BDG23 PRELUDE Fall 2019
BDG | Boston Design Guide Edition 2019 is your Luxury Home Resource Guide for products, services and design inspiration for the fine home.
BDG | Boston Design Guide Edition 2019 is your Luxury Home Resource Guide for products, services and design inspiration for the fine home.
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<strong>Fall</strong><br />
TOWN &<br />
COUNTRY<br />
with Michael Carter<br />
A first look at One Dalton and<br />
the designer’s own rustic lodge<br />
A publication of Boston Design Guide
What you can’t see in an ad...
An ad does not show you the process we undergo with our clients<br />
when building their dream home, from the beginning of planning to the very<br />
last decision. It doesn’t show the quality of craftsmanship behind the surface<br />
that stands up to real life. It doesn’t show the lives that are lived in the homes<br />
we build, nor the relationships formed in that process. It doesn’t show our<br />
company’s owners at the jobsite daily until the job is done. Most importantly,<br />
it doesn’t show our lifetime commitment to you, your family, and your home.<br />
We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and discuss your project.<br />
- Ken & Sam Soderholm<br />
508-650-9880 . soderholmbuilders.com<br />
South Natick, Massachusetts
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OVER THE BRIDGE<br />
JW Construction, Inc.<br />
Announces New Cape & Islands Division<br />
JW Construction, Inc., one of Boston’s premier builders,<br />
has just celebrated the grand opening of its Cape & Islands<br />
Division. The general contractor, which was named to Inc.<br />
5000’s list of the most successful companies in America, has<br />
recently completed renovation on its new historical property<br />
at 66 School Street in Hyannis, a stone’s throw from the<br />
Steamship Authority.<br />
This second facility has everything needed to service and<br />
satisfy the growing construction demands of the Cape and<br />
Islands. Homeowners who have used JW Construction in the<br />
MetroWest area and have grown to trust the builder, have<br />
long been requesting services for their second homes. The<br />
Cape & Islands Division, which specializes in custom new<br />
construction, additions, renovations, historic preservation<br />
and in-house millwork, answers that wish with a full-time<br />
office and dedicated team.<br />
“We are thrilled for this opportunity to build new<br />
relationships and create a second home on the Cape,”<br />
says JWC founder and president Jon Wardwell. “We have<br />
one rule, always delight. And it’s our promise to deliver<br />
a pleasant experience for every client as we guide them<br />
through the homebuilding journey.” For more information<br />
on JW Construction, visit jwconstructioninc.com.<br />
bostondesignguide.com 5
The Sky’s<br />
the Limit!<br />
For years, driving on the Mass Pike on the way in<br />
to Boston, we’d see cranes stretching up to the<br />
sky by the Christian Science Plaza and Prudential<br />
Building; they had become part of the skyline. While<br />
not exactly picturesque, those cranes held promise<br />
and symbolized that an exciting moment in Boston<br />
construction and a change to the city’s architectural<br />
fabric was under way.<br />
Now, when you drive in, those cranes are no longer<br />
there (they’ve moved on to another part of the city),<br />
but a new icon is: One Dalton, The Four Seasons<br />
Hotel and Private Residences. This landmark<br />
building, located in the heart of Back Bay and<br />
designed by renowned architect Henry N. Cobb, is<br />
the third tallest in Boston, but may well be tops for<br />
its sophistication and cutting-edge cylindrical form.<br />
After all of those years of admiring this structure<br />
from the outside, I was invited in to One Dalton for<br />
a private party celebrating the extraordinary work<br />
of interior design firm Carter & Company and the<br />
other tradespeople who crafted the incredible unit<br />
that graces our cover for one of One Dalton’s newest<br />
residents (see our Town & Country feature on page<br />
13). It was a privilege to meet the gracious and<br />
down-to-earth couple who call One Dalton home,<br />
raise a glass in that richly appointed setting and, of<br />
course, take in those stunning views from the inside.<br />
That evening I felt incredibly grateful, as I do every<br />
time a homeowner or business opens their doors to<br />
the staff here at BDG and <strong>PRELUDE</strong>, to allow us to<br />
share exceptional projects with our readers.<br />
It is in this spirit that we bring you a wealth of<br />
settings and stories that you, too, can inhabit on the<br />
following pages. And, to really feel like you are there,<br />
check out Boston Design Guide’s YouTube channel,<br />
which features videos on projects in a variety of<br />
forms and phases. There you’ll find a recent video<br />
with Michael Carter set at his own New Hampshire<br />
lodge, again for our Town & Country feature, that<br />
transports you to his horse-and-buggy era retreat<br />
and beautiful grounds. Enjoy!<br />
Warmest regards,<br />
Melanie Perillo, Publisher<br />
@BostonDesignGuide<br />
@BostonDesignGuide<br />
@BostonDesignMag<br />
PUBLISHER<br />
Melanie Perillo<br />
EDITOR<br />
Sandy Giardi<br />
DESIGN DIRECTOR<br />
Rob Silsby<br />
DIGITAL DIRECTOR<br />
Kathleen Parente<br />
SALES/DISTRIBUTION MANAGER<br />
Ian Kaplan<br />
MARKETING SALES DIRECTOR<br />
Daniel Kaplan<br />
ACCOUNT MANAGERS<br />
Ellie Benson<br />
Colleen Keelan<br />
Maureen Lampert<br />
ACCOUNTING/ADMINISTRATIVE<br />
Darlene Neufell<br />
CONTRIBUTING WRITER<br />
Edie Ravenelle<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
Warren Patterson<br />
Roger Pelissier<br />
Greg Premru<br />
Keitaro Yoshioka<br />
www.bostondesignguide.com<br />
BDG <strong>PRELUDE</strong> - <strong>Fall</strong> Edition, <strong>2019</strong>, prints seasonally (spring, fall and winter)<br />
and is published by Boston Design Guide, Inc. 365 Boston Post Road, Box 373,<br />
Sudbury, MA 01776. Boston Design Guide (“BDG”) provides information on<br />
luxury homes and lifestyles. Boston Design Guide, its affiliates, employees,<br />
contributors, writers, editors, (Publisher) accepts no responsibility for<br />
inaccuracies, errors or omissions with information and/or advertisements<br />
contained herein. The publisher has neither investigated nor endorsed the<br />
companies and/or products that advertise within the publication or that are<br />
mentioned editorially. Publisher assumes no responsibility for the claims<br />
made by the Advertisers or the merits of their respective products or services<br />
advertised or mentioned editorially herein, and neither expressly nor<br />
implicitly endorses such Advertiser products, services or claims. Publisher<br />
expressly assumes no liability for any damages whatsoever that may be<br />
suffered by any purchaser or user for any products or services advertised or<br />
mentioned editorially herein and strongly recommends that any purchaser<br />
or user investigate such products, services, methods and/or claims made<br />
thereto. Opinions expressed in the magazine and/or its advertisements do<br />
not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Publisher. Neither the Publisher<br />
nor its staff, associates or affiliates are responsible for any errors, omissions<br />
or information whatsoever that have been misrepresented to Publisher. The<br />
information on products and services as advertised in BDG <strong>PRELUDE</strong> are<br />
shown by Publisher on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Publisher makes<br />
no representations or warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, as to the<br />
information, services, contents, trademarks, patents, materials or products<br />
included in this magazine. All pictures reproduced in BDG <strong>PRELUDE</strong><br />
have been accepted by Publisher on the condition that such pictures are<br />
reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the photographer and<br />
any homeowner concerned. As such, Publisher is not responsible for any<br />
infringement of the copyright or otherwise arising out of any publication<br />
in BDG <strong>PRELUDE</strong>. BDG <strong>PRELUDE</strong> is a pending licensed trademark of<br />
Boston Design Guide, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication<br />
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Boston Design Guide, 365 Boston Post Road, Box 373, Sudbury, MA 01776.<br />
Email: Info@BostonDesignGuide.com or telephone 978-443-9886.<br />
6<br />
bostondesignguide.com
BEFORE<br />
Daylight is powerful. It redesigns the look and feel of our home<br />
every hour of the day. It balances our Circadian rhythm, improves<br />
our general health and well-being, decreases our dependency on<br />
electricity, and gives functionality back to our space. We often ask,<br />
“Why skylights,” but with endless reasons why you should install a<br />
skylight the question becomes more, “Why not skylights?”<br />
For more information, explore the complete Velux line of Skylights,<br />
Roof Windows and Light Tunnels at www.veluxusa.com or contact<br />
your local authorized dealer:<br />
800-598-5400 | 800-9-HARVEY | www.harveybp.com<br />
Find a contractor to install your Velux skylight at<br />
www.harveybp.com/prozone
CONTENTS<br />
13 Town & Country<br />
Inside a soaring new home at One Dalton, designed<br />
by Carter & Company, and its antithesis: a rustic<br />
New Hampshire Lodge where time stands still.<br />
26 Rustic Elegance<br />
Premier builders and landscape pros give rugged<br />
design elements a heightened sophistication.<br />
28 Wish Fulfillment<br />
A family is granted the home of their dreams, and<br />
makes it their own with a masterful renovation.<br />
40 Publisher’s Picks: Entertaining<br />
Top-shelf wet bars and media spaces, cocktail-ready<br />
bar carts, and a world-class kitchen on wheels.<br />
28<br />
45 Designer Digs<br />
Landscape architect Matthew Cunningham takes<br />
us into the woods to see his backyard retreat.<br />
49 Supporting Cast<br />
The unsung tradespeople (artists, really) behind<br />
