This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Eric Roth Photo

Brantley Photography
Large elegant u-shaped dark wood floor and brown floor enclosed kitchen photo in Miami with shaker cabinets, white cabinets, wood countertops and an island

Cabinet design by: Collaborative Interiors | Kitchen design by: Beverly Bradshaw Interiors | Remodeler: McKinney Group | Photographer: Tom Marks Photo | ***Please visit the Houzz page of Beverly Bradshaw Interiors for any info regarding this project***

© photo by bethsingerphotographer.com
Trendy slate tile freestanding bathtub photo in Detroit with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets and brown countertops

This understated platform bed is designed low to the ground with the bare minimum of components. Pair it with the Storage Headboard to get the complete LAXseries look.

This understated platform bed is designed low to the ground with the bare minimum of components. Pair it with the Storage Headboard to get the complete LAXseries look.

Example of a large cottage concrete floor great room design in San Francisco with white walls

LAXseries solid wood Platform Bed with wall mounted Storage Headboard and 3X Shelf at the Thirteen Palms resort in Palm Springs, California.
Example of a mid-sized southwest guest terra-cotta tile bedroom design in Los Angeles with brown walls and no fireplace

David Lauer
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary master white tile mosaic tile floor and multicolored floor bathroom remodel in Denver with white walls and a pedestal sink

Marriage of Form and Function. Lose the clunky under-the-bed storage containers and replace them with this impressive and stunning alternative. With 8 large rolling drawers, the Storage Platform is sure to give your closet or dresser some breathing room. Pair it with the LAX headboard for the perfect storage combination.

Elegant bedroom photo in Charlotte with gray walls

A young family with a wooded, triangular lot in Ipswich, Massachusetts wanted to take on a highly creative, organic, and unrushed process in designing their new home. The parents of three boys had contemporary ideas for living, including phasing the construction of different structures over time as the kids grew so they could maximize the options for use on their land. They hoped to build a net zero energy home that would be cozy on the very coldest days of winter, using cost-efficient methods of home building. The house needed to be sited to minimize impact on the land and trees, and it was critical to respect a conservation easement on the south border of the lot. Finally, the design would be contemporary in form and feel, but it would also need to fit into a classic New England context, both in terms of materials used and durability. We were asked to honor the notions of “surprise and delight,” and that inspired everything we designed for the family. The highly unique home consists of a three-story form, composed mostly of bedrooms and baths on the top two floors and a cross axis of shared living spaces on the first level. This axis extends out to an oversized covered porch, open to the south and west. The porch connects to a two-story garage with flex space above, used as a guest house, play room, and yoga studio depending on the day. A floor-to-ceiling ribbon of glass wraps the south and west walls of the lower level, bringing in an abundance of natural light and linking the entire open plan to the yard beyond. The master suite takes up the entire top floor, and includes an outdoor deck with a shower. The middle floor has extra height to accommodate a variety of multi-level play scenarios in the kids’ rooms. Many of the materials used in this house are made from recycled or environmentally friendly content, or they come from local sources. The high performance home has triple glazed windows and all materials, adhesives, and sealants are low toxicity and safe for growing kids. Photographer credit: Irvin Serrano

LAXseries Wall Mounted Desk, 3X Wall Mounted Shelf, Platform Bed, and Storage Headboard. Items great for a bedroom or office. Spence and Lyda
Example of a small minimalist guest concrete floor bedroom design in Los Angeles with white walls

a large happy room, shared by two girls, ages five and seven. The room is painted in Benjamin Moore Lavender Mist. The beds, rug and nightstands are from Land Of Nod. and the artwork was made by the girls themselves.

A bedroom featuring one of our favorite color schemes: a subtle black, white, gray & silver mix. From the charcoal upholstered Butler bed to the crisp white bed linens from our Luxe Bedding Collection, to the soft silver-toned rug underfoot. And our Manning chest as well as night stands with a drawer and a shelf for great storage options. Finished in decadent caviar stain, our dashing Manning collection is our take on dressed-up modern, featuring a mix of materials--smooth ash veneers, polished stainless steel, clear & white glass.

Photography: Jeff Cate
Example of a trendy bedroom design in Miami with white walls

Example of a transitional u-shaped dark wood floor open concept kitchen design in Richmond with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, gray backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Our client came to us with the idea of renovating some of the rooms for their three growing children, twin boys and a girl, in this apartment on Riverside Drive with breath-taking views of the Hudson River. The original bedrooms were crowded with built-in pieces and the boys used to share one room. As their needs are changing as they grow, our clients wanted to renovate their childish bedrooms and give them new bedrooms for each one of them that would still feel ‘updated’ and ‘grown up’ for many more years to come. A previously room used as a Den, was transformed into a bedroom for one of the boys, while the other one kept the original bedroom. Both spaces have similar materials and fabrics, but each has a color scheme that was developed from the kids’ favorite colors, the built-in desk, shelving and platform bed in dark mahogany gives the rooms a more masculine and grown up feel. The girl’s room was a very small and odd space with angled walls; to make the room more square and symmetrical, a new desk with shelves, built-in closet, night-stand and platform bed were installed around the perimeter of the room. This layout allowed for additional space for a reading chair, floor lamp and side table. The color palette for this bedroom was also based on the girl’s favorite colors: purple and green, which were wisely used over a background of cream color used throughout the cabinetry and carpet to avoid feeling overwhelming in the small space. Most of the vertical surfaces in all three rooms were covered in a tackable material so they could display posters and school work, yet the textile wall covering gives the walls a very elegant feel when the posters come off.

Thin Platform Bed is an architectural marvel combining sleek lines with the softness and suppleness of fabric or leather upholstery. Designed by Giuseppe Viganò for Bonaldo and manufactured in Italy, Thin Designer Platform Bed is designed to be both subdued and unabashedly powerful versatile focal in a setting that is either ultra modern or transitional.