RVP Photography

This renovated brick rowhome in Boston’s South End offers a modern aesthetic within a historic structure, creative use of space, exceptional thermal comfort, a reduced carbon footprint, and a passive stream of income. DESIGN PRIORITIES. The goals for the project were clear - design the primary unit to accommodate the family’s modern lifestyle, rework the layout to create a desirable rental unit, improve thermal comfort and introduce a modern aesthetic. We designed the street-level entry as a shared entrance for both the primary and rental unit. The family uses it as their everyday entrance - we planned for bike storage and an open mudroom with bench and shoe storage to facilitate the change from shoes to slippers or bare feet as they enter their home. On the main level, we expanded the kitchen into the dining room to create an eat-in space with generous counter space and storage, as well as a comfortable connection to the living space. The second floor serves as master suite for the couple - a bedroom with a walk-in-closet and ensuite bathroom, and an adjacent study, with refinished original pumpkin pine floors. The upper floor, aside from a guest bedroom, is the child's domain with interconnected spaces for sleeping, work and play. In the play space, which can be separated from the work space with new translucent sliding doors, we incorporated recreational features inspired by adventurous and competitive television shows, at their son’s request. MODERN MEETS TRADITIONAL. We left the historic front facade of the building largely unchanged - the security bars were removed from the windows and the single pane windows were replaced with higher performing historic replicas. We designed the interior and rear facade with a vision of warm modernism, weaving in the notable period features. Each element was either restored or reinterpreted to blend with the modern aesthetic. The detailed ceiling in the living space, for example, has a new matte monochromatic finish, and the wood stairs are covered in a dark grey floor paint, whereas the mahogany doors were simply refinished. New wide plank wood flooring with a neutral finish, floor-to-ceiling casework, and bold splashes of color in wall paint and tile, and oversized high-performance windows (on the rear facade) round out the modern aesthetic. RENTAL INCOME. The existing rowhome was zoned for a 2-family dwelling but included an undesirable, single-floor studio apartment at the garden level with low ceiling heights and questionable emergency egress. In order to increase the quality and quantity of space in the rental unit, we reimagined it as a two-floor, 1 or 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with a modern aesthetic, increased ceiling height on the lowest level and provided an in-unit washer/dryer. The apartment was listed with Jackie O'Connor Real Estate and rented immediately, providing the owners with a source of passive income. ENCLOSURE WITH BENEFITS. The homeowners sought a minimal carbon footprint, enabled by their urban location and lifestyle decisions, paired with the benefits of a high-performance home. The extent of the renovation allowed us to implement a deep energy retrofit (DER) to address air tightness, insulation, and high-performance windows. The historic front facade is insulated from the interior, while the rear facade is insulated on the exterior. Together with these building enclosure improvements, we designed an HVAC system comprised of continuous fresh air ventilation, and an efficient, all-electric heating and cooling system to decouple the house from natural gas. This strategy provides optimal thermal comfort and indoor air quality, improved acoustic isolation from street noise and neighbors, as well as a further reduced carbon footprint. We also took measures to prepare the roof for future solar panels, for when the South End neighborhood’s aging electrical infrastructure is upgraded to allow them. URBAN LIVING. The desirable neighborhood location allows the both the homeowners and tenant to walk, bike, and use public transportation to access the city, while each charging their respective plug-in electric cars behind the building to travel greater distances. OVERALL. The understated rowhouse is now ready for another century of urban living, offering the owners comfort and convenience as they live life as an expression of their values. Photography Eric Roth Photo

Bathroom

The Imperial soaking tub invites you to enter and relax into its deep basin. Enjoy a fully satisfying immersion experience. Its stunning design and quality construction make it a showstopper that is built to last. Not only beautiful, but easy to maintain, the Imperial freestanding bathtub is the perfect shining jewel for your bathroom. The bathtub comes with pre-installed chrome finish pop-up drain and overflow and has an adjustable base for the precise leveling and stability. To ensure the highest quality, Pacific Collection bathtubs are UPC, cUPC and IAPMO approved.

We utilized a matte white herringbone tile (4x 24) for the shower and on the floor is a 4x48 Citrus Natural by Happy Floors. Our Kerdi waterproofing system by Schluter-Systems North America was used for the shower as well as Ditra heated floors throughout.

Bi-folding shower door 3/8 clear tempered glass installed on the bathtube for our customers in New York in Manhattan looks great in the interior

This soothing rustic modern bathroom was remodeled on an episode of HGTV House Hunters Renovation. My client had differing tastes. He likes modern and she likes Spanish design. The final result is a combination of both. The finishes are a mix of warm woods and dramatic tile. The shower tile is a large scale arabesque which adds the Spanish flair and the large scale black floor tile anchors the room. We mixed black and gold fixtures for an eclectic touch.

Florian Grohen

Tony Soluri

Justin Adams

Trent Teigan

By Thrive Design Group The shower really is the highlight of the space for me. The variation in the handmade tile adds character and style, even know the shower is a modest size.