extraordinary builds get some well-deserved<br />
minutes of fame.<br />
57 Tech Talk: Get Smart<br />
Systems Design & Integration unveils its New<br />
Experience Showroom.<br />
59 Tech Talk: Safe and Sound<br />
Sounds Good’s Dave Noland talks Control4<br />
security: mockupancy, cameras, smart locks & more.<br />
43 13<br />
49<br />
60 First Impressions<br />
Projects with instant appeal: grand entrances,<br />
glowing landscapes and homes with a striking<br />
street presence.<br />
64 Soapbox<br />
Thoughtforms President Mark Doughty talks<br />
Construction, Climate & the Possibility of a Future.<br />
45<br />
Cover: Michael Carter of Carter & Company<br />
Photography by Warren Patterson<br />
8<br />
bostondesignguide.com
Yes<br />
Inspires the power of possibility.<br />
“Yes” is a philosophy. It’s the promise of something<br />
extraordinary and unique. From elaborate holidays to<br />
ordinary Tuesdays, we embolden your ideas with the<br />
power of possibility. Because we believe that when<br />
you start with “yes” anything is possible.<br />
Vision Accomplished.<br />
www.fhperry.com<br />
508.231.5085<br />
Established 1977
Clear Advantage<br />
Western<br />
Window Systems’<br />
Series 7000 Performance<br />
Line harnesses the power<br />
of aluminum<br />
Lovers of contemporary home design, an architectural<br />
style quickly gaining traction here in the Northeast,<br />
should consider inviting aluminum doors and<br />
windows into the home. The versatile metal is an<br />
optimal choice for the boundary-defying glass<br />
expanses with minimal sightlines that have become<br />
a mainstay of ultramodern architecture. Aluminum’s<br />
clean-lined good looks are a natural for today’s<br />
cutting-edge designs, and completely customizable<br />
for both size and style, with finishes available in a<br />
variety of textures and colors.<br />
Aluminum’s beauty is matched by its brawn; due to its<br />
inherent strength (which can be bolstered with steel if<br />
additional strength is needed), it is a powerful and durable<br />
choice for windows and doors. This durability also makes<br />
it a practical choice, as it saves homeowners maintenance<br />
costs over the long term. Looking for energy efficiency?<br />
Aluminum can be configured to meet the strictest<br />
of energy codes, and when thermally broken with an<br />
insulating strip in the frame, aluminum windows and doors<br />
can prevent conductive thermal energy loss.<br />
Western Window Systems, the luxury window and door<br />
innovator out of Phoenix, Arizona, harnesses the many<br />
merits of aluminum with its Series 7000 Performance Line,<br />
and further enhances its benefits with state-of-the-art<br />
technology and designs. This revolutionary and decidedly<br />
picturesque product family of moving glass walls, windows<br />
and specialty doors beautifully blurs the lines between<br />
indoors and out. To learn more about Western Window<br />
Systems’ products, visit westernwindowsystems.com.<br />
10<br />
bostondesignguide.com
Interior Designer: Bill Lewis; Photographer: Warren Patterson<br />
A developer, who had converted a South End church into high-end city residences, was<br />
vexed at how to configure the second floor of a penthouse suite blessed with sloping roofs<br />
and a great octagonal drum. A vast space with 20-foot-high ceilings, arcing custom windows<br />
and 360-degree skyline views is a rare gift in Boston, but how do you make it a home? You<br />
hire Ruhl Studio Architects and Kistler & Knapp Builders and “bring it down to a human<br />
scale,” says Project Manager/Vice President Reihl Mahoney of Kistler & Knapp Builders.<br />
Architectural elements—like a Zebrano and bronze mesh room divider and a suspended<br />
ceiling of wood frame and perforated metal infill—partition the living areas and “make each<br />
individual space unique and feel appropriate in size,” says Mahoney. The design, finish and<br />
craftsmanship demanded for the project is of the highest caliber. “It was a challenge for<br />
sure,” says Mahoney, “but it’s consistent with what we do every day.”<br />
Visit kistlerandknapp.com to learn more about the builder.<br />
bostondesignguide.com 11
Photography: Michael Partenio
&<br />
A dynamic unit in One Dalton, Boston’s<br />
chicest new address, and its antithesis—<br />
a New Hampshire lodge where time stands<br />
still—reveal the artistic range and talent of<br />
interior designer Michael Carter.<br />
Town<br />
Country<br />
bostondesignguide.com 13
“What makes<br />
The Lodge so<br />
special is that it<br />
encapsulates a<br />
time and place<br />
gone by.”<br />
Carter’s New Hampshire living space is rife with things that<br />
speak to his past and bring him joy—from heirloom antiques to<br />
his collections of vintage rolling pins and yellowware (Carter’s<br />
ardor predates Martha Stewart’s). Right: The staff at Carter<br />
& Company raise a glass to one another and enjoy a leisurely<br />
luncheon in The Lodge.<br />
14<br />
bostondesignguide.com
At Carter & Company, “our job is to create environment,” says Principal Michael Carter<br />
slowly, in his honeyed North Carolina drawl. It goes beyond imagining beautiful spaces<br />
with pretty things. It’s more about conjuring a feeling and a palpable sense of place.<br />
Whether recreating a turn-of-the-century, “horse and<br />
buggy” era camp on a picturesque mountaintop in New<br />
Hampshire for himself and his husband, David Rousseau,<br />
or injecting character within the sparkling, sculptural allglass<br />
canvas that is One Dalton, Carter’s designs, above all<br />
things, are meant to resonate with the client. It is for this<br />
reason that Carter and his team can operate—and soar—<br />
in two very different universes, conceiving meaningful,<br />
soulful living spaces for settings that fall on opposite ends<br />
of the interior design spectrum.<br />
“No one will ever accuse Carter & Company of being a<br />
one-trick pony,” he says with a certain sense of pride. And<br />
though the interior designer’s roots are grounded in the<br />
traditional, Carter & Company’s aesthetic is fluid, receptive<br />
and ultimately a reflection of the client. Carter takes cues<br />
from personal interests and life stories, and “edits and<br />
interprets” the client’s opportunity for expression.<br />
The Lodge, Carter’s country escape that he has lovingly<br />
restored since purchasing it in 2001, mirrors facets of his<br />
own makeup—his passion for preservation and history,<br />
and for antiques—a trait he inherited from a favorite aunt.<br />
When he was first introduced to the “wreck of a property,”<br />
a cluster of lakeside buildings comprising an old summer<br />
camp and former “party house” high on a hilltop and<br />
far from the prying eyes of the Prohibition, and, later, a<br />
summer camp, he was enchanted by its log walls and<br />
bostondesignguide.com 15
“In many ways,<br />
this property is<br />
about leaving things<br />
alone that should be<br />
allowed to be old<br />
and have patina.”<br />
From horse-drawn carriage rides to taking a moment of pause—<br />
and a breath—on the porch, there is a slower pace to life at The<br />
Lodge. Right: In the main room, Carter “didn’t touch a thing,” he<br />
says, due to the planed fir logs (many with the bark still on), and<br />
the extraordinary hearth. As he moved beyond that space, there<br />
was a lot of artistic freedom.<br />
16<br />
bostondesignguide.com
eams, ironwork and stone fireplace. Says Carter, “I feel<br />
like this property has soul.” So, after pouring his time and<br />
talent into a series of renovations, including reorienting<br />
the house to frame water views, and creating a two-story<br />
drop in the heart of the home, The Lodge has become the<br />
place where he and Rousseau, their dogs, horses, friends<br />
and family can disconnect, recharge and entertain.<br />
“What makes this house so special is that it encapsulates a<br />
time and place gone by,” he offers. For a few years it had<br />
no indoor plumbing, and it still has no TV (“we’ve never<br />
missed it,” says Carter) or cell-phone service. What it does<br />
have is an “intangible,” muses Carter; a hard-to-pin-down<br />
air “that, once you’re there, you can sense and smell.”<br />
How, then, did he go about selecting very real items—<br />
furnishings, finishes, art, accessories—that further this<br />
mystique? “You use the edit button,” answers Carter, to<br />
accentuate the wood, stone and ironwork that give the<br />
structure its charm, and fill the home with one-of-a-kind<br />
pieces with meaning—antiques passed down by his aunt,<br />
furnishings his uncle crafted by hand, items repurposed<br />
from the general stores of yesteryear, finds from the<br />
Brimfield Fair. “Items that have a certain soul,” says Carter,<br />
to say nothing of ingenuity. The designer had great fun<br />
“using interesting things in an atypical way.” In the kitchen,<br />
an old-fashioned meat scale, weighed down by sacks of<br />
flour, finds new life as a chandelier, while an old piano leg<br />
turned upside down becomes a lamp for the living room.<br />
The grounds beyond The Lodge’s rustic walls are as<br />
essential to the spirit of the home as its interiors. As<br />
much as the setting is “back to basics,” it is also “back<br />
to nature,” shares Carter. He and his guests enjoy<br />
vintage canoe rides, horse-drawn carriage rides and<br />
simple pleasures like sitting in one of the many rocking<br />
chairs on the oversized porch, sangria in hand. True to<br />
its provenance, in a way The Lodge is still a party house,<br />
laughs Carter. “It’s a ball,” he says, “made for celebrating,<br />
family reunions, gatherings and holidays.”<br />
bostondesignguide.com 17
The living room’s walnut fireplace wall, built by Saltsman Brenzel and finished by Wayne Towle Master<br />
Finishing & Restoration, contrasts with the subdued color palette. Phillip Jeffries wallcoverings, applied<br />
by Paul J. Beath, were used throughout the home for texture and to soften the space. The sense of<br />
serenity is a foil to the city’s vitality; “You really can connect to Boston at this level,” says Carter. Right: A<br />
