The Beacon Hill location of this house was perfect, but the awkward 1970s builder-special did not match this young couple’s love of design. First on the agenda was removing the odd bits and bots (an unusable second-floor deck, a “Palladian” window, and an ungainly bay window) on the front of the house.
The main living space also needed rethinking due to a floor plan that stymied rational furniture placement. Walls around the kitchen made it too small for an eat-in table and took up space, so there wasn’t room for a dining table in the living room. There was also no direct access from inside to the backyard.
To make the off-balance front of the house simpler and more symmetrical, the unusable deck was removed and replaced with a unifying bay window. Since this is west-facing and gets a beating from the sun, an automatic roll-down sunscreen hides in a pocket above the bay windows.
In the main living space, a corner fireplace and the walls around the kitchen were demolished. The new kitchen wraps around an island with seating for breakfast, and there is now room for a dining table. Walnut cabinets continue from the kitchen to become a tall pantry and buffet along the North side of the room. On the South side of the room, custom bookshelves hold the couple’s collection of books and vinyl, while lower drawers organize toys. The shelves wrap a new window at a sitting area that doubles as a play area.
French doors were added in the basement family room, which has a few steps up to the yard. Custom shelves line a whole wall for more books (and toys), and in-floor heat was added to keep the chill off an under-insulated slab (code at the time). An office area is hidden behind lockable doors to keep kiddos off the work computer.
The space that best represents the family’s sense of fun and design sophistication is the entry. New custom steel railing and aluminum panels replace the old drywall stair. The aluminum panels are laser cut in a Morse code pattern that contains a secret message. It may not be easy to decipher, but it is clear that the message is no longer SOS.
