My Houzz: Inviting Transitional Style in a Boston Brownstone

House at a Glance
Who lives here: Kristen and Derek Vicino and their two children
Location: South End neighborhood of Boston
Size: 1,600 square feet (149 square meters); two bedrooms, two bathrooms

Kristen and Derek Vicino have loved living in the South End area of Boston for more than a decade, having grown accustomed to its charming cobblestone streets, walkability and incredible restaurant scene. The homeowners, who are also the parents of two young children, own a two-story brownstone. “We always thought we would have moved to the suburbs by now, but we both have busy jobs, and by living in the city we are able to minimize our commute time, thereby maximizing time with our kids,” Kristen says.

“Overall, one of our biggest challenges is the nontraditional layout of the home,” Derek says. “Practically, this means that our kitchen is right next to the bedrooms, so we have to be quiet when the kids are sleeping. Our living space is on a different floor than our kitchen and dining space.”

The family spends the most time in this ground-floor family room and playroom space. Even though the living space is on a different level than the kitchen, “the sacrifice was worth it to have a big family room and playroom, which is a luxury in a city home,” Derek says. With the open layout, the couple enjoy being able to watch their kids playing while sitting in the family room.

For their main seating, they chose a sleeper sofa with performance fabric in case of spills. Its pullout bed can accommodate overnight guests. The wooden trunk used as a coffee table also serves as storage for linens.

Kashmir storage trunk: Boston Interiors

Before: The existing kitchen felt outdated and lacked personality. Before moving in, the couple did a complete renovation of it. They knew they wanted to replace the backsplash tile, stove and countertops.

Kristen used Houzz for inspiration throughout the renovation of the home. She had an ideabook for each room and often searched by feature — for example, “white cabinets with black countertops.” She also searched for regional inspiration by looking at Boston-area brownstones to see how other people had decorated similar spaces.

The couple also worked closely with their interior designer. “She really helped us with a lot of the more technical aspects of designing our home, like the kitchen configuration and built-in cabinet specs,” Kristen says. Gray recommended that the couple remove the drop ceilings, allowing them to increase storage. General contractors Brite Builders helped with the renovation.

After: The refrigerator and the dishwasher are the only things remaining from the previous kitchen. The homeowners had the builder-grade backsplash tile replaced with a herringbone tile from Ann Sacks. They installed a stove by Jenn-Air. For the countertops, they loved the look of soapstone but didn’t want the upkeep, so they opted for American Black granite for a similar look.

“One of our biggest challenges was the tiny master bedroom,” Kristen says. “We had to select furniture very carefully to fit in the space, while also maximizing storage.”

The couple designed and had these wood nightstands made to match their dressers, creating additional storage in the room.

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