breathtaking chandelier by Donghia and bespoke John Boone burled table wow in the front entry hall.<br />
Town &<br />
While The Lodge is about time gone by and savoring<br />
moments with friends and family, a unit at One Dalton,<br />
Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences, conceived<br />
by Carter & Company for empty nesters, is about daring<br />
greatly. “It is bold of them,” underscores Carter, his<br />
admiration for his clients clear. “This is definitely their big<br />
moment,” he says. “They have left suburbia to go literally<br />
up to the sky,” inhabiting an instantly iconic building,<br />
which, designed by famed architect Henry N. Cobb, is, in<br />
Carter’s estimation, the chicest in the city.<br />
“It is a serious fresh start,” Carter continues, and<br />
a renaissance that is centered on expression over<br />
functionality. The owners are bringing precious few<br />
possessions from their previous residence, which was<br />
traditional in nature; cutting their square footage<br />
considerably; and making a sleek and sinuous unit with<br />
spectacular views home. The new setting is triangular with<br />
rounded ends and walls of curving glass. “It’s like being in<br />
the nose of an airplane,” says Carter. “It is floor to ceiling<br />
glass all the way around.”<br />
How do you appoint such a leap of faith? If you’re Carter,<br />
you look to the architecture of the building itself, which<br />
is wildly inventive and features “modern and timeless<br />
bones,” and set out to fully understand the clients and<br />
what will resonate with them. As One Dalton is, in essence,<br />
“a three-sided piece of sculpture,” Carter expanded that<br />
concept indoors. “We thought of everything in this whole<br />
unit as an expression of sculpture,” he explains. With<br />
its art, sculpture, color and texture, “it’s like being in a<br />
personalized art gallery.”<br />
18<br />
bostondesignguide.com
Country<br />
This urban home is dripping with luxury<br />
and courage in equal measure.<br />
bostondesignguide.com 19
Carter & Company crafted a confection of a home office for<br />
the woman of the house, complete with lacquered painting<br />
by Stephen Barton Painting, a slender desk overlooking the<br />
city, meaningful accents and art, and custom soft furnishings<br />
appointed by Eliot Wright Workroom.<br />
Town & Country<br />
The modern art selections, chosen in collaboration with<br />
the clients’ daughter, who is an art entrepreneur and has<br />
the benefit of knowing the clients better than anyone<br />
else, give the unit much of the soul Carter was after. “The<br />
space is begging—I mean, it won’t even work—unless<br />
you have wonderful art in it,” says Carter, so the team<br />
animated the space with modern art from Boston galleries,<br />
such as Lanoue Gallery and Beacon Gallery, and included<br />
showstopping pieces like Jeremy Holms’ infinite wood<br />
ribbon installation in the living room and an exuberant<br />
turquoise abstract by Aja Johnson in the office above.<br />
For the lighting, finishes and furnishings, the homeowners<br />
joined Carter for a day in New York, scouring the wares of<br />
two design centers. A pair of bespoke semicircular sofas,<br />
a custom burled wood John Boone table, and a dazzling<br />
light fixture comprised of 90 glass dewdrops suspended by<br />
barely-there cables were among the selections. That day<br />
made a world of difference. Says Carter, “because you’re<br />
in this glass bubble, everything has to be special.”<br />
Overall, the home’s aesthetic has a sense of luxury that<br />
is derived from nature. Quartz sconces, rich woods and<br />
even geode accessories speak to the clients’ spiritual side<br />
and mindfulness. Though it would have been easy to go<br />
with the cool grays that are so pervasive at the moment,<br />
instead, the client embraced warmer tones, beautiful<br />
bisques, shimmering topaz hues, both smoky and blue,<br />
that coalesce into an inviting, zen-like cocoon. This is,<br />
after all, their space, their moment. So while The Lodge is<br />
intended to be a “simpler, non-digital escape” and a<br />
time capsule, “One Dalton is about embracing now as<br />
hard as you can,” says Carter. It’s not afraid of it. “It’s<br />
celebrating now.”<br />
Text: Sandy Giardi<br />
Photography: Warren Patterson<br />
20<br />
bostondesignguide.com
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Architecture and Construction... Simplified.<br />
Whether a client is near<br />
or far, PSD’s integrated<br />
process and technology<br />
ensures a stress-free<br />
experience.<br />
Photos by Brian Vanden Brink<br />
What happens when you hire an experienced<br />
and highly collaborative team of licensed<br />
architects and contractors, landscape architects,<br />
construction managers, cost estimators, and<br />
master craftspeople to design and build your dream<br />
home? You get a home that’s better than you imagined.<br />
As a full-service firm, with an integrated process,<br />
Polhemus Savery DaSilva (PSD) provides just that. From<br />
first meetings to discover your vision, aspirations and<br />
budget, to permitting, to detailed schematic designs<br />
and construction schedules, to turnkey delivery and<br />
ongoing property maintenance services, PSD keeps<br />
clients informed, engaged and excited at every step.<br />
“Our focus is completely on the process through the<br />
client’s perspective,” says PSD President and CEO<br />
Aaron Polhemus. “In 24 years of business, we’ve come to see how our fully integrated architecture and construction<br />
process—with all the necessary services—and our project management system keep us aligned with our clients so no time<br />
or energy is wasted, alleviating the frustration that can develop when designing and building a home.”<br />
Because PSD’s busy clients often reside in other parts of the country or world, they value the attention to detail and<br />
communication the firm delivers. Here’s what one recent client had to say: PSD took the time to understand us and how<br />
we live. Their process is so thorough that they really fleshed out a lot of things you don’t think of if you’ve never built a<br />
home before. We knew exactly where things stood during every point of the project. With their use of technology, I knew<br />
on a daily basis what was going to happen when. They started the project on the date set and it was done a day or two<br />
early in just over a year. To learn more about Polhemus Savery DaSilva, visit www.psdab.com.<br />
Written by Edie Ravenelle<br />
bostondesignguide.com 23
The MacDowell Company Landscape Architecture<br />
21 Center Street, Weston, Massachusetts - TheMacDowellCompany.com - 781.899.9393
WOMEN IN BUILDING<br />
Eleni Kaplan of E.K. Sanford Builders<br />
takes us inside her glorious, move-in<br />
ready home in Weston.<br />
Architecture: Silipo Architecture & Design; Photography: Keitaro Yoshioka<br />
Ever since BDG ran a “Successful Women in Building” feature two years ago and<br />
dubbed Eleni Kaplan of E.K. Sanford Builders one to watch, we’ve been tracking her<br />
career and progress in a highly competitive field. In just two years, she’s completed a<br />
spec home in Sudbury, a custom build in Sudbury, numerous bathroom and kitchen<br />
remodels, and her newest project—a sunny, stunning new construction in Weston<br />
that falls somewhere in between—a turnkey home with all of the custom, high-end<br />
features homeowners today are seeking.<br />
“It’s a beautiful house with a lot of details and curves everywhere,” says Eleni, laden<br />
with finishes that homeowners would have chosen themselves had they been in<br />
on the construction process. The home is graced with elements Eleni has admired<br />
over the years when working alongside her father Marc Kaplan of Sanford Custom<br />
Builders, as well as features sure to appeal to buyers—picture windows throughout,<br />
a tranquil master bath and a showcase kitchen with two islands and a secret pantry.<br />
As of press time, this home—Eleni’s latest masterpiece—is on the market. To learn<br />
more, email eleni@sanfordcustom.com or call 617-719-9273.<br />
bostondesignguide.com 25
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Elegance<br />
Rustic<br />
In the hands of premier builders and landscape<br />
professionals, rugged design elements take on a<br />
heightened sophistication.<br />
Mudroom with a tack-room feel... Part of an addition<br />
to a Carlisle farmhouse, this generous mudroom by<br />
Merz Construction abuts an existing antique barn. Rich<br />
yet utilitarian, the space certainly doesn’t come off as<br />
new construction; its salvaged barn board and slate floor<br />
are seamlessly integrated within the 200-year-old home.<br />
Builder: Merz Construction, merzconstruction.com;<br />
architecture: Dewing Schmid Kearns Architects +<br />
Planners; photo by Peter Vanderwarker.<br />
Meandering stone path… Comprised of salvaged<br />
New England fieldstone steppers and Goshen stone,<br />
and flanked by natural fieldstone walls, this resplendent<br />
walkway, designed by Gregory Lombardi Design, makes<br />
a gentle descent from the main home to a secondary<br />
residence and recreational building. Its plant palette uses<br />
a mix of native and ornamental plantings, including a variety<br />
of edible plants, and was tailored to the light and land<br />
conditions of its terrain. Landscape architecture: Gregory<br />
Lombardi Design, lombardidesign.com; landscape construction<br />
by R.P. Marzilli & Co., Inc.; photo by Susan Teare.<br />
Intimate family room and hearth… This granite hearth<br />
warms a transitional sitting room/family room in a Lexington<br />
home crafted by custom builder Brookes + Hill<br />
Custom Builders. Its hearty presence serves as a counterpoint<br />
to the space’s moss-green, clean-lined cabinetry,<br />
anchoring the environs and bringing a quiet sense of<br />
permanence. Builder: Brookes + Hill Custom Builders,<br />
brookesandhill.com; architecture: D. Michael Collins<br />
Architects; interior design: Beauchemin Grassi Interiors;<br />
photo by Michael J. Lee Photography.<br />
Hardy granite outdoor bar… Granite State landscape<br />
