Houzz Tour: Boston Row House Updated for Modern Family Life
Architects preserve the best historic details while adapting the home for energy efficiency and casual living
Becky Harris
5 januari 2019
Photos by Eric Roth
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their 10-year-old son
Location: Boston’s historic South End neighborhood
Size: Three bedrooms, two full bathrooms plus two half baths
Architects: Stephanie Horowitz and John Mucciarone of ZeroEnergy Design
This couple and their 10-year-old son loved the walkability and historic charm of Boston’s South End. They searched for years to find the right home to suit their family’s lifestyle and desire to live within a light carbon footprint. This Victorian-era row house still had many of its wonderful historic architectural details intact. Architect Stephanie Horowitz assured the couple the home could be updated to accommodate their casual lifestyle and be energy-efficient.
“My clients are drawn to a modern aesthetic but they also wanted to embrace the beautiful historic aspects of this home,” she says. “In evaluating what to preserve and what to replace, we looked at what could be rehabilitated and what had reached the end of its useful life. The elements of beauty were preserved and juxtaposed with more modern elements.”
Find a local architect on Houzz
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their 10-year-old son
Location: Boston’s historic South End neighborhood
Size: Three bedrooms, two full bathrooms plus two half baths
Architects: Stephanie Horowitz and John Mucciarone of ZeroEnergy Design
This couple and their 10-year-old son loved the walkability and historic charm of Boston’s South End. They searched for years to find the right home to suit their family’s lifestyle and desire to live within a light carbon footprint. This Victorian-era row house still had many of its wonderful historic architectural details intact. Architect Stephanie Horowitz assured the couple the home could be updated to accommodate their casual lifestyle and be energy-efficient.
“My clients are drawn to a modern aesthetic but they also wanted to embrace the beautiful historic aspects of this home,” she says. “In evaluating what to preserve and what to replace, we looked at what could be rehabilitated and what had reached the end of its useful life. The elements of beauty were preserved and juxtaposed with more modern elements.”
Find a local architect on Houzz
Grand Main-Floor Architecture
The five-story home’s main level, pictured here, is one floor above street level and is reached by climbing the exterior stairs seen in the previous photo. Above the main floor is the second floor, which contains the master suite, and the third floor, which is the son’s zone. A rental apartment is located on the garden level below the street.
Though the family needed a hardworking landing zone, no one wanted to alter the original architecture of the main level’s front entry and hallway to accommodate it. Instead, they placed a family-friendly mudroom and powder room off the street-level entrance below the outside stairs.
The five-story home’s main level, pictured here, is one floor above street level and is reached by climbing the exterior stairs seen in the previous photo. Above the main floor is the second floor, which contains the master suite, and the third floor, which is the son’s zone. A rental apartment is located on the garden level below the street.
Though the family needed a hardworking landing zone, no one wanted to alter the original architecture of the main level’s front entry and hallway to accommodate it. Instead, they placed a family-friendly mudroom and powder room off the street-level entrance below the outside stairs.
Before: The original parlor shows off the home’s classic bones and architectural details. The home has beautifully proportioned rooms with high ceilings, mahogany doors and window casings, marble fireplace surrounds, extensive millwork and plaster medallions on the ceilings. Unfortunately, some of the home’s features hadn’t weathered the years that well. These included the original pumpkin pine floors, which were in bad shape.
After: Horowitz retained the room’s architectural details while replacing the damaged floors with a lighter, more contemporary oak. “We chose the oak because it’s a beautiful wood that paired well with the mahogany,” she says.
Insulation was added inside the walls to make the home more energy-efficient and to muffle street noise. They also removed the security bars from the windows and replaced the existing windows with higher-performing double-pane historic replicas. Interior storm windows will be added to the front windows as a third pane.
The ceiling now has a matte monochromatic finish that shows off the ornamentation without being overpowering. The large sectional and swivel chair make this room a comfortable hangout space in the contemporary style the family likes. Also worth noting is the absence of a TV in here. This is a place for catching up, entertaining and reading.
Browse modern sectional sofas in the Houzz Shop
Insulation was added inside the walls to make the home more energy-efficient and to muffle street noise. They also removed the security bars from the windows and replaced the existing windows with higher-performing double-pane historic replicas. Interior storm windows will be added to the front windows as a third pane.
The ceiling now has a matte monochromatic finish that shows off the ornamentation without being overpowering. The large sectional and swivel chair make this room a comfortable hangout space in the contemporary style the family likes. Also worth noting is the absence of a TV in here. This is a place for catching up, entertaining and reading.
Browse modern sectional sofas in the Houzz Shop
This view looks back toward the newly renovated kitchen. “So often parlors are rarely used spaces,” Horowitz says. “But now this room is inviting and family-friendly, and they use it all the time.”
Before: Tough decisions had to be made regarding the kitchen, which wasn’t set up well for a family. While there was a lot of space in the room, much of it was wasted. The bay seen here has French doors that lead out to the deck. Placing furniture in front of the doors would block access to the outside.
Family Friendliness in the Kitchen
Now the kitchen spans the back of the house on the main floor. To create a layout that worked for the family, the team straightened out the bay and installed an energy-efficient glass door and windows.
Straightening out the bay created space for a 12-foot-long island that incorporates a lower kitchen table. The new table is mahogany — a reference to the original window and door trim preserved throughout the house. The island’s quartz countertop has a waterfall edge on the table side. Continuing the countertop down the side of the island creates a clean transition from the higher work portion to the table portion.
The cabinetry throughout the kitchen is a light beechwood and the backsplash is back-painted glass.
Find a local cabinet pro on Houzz
Now the kitchen spans the back of the house on the main floor. To create a layout that worked for the family, the team straightened out the bay and installed an energy-efficient glass door and windows.
