Inside the Blackrock Home Photoshoot

Built by TM Sullivan Construction. Styling by Karin Lidbeck.

As promised, I’m excited to share a deeper look at the styling behind one of my recent projects: the Blackrock Home in Hingham, MA, built by TM Sullivan Construction and beautifully styled by Karin Lidbeck. This was a great one to work on because there was no additional interior decorator on this project, just a keen-eyed homeowner and build team. It’s a perfect example of how thoughtful styling elevates a project and brings the design into focus.

This fun, collaborative process began with Karin doing a walk-through with the client to help come up with a game plan for how each room would be meticulously styled. Karin took her own scouting photos and produced a PDF with notes that were invaluable for the pre-production call, where we laid out how we wanted the shoot to go.

Two of my favorite spaces were the living room and the office, where the beautiful built-ins are the star of the show. Karin’s styling here really shines, beautiful antique books and a tight color palette help make the shots sing.

We both agreed that in the living room, in order to get the shot to work, we needed to move a (very large!) sectional back about 12 inches, which thankfully the build team was able to do for us beforehand.  

Another favorite shot came from the home’s golf simulator room. I knew I wanted to capture it in use to really show the fun and personality of the space. Karin immediately got the vision, and the homeowner’s son ended up being the perfect stand-in golfer. Fun fact: the final image is actually a composite of five different shots layered together to get every detail just right.

Working with a stylist brings a fresh set of eyes and a knowledge base that is so helpful. They’ve worked on countless projects across different interior designers, so they know what works on camera, what doesn’t, and what editors like to see. They can walk into a room and instantly identify what needs to shift to help a photographer truly capture the design intent. 

Karin is one of those stylists. Her style is eclectic, layered, inviting, inventive, and fun, and her favorite design items to incorporate are flowers, food, and lifestyle touches. In her free time, you’ll find her in her garden or at the beach, gathering inspiration everywhere she goes.

Thanks for reading!

xx, Jess