design/build company Pellettieri Associates, Inc. takes its<br />
cues from nature, and this monolithic stone bar with an<br />
embedded grill seems to have emerged from the ledge<br />
surrounding Lake Sunapee. As shown by this sturdy and<br />
stunning hardscape, Pellettieri Associates, Inc. relies heavily<br />
on native granite when sourcing its enduring, sustainable<br />
projects. Builder/designer: Pellettieri Associates, Inc.,<br />
www.pellettieriassoc.com.<br />
bostondesignguide.com 27
Architecture: Patrick Ahearn Architect<br />
Construction: Whitla Brothers Builders Inc.<br />
Landscape Architecture: Dana Schock &<br />
Associates<br />
Landscape Construction: R.P. Marzilli & Co., Inc.<br />
Interior Design: Hanlon-Wantuck Design<br />
Millwork: Horner Millwork and Carpenters Millwork<br />
Windows: Pella Windows and Doors<br />
Photography: Greg Premru<br />
Text: Sandy Giardi<br />
28<br />
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Wish Fulfillment<br />
When a dream becomes<br />
reality, a family makes a<br />
Wellesley home its own.<br />
A couple had long admired a gracious Georgian estate in Wellesley. They were taken<br />
with its streetside presence and imagined raising their family there. And though they<br />
weren’t looking to move, when they learned the home had been put on the market,<br />
they jumped at the chance to make the dream a reality. Suddenly talk of “if only”<br />
became a matter of “when,” and there was a new conversation—how to renovate<br />
the home to make it wholly their own.<br />
The exterior facade couldn’t change dramatically. This was, after all, the home they<br />
had fallen in love with, so they assembled a team that felt a responsibility to the<br />
1920s structure and to preserving its integrity. Patrick Ahearn Architect and Whitla<br />
Brothers Builders, Inc. were a natural choice. Architect Patrick Ahearn FAIA wrote<br />
the book on keeping the flavor of an era intact within his architecture, all the while<br />
delivering the needs of a modern lifestyle. As for builder Doug Whitla? He has a<br />
degree in preservation and would choose a renovation over a new build every time.<br />
bostondesignguide.com 29
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“The house is seamless. When you walk in,<br />
you have no idea that there was an<br />
addition. It flows and feels<br />
totally natural.” —Patrick Ahearn<br />
A redesigned foyer, “a special feature on<br />
the house,” says Doug Whitla, provides a<br />
sightline to the backyard garden, and includes<br />
a statement-making black marble fireplace<br />
and an heirloom grandfather clock. Horner<br />
Millwork crafted the parts for the staircase<br />
and provided all of the trim, including that of<br />
the ceilings.<br />
bostondesignguide.com 31
“The homeowner is upbeat and loves color, and<br />
I think that shows inside and out.” —Doug Whitla<br />
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While subtle, the alterations to the home’s approach were significant, and<br />
included a redetailed entry portico, a formalized motor court, new shutters and<br />
synthetic slate roofing. As you move to the rear of the house, the transformation<br />
is bolder, its bricked extension detailed with generous swaths of classic windows<br />
and doors stretching deep across the grounds. The team, in essence, “built an<br />
addition that was practically a second home” onto the original building and<br />
performed a “surgical gut renovation,” says Patrick Ahearn, that respected<br />
the hierarchy of the original home yet enhanced it with a new circulation<br />
and a greater connection to the outdoors. “The whole back of the house is<br />
reimagined,” he continues, and rife with custom windows and doors by Pella<br />
Boston that turn on the charm, usher in natural light and invite the grounds and<br />
gardens to come inside. The new construction includes a new library wing, a<br />
glass sunroom and a carriage house wing—all imbued with the character and<br />
theme of the original brick colonial.<br />
“Patrick shines at these renovations,” says Doug Whitla; his plans are derived<br />
“from what the home offers,” heavily detailed, and “scaled appropriately new<br />
and old.” From a construction standpoint, the work is painstaking. The brick has<br />
to match, rooflines and soffits need to be perfect, and thresholds and floor levels<br />
have to align. “It is harder to do a successful renovation than it is to build a big<br />
new house,” explains Whitla, but it’s rewarding.<br />
Inside the home, change was embraced straightaway, though it isn’t detected.<br />
Michael Tartamella AIA, Managing Principal of Patrick Ahearn Architect, shares<br />
that the team studied the original house and its earlier additions before<br />
reimagining and developing what the new spaces could become. The original<br />
entry is a case in point. During construction—even after the plumbing had<br />
been roughed—the client felt that the foyer was just too small. That concern<br />
was answered by opening up what had been a small library to redefine the<br />
spine of the home and create a grand yet intimate foyer. The entry isn’t larger<br />
than life and it doesn’t boast sky-high ceilings, but “you still have that sense of<br />
ceremony,” says Whitla. “You’re immediately drawn in,” and welcomed.<br />
The floral and mocha wallcovering in the butler’s pantry<br />
drove the design scheme of the dining room. The head<br />
chairs belonged to the client’s grandmother and were<br />
reupholstered in a green velvet fabric by Pindler and<br />
detailed with trim. The shining cobalt walls feature<br />
Fine Paint of Europe’s Hollandlac interior oil paint and<br />
required multiple coats and sanding to perfect.<br />
bostondesignguide.com 33
“We made a conscious effort to create a sense of transparency<br />
in the new and old parts of the home.” —Michael Tartamella<br />
34<br />
bostondesignguide.com
Pella Windows and Doors fill the modestly-scaled rooms with<br />
natural sunlight. In keeping with an antique house, Ahearn cased<br />
each opening from one space to the next, creating “an enfilade<br />
of spaces joined by a series of arched openings that really carry<br />
your eye through, yet still give a sense of individuality to the<br />
spaces,” says David Wantuck. Pella of Boston used the Architect<br />
Series product line and supplied custom exterior casings and sills<br />
to match the original details.<br />
That approachability is something interior designers David<br />
Wantuck and Jennifer Hanlon-MacQuarrie of Hanlon-<br />
Wantuck Design channeled throughout the home. As the<br />
family is young, active and likes to entertain, they didn’t<br />
want the home to feel standoffish. Its palette is fresh and<br />
vibrant, with notes of electric blue throughout the living<br />
spaces and bursts of raspberry as an accent hue. “Those<br />
pops of color make it feel happy,” says Principal Jennifer<br />
Hanlon-MacQuarrie. “To me, the color makes it feel more<br />
like a family home and comfortable.”<br />
Many of the furnishings were culled from the couple’s<br />
cache (much of which was in storage), consisting<br />
of treasures from parents and grandparents as well<br />
as belongings from their former home. They were<br />
inventoried, cataloged, and ultimately reimagined—every<br />
room has a mix of old and new.<br />
At the project’s culmination, the family stayed away for<br />
a few weeks while the designers worked their magic,<br />
unpacking boxes, books and possessions to be displayed.<br />
When the home was 100-percent complete, they were<br />
treated to a “Chip and Joanna”-style reveal. Some pieces<br />
were almost unrecognizable, thanks to reupholstery,<br />
repainting and custom details, while others were<br />
presented in creative ways, like the framed Hermès scarves<br />
that climb the stairs. There are memories and meaning at<br />
every turn. In the end, says principal David Wantuck, “It<br />
was their house, their collections and their history. They<br />
had come full circle.”<br />
bostondesignguide.com 35
photography by Nat Rea<br />
CELEBRATING OVER 40 YEARS IN BUSINESS.<br />
617-876-8286 www.shconstruction.com<br />
BEST OF BOSTON HOME 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2008 / BEST OF BOSTON 2017, 2007
BUILDING IN THE CITY<br />
LIGHTING THE WAY<br />
Photography: Warren Patterson<br />
A few DiFoggio Electric team members, from left to right: Mike Iodice; Dan Wynne; Andrew Bermingham; Eddie Stack, Director of<br />
Operations; Andrea DiFoggio, Director of Internal Operations; and Larry DiFoggio, President<br />
Founded by President and Electrical Consultant<br />
Larry DiFoggio in 1973, DiFoggio Electric, a fullservice<br />
electrical contracting company serving<br />
the residential and commercial markets, has<br />
been powering Boston for over 4 decades.<br />
From townhomes in historic Louisburg Square to Back Bay<br />
icons like the Four Seasons to burgeoning new builds<br />
in the Seaport District, serving Boston residents has<br />
become second nature to the team of electricians at<br />
DiFoggio Electric.<br />
The work is not for every electrical contractor. Director of<br />
Operations Eddie Stack, who began his career at DiFoggio<br />
as an apprentice at age 18, explains, “Working in Boston<br />
really is its own animal.” It requires a firm grasp not only of<br />
the work itself—which, for elite properties like One Dalton<br />
and The Millennium Tower is increasingly complex—but<br />
also of city logistics and operations. As 85% of DiFoggio<br />
Electric’s business is in the city, the needs of clients are<br />
swiftly met, whether the company is called upon to<br />
“replace a switch or rewire a house from top to bottom.”<br />
Plus, with today’s intricate high-end AV systems, lighting<br />
and shade control, people look to DiFoggio Electric for<br />
counsel on details beyond what a plan delineates.<br />
With 18 team members and growing, DiFoggio Electric<br />
is a family-run business with a big-city mentality. They<br />
work at such distinguished properties as the Mandarin<br />
Oriental, 50 Liberty, The Echelon Seaport, and more, and<br />
their standards are as high as the buildings they work on.<br />
