Design Diary: Davis Square Loft With Roof Garden

Five years ago (wow), I met Sharon Kitchens, she who now lives on the Great Cluck Egg Farm (blogged about here) and writes two blogs, The Root for the Portland Press Herald, and her own, called Delicious Musings, when I wrote about her Davis Square loft for Stuff Magazine. Going back through my archives, I see I never blogged about it. Crazy, because I totally, totally loved it. The photos aren’t perfect, but I hope you can see the loft’s general amazingness.

Kitchens, who had been on hiatus from Hollywood up in Maine (and yes, she’s back there again now), fell in love on the spot with this 850-square-foot, top-floor unit at the Davis Square Lofts in Somerville, Mass. It used to be the Comfort Pillow factory, and is adjacent to a renovated tin toy factory. The developer retained the industrial vibe, mixing in just the right amount of modern day luxe. There are bridge like walkways, garage doors accessing outdoor spaces, open floor plans, concrete floors, and interesting fixtures. Let’s go in.

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The entry door and her sweet, old dog.

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 The living room, which is what you face when you walk in. The piano artwork on the right is by the son of Portland, Maine gallery owner June Fitzpatrick.

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The front deck, accessed by a garage door. Kitchens got her start planting vegetables here.

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Looking back, the study is on the right, and the kitchen on the left. Keep looking back through the kitchen and you’ll spot the garage door in the bedroom, on the other end of the loft.

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Heading into the galley kitchen.

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Sharon just finished baking granola. No surprise she ended up owning a farm in Maine! Truth is, growing up, she spent summers on her grandparents’ farm in Arkansas. Love the red knobs on the petit gas range.

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Open shelving and a butcher block countertop.

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Sharon tucks a black & white photograph, by Sabrina Krisky, behind the kitchen sink.

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Industrial sink in the bathroom.

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And the metal shelf above, with indoor/outdoor industrial sconces, raw wood beams, and more art.

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The airy bedroom. The fun chair is from the Rockland Antiques Marketplace in Rockland, Maine.

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Vintage dressers and rugs in the bedroom.

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Sharon shows off a family heirloom: her grandmother’s vintage ’70s patchwork skirt. Very Todd Oldham!

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Outside, you can see the plank walkways with chicken wire-like fencing.

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Sharon pursued her interest in gardening ou on the deck.

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She and her neighbors also shared a CSA and would cook dinner together on Sundays.

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Looking back toward her unit.

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And back on the ground. Bye!

Author: StyleCarrot

Marni Elyse Katz is a design writer and editor who lives in Boston and Cape Cod with her husband, two sons, and a cat. She blogs about design at www.stylecarrot.com

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