When the house at 209 North Winooski Avenue was built, in 1867, Burlington boasted a population of about 14,000 and had not yet acquired its sobriquet of Vermont’s “Queen City.” The area now called the Old North End was a hub for immigrants — and still is. But since Linda Provost bought property there in 2003, an infusion of food purveyors has made her street a dining destination, as well. Think Barrio Bakery, Taco Gordo and May Day, among others.
Provost’s home has also evolved. In addition to removing an interior wall and expanding her first-floor living quarters, she created a distinctive bed-and-breakfast on the second floor and named it Little Place Guest House. The two smartly designed upstairs units — each with a bedroom, bath, small kitchen and seating area — are separated by an open-air deck.
Though travelers find Little Place through its website, Airbnb or just googling, passing motorists on the one-way street might not even notice the house. Painted shadow gray, it’s partially hidden by robust shrubbery and a red maple tree. But if you’re looking for it, the bright-green front door lets you know you’ve arrived.
The building’s exterior previews the palette inside. The guest rooms center neutrals — black, white, gray — accented by lime, turquoise and yellow. Burlington-born Provost, 75, is a graphic designer and consultant with a discerning eye for color, not to mention pattern, texture and what goes with what. Her aesthetic encompasses contemporary and vintage, bought and found, urbane and offbeat.
“I made an attempt to stick with metal, glass and wood — natural materials,” Provost said of the B&B. “I wanted it to be clean, simple and uncluttered. I subscribe to several magazines for inspiration, but a lot of things just happened.”
In the street-facing bedroom, a spring-green coverlet is folded neatly over white linens; an antique bureau is painted butter yellow. The bed’s headboard, which Provost said she found at IKEA, attaches to the wall to save space. The screenlike structure of narrow wood strips supports small shelves, a phone charger and tiny reading lamps. A worn wooden chest at the foot of the bed sits on a wheat-colored jute rug.
In the unit’s kitchen, green place mats on the vintage drop-leaf table echo a wall the color of pea soup. On a modern gray couch in the adjacent sitting space, more green appears in the form of a fluffy pillow. On a white fabric pillow — an Etsy commission — the B&B’s Wi-Fi password is printed in black Typewriter font. “So guests don’t have to remember it,” Provost noted.
Two of those guests, married couple Vince Manti and Nancy Nichelson of Albany, N.Y., have been coming to Burlington a couple of times a year for a decade. “We like the lake, the town, the restaurants, the farmers market,” Nichelson said by phone. At Provost’s B&B, she said, they enjoy the convenience of walking to the bakery, restaurants and Jake’s ONE Market. They also appreciate the off-street parking and the provided EV charging station.
“We are comfortable,” Manti added. “It’s not a hotel. No TVs — you don’t need a TV. It’s restful.”
Manti and Nichelson were so enamored of Provost’s color and design sensibility that they sought her advice on their own home.
“Linda just helped us refurbish our living room and dining room from a distance, online,” Manti said. “Mostly new paint and furniture. She helped us pick a color for the kitchen. It’s terrific!”
When Provost bought her house, the upstairs was a separate apartment; she transformed that into her first guest room in 2011. Three years later she designed the second one, accessible by a staircase on the south side of the house. “In the future it could be a master bedroom or a mother-in-law apartment,” she suggested. However, she acknowledged that the stairs to both units are obstacles for visitors with limited mobility.
Provost’s private living space is a curatorial coup reflecting her personal taste, eclectic art and object collections, as well as her green thumb with houseplants. The overall vibe is serene and harmonious. Earthy, muted hues — gold, mustard, brown — gently complement the pale wall tint that Benjamin Moore calls Healing Aloe. Provost also painted two small walls, which frame the passage to a hallway and bathroom, in charcoal and rich lapis.
Much of the furniture is antique — including a trestle-style coffee table made by Provost’s grandfather, a pair of “shabby-chic” rattan chairs with white slipcovered cushions and a handsome Empire-style chest of drawers handed down from her grandparents. Yet, with contemporary lamps and artwork, the décor spans centuries.
Knocking out that interior wall for an expansion at the back resulted in a long, open space for the living room and kitchen. Warm-toned wood flooring seamlessly unites the two areas. Provost noted that radiant heating in the kitchen literally warms the wormy-chestnut boards she sourced at Planet Hardwood in St. George. Wood countertops — another IKEA purchase — flank a deep stainless steel sink with a slate surround. Provost’s plates and cups are neatly displayed in a former hotel dish rack she found at an antique shop.
Old and new meet in the middle, too — at the kitchen island. Provost said Metalworks in Burlington fabricated its raw-steel top; all the cabinetry is from IKEA. A trio of metal cantilevered bar chairs are from Restoration Hardware.
Between the island and the dining table, a chipped square of thick sidewalk glass sits on twisted-metal legs. The low platform holds a cascading Christmas cactus, several pieces of pottery and … a female torso mannequin. In its previous life, Provost said, it was used to model girdles at Abernethy’s Department Store, which closed on Church Street in 1982. Bonus: The now-nude torso lights up.
Locally made sliding “barn” doors on an adjacent wall obscure a built-in pantry, while glass doors at the back offer a view of Provost’s lovely, and equally well curated, backyard. Just outside, an old conveyor belt has been reincarnated as a trellis.
It’s not hyperbole to call the house at 209 North Winooski Avenue a sanctuary. That’s apropos for a B&B, but it also suits the owner, who said she’s been “sensitive to interiors” since childhood. Provost recalled that, growing up as one of four children, “I think I was the only kid who made my parents redo my bedroom.” It was out with lavender and floral, in with white walls and an Indian print bedspread.
Little Place might be fully designed, but Provost happily embraces projects for others — local architects, private homeowners and friends alike. Sometimes, she wakes up thinking about color.
The original print version of this article was headlined “Homey Hospitality | In Burlington, Linda Provost has curated unique quarters for herself and guests”
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Nest — Summer 2025
This article appears in Nest — Summer 2025.
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