Notable decor elements include: Camerich Cloud sectional sofa, Vintage Adrian Pearsall Jacks coffee table, Zak and Fox Kaze West pillows, ALT for Living natural goat skin area rug. Photography: Francesco Bertocci

Situated on one of the most prestigious streets in the distinguished neighborhood of Highland Park, 3517 Beverly is a transitional residence built by Robert Elliott Custom Homes. Designed by notable architect David Stocker of Stocker Hoesterey Montenegro, the 3-story, 5-bedroom and 6-bathroom residence is characterized by ample living space and signature high-end finishes. An expansive driveway on the oversized lot leads to an entrance with a courtyard fountain and glass pane front doors. The first floor features two living areas — each with its own fireplace and exposed wood beams — with one adjacent to a bar area. The kitchen is a convenient and elegant entertaining space with large marble countertops, a waterfall island and dual sinks. Beautifully tiled bathrooms are found throughout the home and have soaking tubs and walk-in showers. On the second floor, light filters through oversized windows into the bedrooms and bathrooms, and on the third floor, there is additional space for a sizable game room. There is an extensive outdoor living area, accessed via sliding glass doors from the living room, that opens to a patio with cedar ceilings and a fireplace.

Notable decor elements include: Cassina Naan table, Fritz Hansen Series 7 chairs, Robert Lewis Star Chandelier Photography by: Francesco Bertocci http://www.francescobertocci.com/photography/

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

Notable decor elements include: Asplund Kilt credenza in petroleum blue from Studio TwentySeven, Jonathan Nesci blue vases from Patrick Parrish, Hilda Hellstrom cut bowl from Matter, Sunset is a lamp from Pamono. Photography: Francesco Bertocci

Notable decor elements include: Camerich Lazy Time sectional sofa, Room and Board Rand cocktail table, Safavieh Zigzag dhurrie rug, Wassily chair by Knoll, Noguchi Akari floor lamp, Flos vintage ceiling light. Photography: Francesco Bertocci

Notable decor elements include: Cappellini Bugatti pendant lights, Kartell Spoon bar stools Photography by: Francesco Bertocci http://www.francescobertocci.com/photography/

Notable decor elements include: Organic Modernism Lucia B table, Lambert et Fils Beaubien pendant, M2L Beso Dining chairs Photography: Francesco Bertocci

The most notable design component is the exceptional use of reclaimed wood throughout nearly every application. Sourced from not only one, but two different Indiana barns, this hand hewn and rough sawn wood is used in a variety of applications including custom cabinetry with a white glaze finish, dark stained window casing, butcher block island countertop and handsome woodwork on the fireplace mantel, range hood, and ceiling. Underfoot, Oak wood flooring is salvaged from a tobacco barn, giving it its unique tone and rich shine that comes only from the unique process of drying and curing tobacco. Photo Credit: Ashley Avila

Notable decor elements include: Algae diptych by Marleigh Culver from Tappan, Hanno the Gorilla by David Weeks from Horne. Photography by Sharon Radisch

The bedroom is adorned with masculine accents, including a stunning area rug and bed frame, complemented by an elegant chandelier hanging overhead. Notable products include, Lightology Grace Chandelier, Brownstone Furniture, and Jaipur area rug.

The subtle changes begin as soon as you walk out the back door of the house. The existing decking had a lot of what we call "tweeners"; areas that are overly generous walkways, yet not large enough to house furniture. The awkwardly small bluestone patio was expanded to accommodate a generous seating area. This was done by pushing the step-down closer to the pool. Our talented stone mason carefully married the new bluestone into the existing portion of the patio, resulting in an imperceptible difference between the two. As you descend the new bluestone steps to the pool level, your bare feet will be thankful for the new smooth-finished, limestone-colored concrete, with a hand cut pattern carefully etched into it's surface. The old red brick decking was so hot that the owners could not walk around the pool with their bare feet. The brick coping was also replaced with an eased edge, Pennsylvania Premier Stone which matches the new step treads throughout the project. Between the house and the pool, a large raised planter was reconfigured, giving additional space to the pool deck for a shaded lounge chair area. Across the pool, a bank of rather tall painted brick retaining walls were cut down, shortened and moved. This lessened the visual impact of the walls (which were overwhelming in the space) and also opened up a new seating area, nestled under the arms of the massive Pecan tree at the back of the property. Rather than continuing solid decking around the entire pool, the area near these walls has been transformed to large stone stepper pads set in a sea of beautiful St. Augustine lawn. This creates a visually softened area that is still suited to setting tables and chairs when the guest list calls for additional seating. The spa area is possibly the most dramatic change on this project. Yet more raised planter walls divided this area into awkward spaces, unsuited for proper furniture placement. The planters were removed, new stone decks added, and once again expertly married into the existing decks, opening the area to house a large dining table and a newly built-in BBQ area. The spa itself was re-imagined with the bluestone coping and painted brick veneer. The most impressive addition though is the new handmade glazed tiles that surround the existing cast stone water feature. This water feature was almost unnoticeable against the painted brick wall, but now the dramatic arch and pop of color draw the eye to this quaint little corner of the property. Originally designed by one of the most notable landscape architects in town, this once impressive project had faltered in recent years. The pool and spa still functioned well, and the client wanted to keep it intact. In addition, they wanted to keep as much of the existing landscape as possible. But, the surrounding decks, walls and steps were fair game. At first glance, one might think that our changes were simple material changes. However, upon closer inspection, one can see the subtle-yet-transformative changes that came together to update this classic pool in a tasteful, timeless manner, as well as to improve the flow and usability of the deck areas, while softening the feel of this massive hardscape.

This home was custom designed by Joe Carrick Design. Notably, many others worked on this home, including: McEwan Custom Homes: Builder Nicole Camp: Interior Design Northland Design: Landscape Architecture Photos courtesy of McEwan Custom Homes

This home was custom designed by Joe Carrick Design. Notably, many others worked on this home, including: McEwan Custom Homes: Builder Nicole Camp: Interior Design Northland Design: Landscape Architecture Photos courtesy of McEwan Custom Homes

Notable decor elements include: Design Within Reach Cherner side chairs, California House Aptos game table, Merida Plough rug, L’Aviva Home Granada Lantern pendant, Tom Dixon Bash vessel Photography Francesco Bertocci

Notable decor elements include: Camerich Lazy Time sectional sofa, Safavieh Zigzag dhurrie rug, Noguchi Akari floor lamp. Photography: Francesco Bertocci

Notable decor elements include: Elitis Donghia Kandy/Brit Pop wallpaper, Farrow and Ball Light Blue paint, DDC bedside tables in clear glass with floating drawer, Gentner Design pivot sconces in burnished brass, yellow striped Raymor vase, merino wool throw in grey and yellow from ALT for Living, custom upholstered headboard in Baumann wool fabric, bolster in Castel Salina green and white tweed and Rosemary Hallgarten vintage wash rug from ALT for Living Photos: Francesco Bertocci

Notable decor elements include: Alto compass pendant from Cedar and Moss, Dang file pedestal by BluDot, Case study Bentwood bed from Modernica, Type 75 task lamp from DWR, Crosshatch rug from Dash and Albert, Daydream wallpaper by Hygge and West, Cavallo linen duvet cover from Serena and Lily, Isaac long arm sconce by Schoolhouse Electric

Notable decor elements include: De La Espada Companions bed from The Future Perfect, Lawson Fenning Stacked box nightstands, Lostine Ava wall sconces, Abstract Bouquet by Kate Roebuck from Uprise Art, Linens from Commune. Photography by Sharon Radisch