Straightening out the bay created space for a 12-foot-long island that incorporates a lower kitchen table. The new table is mahogany — a reference to the original window and door trim preserved throughout the house. The island’s quartz countertop has a waterfall edge on the table side. Continuing the countertop down the side of the island creates a clean transition from the higher work portion to the table portion.
The cabinetry throughout the kitchen is a light beechwood and the backsplash is back-painted glass.
Find a local cabinet pro on Houzz
Extensive cabinets along this wall provide scads of storage and form a cozy eating alcove that enjoys the natural light from the windows and door. This gives the family another option for hanging out together, whether the son is doing homework while a parent cooks or they’re enjoying a coffee-shop feel on weekend mornings. The alcove’s table features the same quartz as the countertops.
The deck off the kitchen serves as an alfresco eating area.
Before: This shot of the back of the house shows the original deck and exterior. The windows beneath the deck mark the street level, and the garden level is below that. The scope of the project included renovating the garden studio apartment and extending that rental space up to the street level.
The renovation split the street level space between the family and the rental unit. This transformed the studio rental into a two-story, two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment.
The renovation split the street level space between the family and the rental unit. This transformed the studio rental into a two-story, two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment.
After: The back facade is now covered in an exterior insulation and finish system. The system combines a finish — in this case, one with a stucco look — with a layer of exterior insulation. This was an important part of the deep energy retrofit. High-performance triple-pane windows were also installed.
Other energy-efficient elements of the renovation include:
Other energy-efficient elements of the renovation include:
- An HVAC system featuring continuous fresh-air ventilation and an efficient all-electric heating and cooling system so the house can be disconnected from natural gas
- LED lighting and energy-efficient appliances
- Charging stations for electric cars. Because of the neighborhood’s high Walk Score (96), Transit Score (94) and Bike Score (90), the homeowners don’t need to use a car often, but when they do, they drive an electric car. The tenant has an electric car as well.
- Preparation for photovoltaic roof panels in the future. Right now the neighborhood’s infrastructure can’t accommodate them, but when it does, they will bring the family’s energy usage down to or close to zero net energy. This means the home will consume only as much energy as it produces by renewable methods.
Convenience at Street Level
The family’s main entrance is at street level, tucked underneath the grand exterior staircase seen in the first photo. Horowitz reconfigured this floor to be shared between the family and the renter. It includes a shared vestibule with separate entrances to the rental unit and the main house. The family’s portion of this floor includes a new mudroom and powder room.
The family’s main entrance is at street level, tucked underneath the grand exterior staircase seen in the first photo. Horowitz reconfigured this floor to be shared between the family and the renter. It includes a shared vestibule with separate entrances to the rental unit and the main house. The family’s portion of this floor includes a new mudroom and powder room.
The new entry space gives everyone a smart landing zone. “We designed this space based on their daily routines,” Horowitz says. Family members enter the house, hang up their coats and swap out their shoes for slippers. The closet has a built-in bench, a coat rack, a shoe rack and hooks for bags and scarves. The shoe rack has recessed LED lighting directly above it. There’s also a designated area for bike storage on this level.
Browse shoe racks in the Houzz Shop
Browse shoe racks in the Houzz Shop
Second-Floor Master Suite
The beauty of the stairs continues to the upper floors. This second-floor level contains the master bedroom and bath and the couple’s shared office.
The beauty of the stairs continues to the upper floors. This second-floor level contains the master bedroom and bath and the couple’s shared office.
The master bedroom is at the back of the house. It has new high-performance tilt-turn windows and new oak floors.
The master bathroom is bright and clean, with a pop of playful blue tile running down the inside of the shower like a minimalist waterfall.
A floating vanity saves space while providing lots of storage, as do three mirrored medicine cabinets. The walnut adds warm contrast to all the white.
Shop for modern and contemporary floating vanities
Shop for modern and contemporary floating vanities
Third-Floor Kid Zone
The son has his bedroom as well as this homework area on the third floor. The stacked frosted glass doors can close off the large opening between the playroom and a workstation.
The son has his bedroom as well as this homework area on the third floor. The stacked frosted glass doors can close off the large opening between the playroom and a workstation.
The home doesn’t have a yard, but the South End neighborhood was planned around 11 parks. When the son can’t get to those, this playroom gives him a place to be active and practice his American Ninja Warrior skills, whether swinging from rope to rope or climbing the wall. And there’s a TV for him to watch his favorite contestants do the same.
Takeaways
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Takeaways
- You can adapt a historic home to suit a contemporary style and include modern, energy-efficient technology without sacrificing architectural details.
- Look for ways to blend old and new. This home’s contemporary mahogany kitchen table nods to the original architecture.
- Concentrate kitchen cabinets on an interior wall to make room for windows.
- Check walk, transit and bike scores before choosing a neighborhood.
- Plan how you’re going to “land” in your house. Clothing and accessories you remove can quickly create a mess, so create a landing zone accordingly.
- Adding lighting over a shoe rack is a good way to avoid wearing one navy and one black shoe to work.
- The sliding glass doors seen here are a smart idea. Consider frosted glass to share light without sacrificing privacy between spaces.
More on Houzz
Tour other energy-efficient homes
Find a local pro to help with your home project
Shop for home products
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@chai4, good observation on the lack of lamps. This home has the look of a place where the remodeling has just finished and it is staged for photographs. It does not look, to me, like a home where the family has fully moved in. So maybe lamps, accessories and the smaller practical bits are still to come.
Beautiful, but it was also beautiful before the reno.
The grand main floor architecture is amazing! The third-floor kid's room is one of the best I have seen, I love it!