The expansive Living Room features a floating wood fireplace hearth and adjacent wood shelves. The linear electric fireplace keeps the wall mounted tv above at a comfortable viewing height. Generous windows fill the 14 foot high roof with ample daylight.

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

セントルイスにある広いラスティックスタイルのおしゃれなLDK (茶色い壁、濃色無垢フローリング、標準型暖炉、石材の暖炉まわり、テレビなし、茶色い床) の写真

ダラスにある高級な広いビーチスタイルのおしゃれなリビング (濃色無垢フローリング、白い壁、標準型暖炉、木材の暖炉まわり、内蔵型テレビ、茶色い床) の写真

Michelle Drewes
サンフランシスコにある中くらいなトランジショナルスタイルのおしゃれなLDK (グレーの壁、濃色無垢フローリング、横長型暖炉、タイルの暖炉まわり、茶色い床、壁掛け型テレビ、グレーの天井、グレーとブラウン) の写真

シカゴにある高級な中くらいなラスティックスタイルのおしゃれなリビング (ベージュの壁、無垢フローリング、標準型暖炉、漆喰の暖炉まわり、茶色い床) の写真

Woodie Williams
アトランタにある広いトランジショナルスタイルのおしゃれなリビング (グレーの壁、標準型暖炉、テレビなし、濃色無垢フローリング、金属の暖炉まわり、茶色い床、グレーとクリーム色) の写真

Martha O'Hara Interiors, Interior Design & Photo Styling | Troy Thies, Photography | MDS Remodeling, Home Remodel | Please Note: All “related,” “similar,” and “sponsored” products tagged or listed by Houzz are not actual products pictured. They have not been approved by Martha O’Hara Interiors nor any of the professionals credited. For info about our work: design@oharainteriors.com

Builder: Ellen Grasso and Sons LLC
ダラスにある高級な広いトランジショナルスタイルのおしゃれなリビング (ベージュの壁、濃色無垢フローリング、標準型暖炉、石材の暖炉まわり、壁掛け型テレビ、茶色い床) の写真

Tricia Shay Photography
ミルウォーキーにある中くらいなコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなリビング (金属の暖炉まわり、白い壁、濃色無垢フローリング、横長型暖炉、壁掛け型テレビ、茶色い床) の写真

Photography by Michael J. Lee
ボストンにあるラグジュアリーな広いトランジショナルスタイルのおしゃれなリビング (ベージュの壁、横長型暖炉、無垢フローリング、石材の暖炉まわり、テレビなし、茶色い床、折り上げ天井、グレーとクリーム色) の写真

The Great Room features a ridge skylight that allows for ample natural light to fall into the comfortable space.
他の地域にある高級な広いラスティックスタイルのおしゃれなLDK (無垢フローリング、茶色い床) の写真

This elegant Great Room celing is a T&G material that was custom stained, with wood beams to match. The custom made fireplace is surrounded by Full Bed Limestone. The hardwood Floors are imported from Europe

ミネアポリスにある広いコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれなリビング (白い壁、淡色無垢フローリング、横長型暖炉、テレビなし、茶色い床、木材の暖炉まわり) の写真

The renovation of this town home included expansion of this sitting room to encompass an existing patio space. The overhang of the roof over this patio made for a dark space initially. In the renovation, sliding glass doors and a stone patio were added to open up the views, increase natural light, and expand the floor space in this area of the home, adjacent to the Living Room and fireplace.

グランドラピッズにあるお手頃価格の中くらいなカントリー風のおしゃれなLDK (ベージュの壁、標準型暖炉、埋込式メディアウォール、茶色い床、ラミネートの床、石材の暖炉まわり) の写真

This contemporary transitional great family living room has a cozy lived-in look, but still looks crisp with fine custom made contemporary furniture made of kiln-dried Alder wood from sustainably harvested forests and hard solid maple wood with premium finishes and upholstery treatments. Stone textured fireplace wall makes a bold sleek statement in the space.

サンフランシスコにある中くらいなエクレクティックスタイルのおしゃれな独立型リビング (ベージュの壁、無垢フローリング、茶色い床、ペルシャ絨毯) の写真

ヒューストンにある中くらいなモダンスタイルのおしゃれなリビング (茶色い壁、無垢フローリング、両方向型暖炉、金属の暖炉まわり、茶色い床) の写真