DiFoggio Electric stands behind everything they do, and<br />
safety is paramount. “Our owner, Larry DiFoggio, views<br />
every project, as if it were his own,” says Stack. “That’s the<br />
way we approach it.”<br />
Learn more at difoggioelectric.com<br />
bostondesignguide.com 37
PUBLISHER’SPICKS<br />
the<br />
LIVING ROOM BAR<br />
Now this is living. The homeowners<br />
of this Brendon Properties’ home can<br />
belly up to the bar in their very own<br />
living room. This mirrored, Tiffany-blue<br />
wet bar is dynamic and social and the<br />
toast of this elegant living space. The<br />
inspired design has a clubby vibe and<br />
is the perfect solution for people who<br />
like to entertain. brendonhomes.com.<br />
Interior design by Jill Goldberg.<br />
Photo by Greg Premru.<br />
MEDIA SPACE & LOUNGE<br />
Created for a film buff by Interiology<br />
Design Co., this entertainment center<br />
and viewing lounge does movie<br />
night right. The space is equipped<br />
with a projection TV (a must!), a<br />
comfortable sectional, and tiered<br />
seating at the bar for a full view of<br />
the screen. A wet bar with custom<br />
cabinetry (stained espresso on<br />
pecan) is an elevated refreshment<br />
stand, with its beverage refrigerator,<br />
sink, microwave, storage and pendant<br />
lighting. interiology.com.<br />
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FOR THE LOVE OF ENTERTAINING<br />
PENTHOUSE WET BAR & WINE FRIDGE<br />
Cocktail hour is even more intoxicating when enjoyed by<br />
this bold and beautiful wet bar created for a Back Bay<br />
penthouse renovation by Adams & Beasley Associates. The<br />
bleached walnut bar, the color of fine bourbon, is bejeweled<br />
by a backlit honey onyx backsplash and floating star fire glass<br />
shelves that add drama and intrigue. adamsbeasley.com.<br />
Photo by Eric Roth.<br />
THE WALSH BAR CART<br />
This portable bar cart, designed<br />
and artisan made in the USA for<br />
ARTEFACT, is a modern-day riff<br />
on an Art Deco style bar cart.<br />
More understated than Gatsby,<br />
but no less glam, the frame’s finish<br />
is a custom umber (hand rubbed<br />
to an antique patina), while the<br />
stone top is honed Nero Marquina<br />
marble. The black stone marble<br />
has a velvety feel and is one of the<br />
most important marbles from Spain.<br />
Available at artefacthome.com.<br />
CLARKE’S MOBILE SHOWROOM<br />
Clarke’s Mobile Showroom puts food trucks to shame when<br />
it rolls in to food and wine festivals, design events and<br />
charity fundraisers to bring that extra bit of sizzle and delight<br />
culinary-minded guests and gourmets. This 1980s passenger<br />
bus turned appliance showroom on wheels is equipped with<br />
a fully working world-class Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchen and is<br />
the first example of a mobile kitchen in the country. To learn<br />
more, visit clarkeliving.com/clarkes-mobile-showroom.<br />
bostondesignguide.com 41
Photography: Warren Patterson<br />
The landscapes of Onyx Corporation capture<br />
the color and warmth of the season.<br />
It used to be that Onyx Corporation was thought of as just an excavation company. No longer. These<br />
days, the full-service Acton-based landscape contractor is tending to projects as varied as pools and<br />
entertainment spaces to orangeries and orchards to reclaimed hardscapes for historic homes.<br />
Come autumn, however, “fire features seem to be what people are thinking about,” says Landscape Division Manager Julie<br />
Bergeron of Onyx Corporation, and sitting fireside is the perfect way to enjoy the shoulder season. The above pool terrace<br />
and fire feature is one of their more recent projects to fan the flames. The elegant outdoor hearth brings warmth to the<br />
lighter, cooler hues of the marble terrace and pool coping.<br />
This outdoor space serves as an extension of the house,<br />
with owners and visitors lounging by the 9-foot-long fire pit<br />
while the kids gather at the bubbling spa. These landscape<br />
features are usable well into fall, prolonging time spent<br />
outside, so family and friends can enjoy the change of<br />
the seasons, a quick dip in the heated pool, and maybe a<br />
s’more or two.<br />
As for softscapes, meadows are a mainstay in Onyx’s fall<br />
portfolio, particularly with the company’s proximity to<br />
Concord. While they appear to be rustic and untouched,<br />
they require patience and expert care. “Meadows typically<br />
take two years to establish, however, once matured, they<br />
bring incredible character to a property,” explains Bergeron.<br />
A worthy sight, those swaying, kissed-by-the-sun grasses are<br />
a gorgeous payoff and synonymous with New England.<br />
Visit onyxcorporation.net to learn more about Onyx Corporation.<br />
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One home is a historic, high-character Colonial that was<br />
renovated on Provincetown’s hottest thoroughfare. The<br />
other is a new cedar-and-glass sculpture of a home on a<br />
private piece of land on Martha’s Vineyard. The two projects<br />
couldn’t be more different, but they do have something in<br />
common: Bannon Custom Builders brought them to life.<br />
It takes a special builder to inhabit two very different worlds<br />
with such skill and care. For the Provincetown restoration,<br />
Bannon Builders salvaged, labeled and reinstalled<br />
every floorboard for a client who is passionate about<br />
preservation. On the Vineyard home, every board of the<br />
butterfly roof was a different length and had to be “field<br />
measured, cut and installed separately,” explains Owner<br />
Paul Bannon.<br />
And, while Bannon Builders had to excavate one side<br />
of the Provincetown house by hand in order to raise the<br />
structure and carve out a subterranean lair underneath, for<br />
the Vineyard home, his team installed temporary windows<br />
to keep the project moving until the custom Makrowin<br />
windows that were angled “to follow the roofline” came in.<br />
Such efforts are part of the everyday. The office joke is that<br />
the work is easy, laughs Bannon, “but it’s not easy at all.”<br />
Visit bannonbuilds.com for more information.<br />
Study<br />
in<br />
Contrasts<br />
Bannon’s custom builds<br />
take very different forms<br />
Architecture—Provincetown: Hammer Architects; Martha’s<br />
Vineyard: Maryann Thompson Architects<br />
bostondesignguide.com 43
BUILDING IN THE CITY<br />
GOING UP!<br />
Architecture: Flavin Architects; Interior Design: Erica Darnall Design<br />
Photography: Warren Patterson and Keitaro Yoshioka<br />
Born and bred Bostonians Arthur Massaro and Kate Durrane of Columbia Contracting Corp.<br />
know the city’s neighborhoods well—their charms and eccentricities. When building within the city limits—whether<br />
new constructions or historic renovations—it’s crucial to have a builder that knows the ins and outs of each enclave,<br />
from permitting to logistics to best practices.<br />
This striking townhouse in a tight-knit neighborhood is a testament to the custom builder’s dexterity. Working<br />
within a width of just 27 feet, with only a 2.5-foot alleyway and little to no access, Columbia Contracting Corp. had<br />
to demo the existing structure by hand before building from the ground up. (We do mean up; the statuesque row<br />
house has three levels, culminating in a cedar roof deck.)<br />
Building a new construction single family custom home is almost unheard of in Boston’s Back Bay, Beacon Hill,<br />
Charlestown and South End neighborhoods,” explains Director of Operations Kate Durrane. So, how exactly<br />
does a home like this reach completion? Through constant coordination, virtuosic staging, live loading, delivery<br />
management (from the order setup to the size of the truck that can navigate a single-lane street), police details,<br />
crane lifts and cooperation from the neighbors. Organization is paramount with such a small footprint. Says<br />
Durrane, “Everything is connected and interconnected.” To learn more, visit columbiacon.com.<br />
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Designer Digs<br />
Photography: Roger Pelissier<br />
Matthew Cunningham, owner of Matthew Cunningham<br />
Landscape Design, had been living in downtown Melrose<br />
with his partner Cody Thornton, when he knew it was time<br />
for a change. Melrose, which lacked privacy and wideopen<br />
green spaces, “was killing my soul,” he says earnestly<br />
and without a hint of hyberbole. After all, both Thornton<br />
and Cunningham were raised in rural environments, and<br />
switching to a home that is “rooted in the woods” proved<br />
to be kinder to their collective spirits, and sensibilities.<br />
“The whole idea of us moving was to be able to enjoy<br />
nature,” says Cunningham. So, they renovated a home in<br />
Boxford abutting 100+ acres of conservation land, which is<br />
teeming with wildlife and birdlife, and “created a backyard<br />
retreat for ourselves.”<br />
The private oasis is comprised of sun-dappled native<br />
plantings, a pool and spa, and plenty of reclaimed<br />
granite—from bands of salvaged curbing sourced from<br />
Boston, Portsmouth and Portland to a colossal granite<br />
partition, cut by stonemasons in Cunningham’s hometown<br />
in Maine, that is the heart of the garden. Etched with a<br />
trough that can hold up to 10 bags of ice, not to mention<br />
champagne, the sculpted vessel has become “their party<br />
trough,” laughs Cunningham, and boasts “an amazing<br />
patina,” covered with lichen and moss.<br />
Beyond the pool, a “carpet of fern” cushions the drop<br />
from a board formed concrete retaining wall (negating<br />
the need for a pool enclosure fence) and stretches clear<br />
out to the conservation land. While their previous cottage<br />
garden had a mash of everything, the goal here was to<br />
achieve a pollinator-friendly landscape with a sense of<br />
calm. At Thornton’s urging, Cunningham selected just<br />
10 species for the plantings—including sweet and hayscented<br />
fern, Prairie Dropseed, bayberry and hydrangea.<br />
Editing the garden was the hardest part, explains the<br />
