Photographed by the uber-talented Mark Menjivar. A darling room for a darling girl. We updated her bedroom suite with new paint, new wallpaper, new bedding and new furniture. Inspired by a teenager's desire to grow up, we mixed texture and color to form a sophisticated setting without sacrificing the fun.

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.

Photo by Jody Dole This was a fast-track design-build project which began design in July and ended construction before Christmas. The scope included additions and first and second floor renovations. The house is an early 1900’s gambrel style with painted wood shingle siding and mission style detailing. On the first and second floor we removed previously constructed awkward additions and extended the gambrel style roof to make room for a large kitchen on the first floor and a master bathroom and bedroom on the second floor. We also added two new dormers to match the existing dormers to bring light into the master shower and new bedroom. We refinished the wood floors, repainted all of the walls and trim, added new vintage style light fixtures, and created a new half and kid’s bath. We also added new millwork features to continue the existing level of detail and texture within the house. A wrap-around covered porch with a corner trellis was also added, which provides a perfect opportunity to enjoy the back-yard. A wonderful project!

Photo: Nanette Wong © 2014 Houzz
Bedroom - transitional carpeted bedroom idea in San Francisco with gray walls and no fireplace

Utility stairwell to an unfinished basement receives a freshening. Ceiling and walls whitened. Stair treads receive a neutral Taupe Porch and Floor coat of paint. Clean and fresh. Prep & Paint Toronto/GTA – Responsive, reliable. High quality residential painter.

Inspiration for a 1950s l-shaped concrete floor kitchen remodel in San Diego with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets and an island

The tile in the kids' bath is all new, designed to look original to the 1936 home. The tile is from B&W Tile in Los Angeles.
Bathroom - mid-sized victorian black and white tile and ceramic tile ceramic tile and black floor bathroom idea in Los Angeles with a two-piece toilet, white walls and a pedestal sink

Inspiration for a rustic brown tile and slate tile bathroom remodel in Sacramento with a vessel sink and beige walls

Inspiration for a transitional dark wood floor and brown floor living room remodel in Dallas with gray walls and a standard fireplace

Living room - coastal living room idea in Miami with white walls and a standard fireplace

Dan Murdock
Example of a transitional family room design in New York with gray walls

Matt Burdi
Example of a small trendy white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile bathroom design in New York with a drop-in sink, recessed-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, solid surface countertops, a one-piece toilet and gray walls

Robert Benson For Charles Hilton Architects From grand estates, to exquisite country homes, to whole house renovations, the quality and attention to detail of a "Significant Homes" custom home is immediately apparent. Full time on-site supervision, a dedicated office staff and hand picked professional craftsmen are the team that take you from groundbreaking to occupancy. Every "Significant Homes" project represents 45 years of luxury homebuilding experience, and a commitment to quality widely recognized by architects, the press and, most of all....thoroughly satisfied homeowners. Our projects have been published in Architectural Digest 6 times along with many other publications and books. Though the lion share of our work has been in Fairfield and Westchester counties, we have built homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Maine, Nantucket and Long Island.

Example of a large country detached studio / workshop shed design in New York

http://www.jenniferkeslerphotography.com
Cottage kitchen photo in Atlanta with a farmhouse sink, recessed-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash and white appliances

Bathroom photo in Los Angeles

Inspiration for a transitional single front door remodel in Minneapolis with beige walls and a glass front door

This picture is of a built in buffet storage cabinet, known as a butler's pantry back in the days when this home was built. It serves as a great place to store the batteries, flashlights, tape, ruler etc. and always know where they are.

12 x 24 white and gray tile with veining in matte finish. Gold hardware and gold plumbing fixtures. Shagreen gray cabinet.
Example of a mid-sized transitional master white tile and porcelain tile porcelain tile, white floor and double-sink drop-in bathtub design in Charlotte with gray cabinets, gray walls, an undermount sink, quartz countertops, white countertops, a freestanding vanity and flat-panel cabinets