, indicative of the China trade.

Adjacent to the fireplace is an unusual, intricately carved cupboard that immediately draws the eye. A scalloped shell motif adorns the top, while fluted columns stretch the length of the interior.

The cupboard’s exterior and shelves match the blue of the room, while the interior background is soft yellow, the perfect accompaniment to the blue-and-white china it displays. “The cupboard was created by Bob LaCivita of Nottingham, New Hampshire,” says Larry. “Its look is influenced by the design of a Portsmouth room which is now featured at Winterthur Museum in Delaware. The shell design is a typical Georgian theme.”

The blue-and-white china was all found locally (one plate depicts the Warner House on Daniel Street in Portsmouth), but a large vase is an eighteenth-century piece that Larry and Janet bought in Shanghai.

Across the hall, the dining room presents a light and airy feel, with its delicately stenciled walls, fresh green trim, and light pouring in the front windows. Artist Will Perkins applied his talent to the stenciling as well, creating patterns with hand-cut stencils that follow the colors and designs of the period.

Commanding attention is the dining room table with its set of six matched antique chairs. The chairs were made in Newbury or Newburyport, Mass., around 1710. They are a transitional William and Mary/Queen Anne design.

The Spanish feet echo the William and Mary period, while the S-curved backsplash evokes Queen Anne. “It is very, very rare to find a matched set of six chairs,” smiles Larry.

“We got them from local antiques dealer Hollis Broderick. Consider how lucky we were––the Boston Museum of Fine Art has two such chairs, and the Chicago Art Institute only has one. I can’t thank Hollis enough! These chairs belong to this house.”

On one wall is a poster from World War I, urging Americans to buy government bonds. Although not dated to the house, Larry feels the poster has a place in the home.

“It is a fun accent, and a nod to the navy yard workers and sailors who most likely stayed in this house during the war,” he says. “It is a reminder that although this is an eighteenth-century Georgian house, it has been through a lot. There are many years of history in this home.”

At the back of the house lies the kitchen, which is a blend of period and modern. The hearth and the beehive oven are original, although the hearth is now equipped with a gas fireplace. Around the fireplace are various iron pots and cooking implements that date from the period, although they are not original to the house.

Ironically, the modernized part of the kitchen, with its gleaming refrigerator and up-to-date appliances, is actually in the oldest section of the room. This is the “lean-to” area, and represents one of the last remaining examples of a Colonial lean-to kitchen in New Hampshire.

Upstairs, the master bedroom is the essence of simplicity. The bed, which is all clean, pure lines, was built by Bob LaCivita. The white coverlet, with its soft floral accents, is modern but adds to the soothing aspect of the room. At the foot of the bed sits an antique “six-board” chest.

Dating from between 1710 to 1740, the chest is so named because it is made out of a single section of wood, cut into six pieces. Created from unfinished white pine, the chest is a testament to the huge trees of the day.

“These chests were unique to Portsmouth and southern Maine,” says Larry. “They have a simple, useful beauty that appealed to us, like the house itself.”

The bedroom also showcases the amazing white pine floors that run throughout the house. Some of the boards are twenty inches wide. Made from old-growth pine, the boards have mellowed in color to a warm gold, called “pumpkin pine.”

“You can see and feel actual footprints in certain places within the boards,” marvels Janet. “You can actually set your foot into the imprints––it is like literally stepping back in time. It’s a great indicator of just how much these boards have been walked on!”

Click here to read about the Larose's Manhattan Apartment