landscape architect, but the constraints were ultimately<br />
liberating. The grounds are captivating and serene, and,<br />
dare we say it, soulful. View additional MCLD projects at<br />
matthew-cunningham.com.<br />
bostondesignguide.com 45
Photography: Warren Warren Patterson Patterson<br />
CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF AWARD-WINNING LANDSCAPES<br />
508-358-4500 abladeofgrass.com<br />
46<br />
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SMALLER FOOTPRINTS,<br />
GRAND IDEAS<br />
On Cape Cod, large-home features grace<br />
limited spaces with Longfellow Design Build.<br />
If what makes a house an exceptional home pivots on<br />
customized, well-executed and beautiful design—<br />
not extravagant square footage—then Cape Cod’s<br />
Longfellow Design Build has it down. “So many of<br />
our customers are looking to build their second<br />
home on the Cape to accommodate kids who are in<br />
college, or married and starting their own young families,”<br />
says Longfellow’s Owner Mark Bogosian, “but that doesn’t<br />
necessarily mean they want a large second home.” Instead,<br />
Bogosian is seeing more customers ask for fine home<br />
details in smaller footprint homes—beadboard, shiplap<br />
and custom millwork used for a variety of built-ins, stunning<br />
centerpiece gas fireplaces with media surrounds, coffered<br />
ceilings, paneled walls, and window seats. “These are the<br />
kinds of details that add personalized, beautiful features<br />
while also maximizing efficient use of space for living,<br />
dining and sleeping,” says Bogosian.<br />
Longfellow has three on-Cape showrooms, in Falmouth,<br />
Osterville and Chatham, where clients can meet with<br />
architects and designers surrounded by a selection of<br />
beautiful samples and options—and gain inspiration<br />
and insight for their projects. Because there isn’t a lot of<br />
buildable land on the Cape and teardowns often trigger<br />
the headaches of current zoning regulations, “buying an<br />
existing older home and remodeling it with an addition can<br />
be a better option for many buyers,” says Bogosian. “Many<br />
of our homeowners just want a nice cozy place they can<br />
spend quality time with their friends, family and especially<br />
grandkids.” To learn more, visit longfellowdb.com.<br />
–Written by Edie Ravenelle<br />
bostondesignguide.com 47
We Make Wood Beautiful.<br />
166 CresCent road<br />
n e e d h a M, Ma 02494<br />
781-449-1313<br />
Dedicated to the fine craft of finishing and restoration of<br />
architectural woodwork and furniture since 1980.<br />
W W W.WaynetoWle.CoM<br />
Architect: Morehouse MacDonald and Associates; Construction: Sanford Custom Builders, Inc.; Photography: Nat Rea
Architects, builders and designers are typically associated by name with the extraordinary<br />
projects and buildings we have grown accustomed to seeing here in Greater Boston.<br />
Yet there is another group of committed individuals who are integral to the creation and<br />
maintenance of these buildings who get far less recognition. Though commonly known as<br />
“subcontractors,” Sam Soderholm of Soderholm Custom Builders maintains the word doesn’t<br />
begin to do justice to the value, knowledge and artistry these individuals bring to the process<br />
and their respective crafts. He further adds, “The continued success of our projects, company<br />
and, most importantly, the clients’ expectations and happiness are a direct result of the<br />
amazing craftspeople we have the pleasure to work with on a daily basis.” We celebrate the<br />
contributions of these unsung tradespeople with some well-deserved minutes of fame….<br />
Pictured (L to R): Peter Murray, Fine Finish Inc., (seated); David O’Brien, Ares Structures; Wayne & Debbie Towle, Wayne Towle Master<br />
Finishing and Restoration, Inc.; Nick O’Hara, O’Hara & Company; Jim & Jack (seated) Sweeney, Sweeney Brothers Construction; Chris<br />
Boucher, Sagamore Select Group; Jon Moss, Installations Plus, Inc.; Patrick Ford, Anderson Insulation; Photography: Roger Pelissier<br />
bostondesignguide.com 49
Photograph: Keitaro Yoshioka<br />
Ares Structures<br />
Through high-end framing and exterior carpentry,<br />
Ares Structures brings shape and form to highlydetailed<br />
construction plans.<br />
www.aresstructures.com<br />
Sagamore Select Group<br />
Specializing in decorative finishes, Sagamore Select<br />
Group excels at the painstaking application of<br />
wallpaper, paint and specialty plastering.<br />
www.sagamoreselect.com<br />
Photograph: Richard Mandelkorn<br />
O’Hara & Company<br />
This master stonemason’s work is known for the<br />
artistry, beauty and permanence of its architectural<br />
hardscaping, masonry and stone veneers.<br />
www.oharacompany.com<br />
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Photograph: Marcus Gleysteen<br />
Wayne Towle Master Finishing & Restoration<br />
Wayne Towle has been called a magician for the<br />
luster and texture he imparts in custom millwork<br />
through treatments from surface coatings to liming.<br />
www.waynetowle.com<br />
Photograph: Richard Mandelkorn<br />
Fine Finish Inc.<br />
Cutting-edge technologies meet old-world<br />
craftsmanship in Fine Finish Inc.‘s singular custom<br />
cabinetry, moldings, interior trim and more.<br />
www.finefinishinc.com<br />
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Installations Plus, Inc.<br />
The meticulous work of this leader in custom tile,<br />
ceramic and glass installation brings lasting beauty<br />
and visual interest to design features of all types.<br />
www.installplusinc.com<br />
Photograph: Keitaro Yoshioka<br />
Anderson Insulation<br />
Anderson Insulation’s trusted technicians are onsite<br />
at dozens of projects any given day, installing spray<br />
foam, cellulose and fiberglass insulation.<br />
www.andersoninsul.com<br />
Photograph: Nat Rea<br />
Sweeney Brothers Construction<br />
This roofer and exterior architectural metal expert<br />
brings time-tested techniques and hand work to<br />
complex roof designs in slate, tile, cedar and copper.<br />
www.sweeneybrothers.net<br />
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Photography: Rosemary Fletcher<br />
One of the highest honors a landscape contractor can<br />
receive is to win the bid to rebuild and maintain a National<br />
Landmark, but when the site pays homage to a botanist, the<br />
laurel becomes all the more meaningful. Horticulturalists<br />
at Cambridge’s renowned Mount Auburn Cemetery and<br />
arboretum were so enamored with R.P. Marzilli & Co.’s<br />
residential work that they called upon the landscape<br />
professionals, together with landscape architecture firm<br />
Halverson Design, to return the display garden, which is<br />
located near the entrance gate, to its former magnificence.<br />
LANDMARK<br />
S TAT U S<br />
R.P. Marzilli & Co., Inc. cultivates the Asa Gray<br />
Garden at Mount Auburn Cemetery<br />
Named for Asa Gray, who is buried at Mount Auburn and<br />
widely considered the most important botanist of the 19th<br />
century, this tranquil jewel is comprised of a central fountain,<br />
stone benches and beautiful beds that have four-season<br />
interest and historical significance. Over 130 species of trees,<br />
shrubs, perennials and grasses from Asia and North America<br />
honor Gray’s legacy, and represent “the original genus and<br />
species of the plants,” explains Principal Bob Marzilli.<br />
The project was as challenging as it was compelling. A deep<br />
excavation and the construction of a new granite fountain<br />
(with hidden mechanicals and an intricate jet design) required<br />
a strong team effort by the site and project managers,<br />
stonemasons and plantsmen at R.P. Marzilli & Co., and the<br />
firm is thrilled to be associated with the landscape. Says<br />
Marzilli, “It was a treat to work to recapture the intent of the<br />
original vision.” View additional projects at rpmarzilli.com.<br />
Mount Auburn Cemetery welcomes over 200,000 visitors a year<br />
and is free and open to the public. mountauburn.org<br />
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Hot Trends,<br />
Cool Looks<br />
with Monique's Bath Showroom<br />
The experts at Monique’s Bath Showroom don’t want homeowners to get<br />
lost in a sea of fixtures. That’s why, though they offer a diverse selection<br />
of the bath and kitchen industry’s best, their Watertown showroom<br />
boasts a neighborhood feel.<br />
The family-owned, second-generation business is “passionate about what they sell,” says<br />
Sales Associate Chris Sawicki, and knowledgeable. As a resource to architects, builders<br />
and interior designers, as well as homeowners, Monique’s is well versed on Massachusetts<br />
code regulations, the finest brands, and what will look best in your kitchen or bath.<br />
They are also up on the trends, so we asked for a highlight reel of Monique’s hottest<br />
items. “Unlacquered brass is really popular right now,” shares Sawicki, pointing to<br />
Watermark, (featured above) a product line that rocks the look. Chrome and stainless,<br />
however, seem to be leaving people cold, he continues, and they are opting instead<br />
for fixtures that are warmer, and edgier. “Faucets have become statement pieces,” says<br />
Sawicki, and brands like California Faucets allow buyers to create their own looks, with<br />
over 30 finishes to choose from. The industrial look—“the blacks, golds, graphites and<br />
carbons”—are also en vogue, as is mixed metal, particularly black and gold.<br />
As for vanities, shoppers are smitten with Robern (middle) and Furniture Guild<br />
(lower). That aesthetic—a metal frame, furniture-style box topped by quartz or an MTI<br />
composite—is the style of choice. Both look less like a cabinet, says Sawicki, and “more<br />
like a design piece.” Visit moniquesbathshowroom.com to learn more.<br />
Photography: Keitaro Yoshioka<br />
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A MArbleheAd renovAtion in the MAking<br />
A traditional oceanfront home revived by Groom Construction Co. goes ultramodern within.<br />
Groom Construction has been hard at work renovating<br />
a neo-Georgian oceanside home in Marblehead for<br />
owners who are leaving South Boston for a more<br />
spacious environment in which to raise their twin<br />
girls. That is, if you can call it a renovation. Both<br />
Residential Project Manager Tim Dougherty of Groom<br />
Construction and Interior Architect Jeremy Jih of<br />
J.Roc Design agree that the project all but amounts<br />
to a new construction.<br />
Along with a complete gut of the interior, the team<br />
at Groom built front and side additions that preserve<br />
the traditional look of the exterior and incorporated<br />
steel throughout to support the ultra contemporary<br />
design within. “It’s funny,” offers Jeremy Jih, “the<br />
homeowners are not traditionalists at all, and yet they<br />
ended up buying this very traditional house…They<br />
found me to reinterpret the interior.”<br />
Groom Construction was tasked with bringing it to<br />
fruition, perfecting the clean lines of the cedar shiplap,<br />
the geometry of the angles and the minimalist decks<br />
with glass railing systems. In addition to standard<br />
practices, like crafting the home’s many built-ins, the<br />
highly modern style had the construction leaders<br />
doing things they haven’t done before, including<br />
sculpting a massive concrete veneer fireplace and<br />
building a walnut slat ceiling. Groom was up for the<br />
challenge. Says Dougherty, “It’s interesting integrating<br />
contemporary work within traditional work and making<br />
the two work well together.<br />
Visit groomco.com to learn more.<br />
Exterior architecture: Craig Bosworth<br />
Interior Architecture: J.Roc Design<br />
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S I M P L Y C L A S S I C<br />
DUCKHAM<br />
S I M P L Y C L A S S I C<br />
A R C HITECT U R E & I N T E R I O R S<br />
www .kent d u c kham .co m 53 Centr a l A v e n u e , N eedham, MA 02494 781.449.4109<br />
Photography: Warren Patterson<br />
DUCKHAM<br />
A R C HITECT U R E & I N T E R I O R S<br />
www .kent d u c kham .co m 53 Centr a l A v e n u e , N eedham, MA 02494 781.449.4109
Systems Design & Integration Unveils<br />
Get Smart its New Experience Showroom<br />
Owners Angel and Alexa Centeno<br />
Though Systems Design & Integration, Inc. has designed<br />
and installed audio video systems in businesses and<br />
residences for over 10 years now, performing work<br />
in Boston, Cape Cod and the New England area, it<br />
recently debuted a new home technology showroom and<br />
experience center in Needham. This sophisticated hightech<br />
firm shares a sleek showroom space with Newton<br />
Kitchens & Design on Wexford Street, and was created to<br />
show just how easily and seamlessly technology can be<br />
woven into the most beautiful and design-oriented homes.<br />
Visitors to the SDI Boston showroom can test-drive<br />
Savant’s luxury whole-home systems, which streamline<br />
and customize audio and video, lighting, security and<br />
motorized shades via one-touch “scenes” programmed<br />
to the homeowner’s preferences. Guests can also discover<br />
new advances in lighting—at the touch of a button, the<br />
experience center is transformed in a wash of vibrant blue<br />
(along with a booming sound!), and check out different<br />
custom fabrics for automated shades and new high-end<br />
finishes and looks for smart switches.<br />
The A/V products aren’t confined to the experience center<br />
either, patrons find top-tier brands like Leon, Séura and<br />
Bowers & Wilkins displayed throughout Newton Kitchens<br />
& Design’s stunning gallery space, from invisible speakers<br />
hidden within the plaster, to TVs that are hidden and lift<br />
from within hand-painted cabinetry to tower speakers,<br />
Smart Mirrors and outdoor entertainment products from<br />
Coastal Source and SunBrite.<br />
SDI Boston was awarded Best of Boston <strong>2019</strong>: Best Smart<br />
Home Specialist. Visit the Experience Showroom at 34<br />
Wexford St., Needham, 617.391.8919, sdiboston.com.<br />
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Fired Up<br />
for Fun<br />
Nick O’Hara of O’Hara & Company is donating 100<br />
percent of the sales of his fun, rustic stone fire pits to<br />
The Leo Project. An initiative close to his heart, The Leo<br />
Project is a non-profit organization that was started in<br />
honor of Nick’s daughter, Caitlin, who passed away in 2016<br />
following a double lung transplant. It’s the vision of Jess<br />
Danforth, another extraordinary young woman who vowed<br />
to honor the memory of her best friend, Caitlin.<br />
Pick your own custom,<br />
camp-style fire pit—<br />
all for charity!<br />
She has. The Leo Project, a 5,500-square-foot community<br />
resource center, moves beyond the classroom to provide<br />
supportive services, creative outlets, and opportunities<br />
not traditionally available to vulnerable youth in<br />
Nanyuki, Kenya. In this space, children will be exposed<br />
to: computers, basic coding, art, music, theater, yoga,<br />
tutoring, counseling—the same creative and supportive<br />
services that enriched Caitlin’s life during her thirty-three<br />
year struggle with cystic fibrosis. The project will also offer<br />
literacy and numeracy classes for community members and<br />
already has plans for expansion.<br />
The Leo Project is slated to open its doors in January 2020.<br />
To support this important work, stop by O’Hara’s shop at<br />
11 Cordaville Road, Ashland, to pick out your fire pit. Fire<br />
pits range from $1,000 to $10,000, and your donation is<br />
100% tax deductible. O’Hara & Company will deliver and<br />
assemble it at the site of your choice. For more information,<br />
call 508.881.6851 or visit oharacompany.com.<br />
To learn more about The Leo Project, visit theleoproject.org.<br />
Donations can be made at theleoproject.org/donate.<br />
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SMART HOME SECURITY:<br />
MOCKUPANCY, IP CAMERAS,<br />
SMART LOCKS AND MORE<br />
Safe and Sound<br />
“A lot of people think of TV and music<br />
when they think of Control4,” says<br />
Director of Sales & Development Dave<br />
Noland of Sounds Good. “The security<br />
side is overlooked.” The Waltham-based<br />
tech integrator is hoping to change that.<br />
Control4’s smart home capabilities go<br />
beyond the atmospheric, its systems also<br />
bring considerable peace of mind.<br />
Control4 safeguards properties in a number<br />
of ways, including its Mockupancy feature,<br />
which gives the illusion that someone<br />
is home. The feature simulates the<br />
homeowner’s routine—switching lights on<br />
and off, lowering shades, turning on music<br />
and the TV—thwarting mischief and wouldbe<br />
threats. Mockupancy is not unlike the<br />
movie Home Alone, laughs Noland. “Only<br />
you don’t need Kevin pulling the strings<br />
to make it look like people are dancing in<br />
the window.”<br />
Control4 also works with IP (internet protocol)<br />
cameras, a staple in today’s connected<br />
home, and a property’s security system on<br />
an interface that allows homeowners to arm,<br />
disarm and control the alarm system from<br />
their touchscreen. In the event of a “security<br />
event,” you can open the Control4 app, see<br />
the cameras, and, if needed, set an alarm or<br />
alert emergency services—from anywhere<br />
in the world.<br />
Smart Locks and door stations with cameras<br />
also keep residents safe. With smart locks,<br />
you can lock and unlock any connected door<br />
remotely, and set and control dedicated<br />
codes, like that of a child coming home from<br />
school or temporary ones for a worker who<br />
needs access. An alert is issued when the<br />
code is input, so you know all is as it should<br />
be. Conversely, via two-way communication<br />
with video and audio, if someone rings the<br />
doorbell you can see who it is and unlock<br />
the door remotely.<br />
These features and others—like water<br />
sensors and carbon monoxide and temperature<br />
alerts—are game changers for second<br />
homes and allow homeowners to rest easy<br />
with access both “inside and outside the<br />
home,” says Noland.<br />
Contact soundsgoodboston.com to design<br />
and service your Control4 home. control4.com.<br />
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first<br />
1. MGa | Marcus Gleysteen Architects, www.mgaarchitects.com<br />
2. Brian Frazier Design, www.brianfrazierdesign.com<br />
3. <strong>Fall</strong>on Custom Homes & Renovations, www.falloncustomhomes.com<br />
4. Cutting Edge Systems Corporation, www.cuttingedgehome.com<br />
5. Peter Sachs Architect, www.petersachsarchitect.com<br />
6. Boston Stone Restoration, www.bostonstonerestoration.com<br />
Photography 1. Marcus Gleyteen; 2. Dave Green; 3. Warren Jagger; 4. Peter Vanderwarker; 5. Courtesy of Peter Sachs; 6. Courtesy of Boston Stone Restoration<br />
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Impressions<br />
They say one shouldn’t rush to judgment, but we won’t deny we’re captivated by the instant<br />
appeal of the homes and scenes crafted, designed or treated by top Boston professionals.<br />
From timeless homes high on street presence, to grand entrances (whether a lake house<br />
or the venerable Boston Public Library), to a picture-perfect water feature or a warm,<br />
welcoming lighting design, these varied projects had us at hello.<br />
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THE SOURCE DIRECTORY<br />
ARTISAN IRON<br />
54 Fitch Bridge Road Groton, MA 01450<br />
978-448-0028<br />
www.artisaniron.com<br />
@artisan-iron<br />
Artisan Iron works closely with homeowners,<br />
architects, interior designers and landscape<br />
architects, to create custom pieces in<br />
wrought iron, copper, bronze, brass and<br />
other architectural metals that reflect each<br />
client’s individual vision.<br />
LAVALLEE SYSTEMS<br />
(888) 884-4122<br />
info@lavalleesystems.com<br />
At Lavallee Systems, our master plumbers<br />
and HVAC specialists are renowned for<br />
quality, professionalism, and attention to<br />
detail. We work with both homeowners and<br />
builders to design and maintain complex<br />
plumbing, heating, and cooling systems.<br />
PLYMOUTH QUARRIES<br />
410 Whiting Street, Hingham, MA 02043<br />
781-335-3686<br />
www.plymouthquarries.com<br />
info@plymouthquarries.com<br />
@PlymouthQuarries @plymouthquarriesllc<br />
@plymouth-quarries-llc<br />
Since 1915 we have been supplying stone<br />
products for homeowners, designers, architects<br />
and contractors. Visit our 1800 sq. ft. showroom<br />
to see our Exclusives line of stones,<br />
concrete products, brick and artificial grass.<br />
SHIPLIGHTS<br />
68 Front Street, Marblehead, MA 01945<br />
781-631-3864 www.shiplights.com<br />
info@shiplights.com<br />
@Shiplights<br />
@shiplightslighting<br />
Shiplights provides high-end residential and<br />
commercial lighting. With lighting available<br />
in over ten finishes for inside and outside the<br />
home, their solid brass construction makes<br />
them ideal for use in humid, coastal and<br />
seaside locations.<br />
THE CARPET WORKROOM<br />
39 Highland Cir Ste 2, Needham, MA 02494<br />
781-844-4912 www.carpetworkroom.com<br />
info@carpetworkroom.com<br />
@thecarpetworkroom<br />
@CarpetWorkroom<br />
@the-carpet-workroom<br />
At The Carpet Workroom our goal is to<br />
perfect the art of carpet. We specialize<br />
in custom fabrication and installation of<br />
broadloom carpet and area rugs. We<br />
service all of New England and beyond.<br />
VARTER’S ORIENTAL RUGS<br />
327 Pleasant Street, Belmont MA 02478<br />
617-489-3700<br />
www.vartersrugs.com<br />
vartersrugs@gmail.com<br />
@Vartersrugs<br />
Quality selection of antique, vintage,<br />
contemporary, modern, and oriental rug<br />
collections to try in your home for up to 3<br />
days. Cleaning, repairs and restoration done<br />
on premises. FREE in-home pick-up and<br />
delivery.<br />
Photography: Keitaro Yoshioka<br />
Where old-world craftsmanship meets new age design.<br />
508-440-6455 | 231 N Main St, Natick, MA 01760<br />
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Snow and Jones, Inc. jumps in to help<br />
CCALS (Compassionate Care ALS) with their<br />
new Retreat Center in Falmouth.<br />
A Fixture in the Community<br />
When Snow and Jones, Inc. was asked to support<br />
the plumbing for CCALS’ (Compassionate Care ALS)<br />
new Retreat Center in Falmouth, they were honored<br />
but not surprised. In business since 1952 as a familyowned<br />
plumbing and heating supply<br />
company, it wasn’t the first time<br />
they’d donated their expertise. “We<br />
have eight locations on the South<br />
Shore and Cape Cod that have<br />
been actively involved in many area<br />
charities, including the Cape Cod<br />
Military Family Support Foundation,”<br />
says Danielle Jones, vice president of<br />
business development. Snow and Jones<br />
facilitated donations and discounts of<br />
over $70,000 in plumbing products for<br />
the Retreat Center, working together<br />
with Whitely Plumbing, Edgewater<br />
Plumbing and Tim Brown Plumbing. Cataldo Custom<br />
Builders of Falmouth managed the construction of the fully<br />
accessible ALS respite and educational facility.<br />
“We selected all Kohler products because Kohler is<br />
involved in a lot of charitable projects and has a large<br />
selection of ADA compatible options that are also high<br />
design,” explains Jones. To achieve a peaceful but vibrant<br />
Snow and Jones is doing<br />
a considerable number of<br />
ADA-compatible high design<br />
projects like this for people who<br />
want to stay in their homes as<br />
they age, but don’t want<br />
their baths to resemble those<br />
of a nursing home.<br />
look, bath fixtures are brushed nickel or polished chrome<br />
(some faucets have hands-free sensors), lively tile accent<br />
colors enhance white subway tiles, easy-care quartz crowns<br />
the countertops, and all showers have hand showers. In<br />
addition to respite accommodations<br />
for caregivers, there are two suites with<br />
kitchenettes and one room with a bath<br />
that is fully accessible to wheelchairbound<br />
ALS patients. Founder and<br />
executive director of CCALS Ron<br />
Hoffman maintains that everyone<br />
who has been in has been wowed.<br />
“The design and all the fixtures are<br />
extraordinarily beautiful,” he says.<br />
Jones sees beauty in the collaboration.<br />
“I loved seeing everyone coming<br />
together so selflessly to get everything<br />
done in the most timely and cost-effective fashion possible<br />
to create this beautiful new center,” she says. “The Center<br />
is an amazing asset to Cape Cod, and Snow and Jones<br />
was thrilled to be a part of such a necessary and incredible<br />
project.” To learn more about the ALS Center, visit<br />
ccals.org; for Snow and Jones, visit snowandjones.com.<br />
Written by Edie Ravenelle<br />
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Mark Doughty is President of Thoughtforms and an alumni liaison for the<br />
MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, which focuses on developing and empowering<br />
leaders to act so that humans and nature can thrive for generations<br />
to come. He lives with his family in an all-electric home that generates 70%<br />
more energy than it uses—enough to power a Tesla for 35,000 miles a year.<br />
With all the complexity that can tangle up our modern<br />
lives, the idea of a fresh, luxurious home can be just<br />
the right tonic to brighten a day. That idea, like so<br />
many that flourish in social and traditional media, is<br />
quite seductive. It’s no wonder, then, that people react<br />
strongly when a contrary thought intrudes. But perhaps<br />
it is time to welcome just such a contrary thought as<br />
motivation to pause and reflect on our definition of<br />
the ideal home, in the context of our families and the<br />
broader community.<br />
This past summer, the Town of Brookline proposed a<br />
bylaw that requires all new buildings and gut renovations<br />
to be free of fossil fuel infrastructure.<br />
The proposal was met by some with<br />
grumbling about “big government,”<br />
a reaction that seems more soundbite<br />
reflex than thoughtful response:<br />
after all, the town isn’t all that big and,<br />
at this local level of our democracy,<br />
an engaged citizenry can have a<br />
major influence on the direction<br />
of government. So, rather than<br />
the expressed fear of government<br />
infringement on our freedom, the<br />
source of opposition is more likely the<br />
judgment implied in the proposal—i.e.<br />
“what you’ve been doing all along is<br />
not good”—and fear of change. It is<br />
indeed unsettling to think that the path<br />
we have been obediently following in<br />
homebuilding for a century might be<br />
taking us to the wrong destination.<br />
But, objectively, how much of a course correction does<br />
a move away from fossil fuel imply? Thoughtforms<br />
has built all-electric homes without any observed cost<br />
penalties. The indoor climate in these homes is healthy<br />
and comfortable. The systems themselves are reliable<br />
(which is not surprising—the electric-powered heat pump<br />
was introduced in the 1940’s, 20 or so years after the gasfired<br />
furnace was patented). Perhaps most importantly,<br />
clients who live in these homes are happy with their<br />
homes—in some cases happier than those in fossil fuelfueled<br />
homes.<br />
CONSTRUCTION,<br />
CLIMATE AND<br />
THE POSSIBILITY<br />
OF A FUTURE<br />
Given all this, a bylaw that takes fossil fuel systems out<br />
of the mix seems a matter of substitution rather than an<br />
abrupt detour onto a costly, risk-fraught path. So why isn’t<br />
everyone on board? Inertia.<br />
It’s quite easy to go through each day doing essentially<br />
what we did the day before, expecting similar, predictable<br />
results. Unfortunately, this “business as usual” approach<br />
no longer promises predictable results and is putting our<br />
collective future at risk (read Kerry Emanuel’s What We<br />
Know About Climate Change for a concise review of the<br />
crisis and possible mitigating actions—contact me and<br />
I can send you a copy). If we think of our ideal home in<br />
this context of society and survival,<br />
in-home fossil fuel infrastructure<br />
compounds the problem: while it<br />
may be possible through collective<br />
action to convert the shared electric<br />
grid to fossil fuel-free sources, it will<br />
be much more challenging to convert<br />
infrastructure in every individual home.<br />
Given this reality, and where we are<br />
situated in time, place and opportunity,<br />
building more homes with on-site<br />
fossil fuel infrastructure simply seems<br />
absurd. We are already in a hole and<br />
this proposal tells us: “Stop digging!”<br />
It’s hard to find a builder that doesn’t<br />
profess their commitment to quality.<br />
But how many limit their definition<br />
of quality to the traditional attributes<br />
of craftsmanship and beauty? True<br />
quality includes the health of the<br />
home environment, the lifecycle impact of the home<br />
on our world, and the physical and emotional well<br />
being of the families who live, learn and grow in the<br />
home. As a community, we should invest our time and<br />
resources building homes that make it possible for future<br />
generations to thrive.<br />
Author, educator and environmentalist Bill McKibben<br />
put it aptly when he said, “The problem with climate<br />
change is that it’s a timed test. If you don’t solve it fast,<br />
then you don’t solve it.” This is our opportunity to<br />
contribute to the solution.<br />
64<br />
bostondesignguide.com
MODERN MEETS OLD SCHOOL<br />
CRAFTSMANSHIP<br />
Metro-Boston | Cape & Islands | New Hampshire<br />
www.kvcbuilders.com 781.890.5599 Instagram @kvcbuilders
Welcome Home...<br />
to the place for creating a modern home.<br />
Our 8000 square-foot showroom at Battery Wharf is New England’s largest Modern Kitchen & Living showroom<br />
offering Europe’s top brands, including TEAM 7, LEICHT, MisuraEmme, Arketipo, Altamarea, Gaggenau,<br />
Thermador, Rolf Benz and Miele, for kitchens, bathrooms, furniture, and wardrobes.<br />
2 Battery Wharf, Boston, MA 02109 | 617-443-0700 | www.divinedesignbuild.com