Design Diary Archives - Page 7 of 19

Design Diary: Leather District Loft by Michael Ferzoco

Michael Ferzoco of Eleven Interiors has made a bit of a specialty sprucing up living spaces for single men. That’s not to say he doesn’t deal in couple, families, and women—he does—but recently I’ve written about a couple of so-called bachelor pads” that he’s designed.

This one, which appeared as “All That Glitters” in Boston Home (photography by Michael J. Lee) is owned by a doctor who moved to Boston from Richmond, Virginia, where he lived in a four-level Italianate row house. When he relocated, he decided to seriously downsize, purchasing a 994-square-foot loft in Boston’s Leather District for him and his two large dogs. He now lives there with one mix breed beagle named Daisy.

After living there 13 years, he consulted interior designer Michael Ferzoco about upgrading his furnishings and re-imagining his kitchen. While he still loved the “gritty” feel of the neighborhood, he wanted a more luxurious living experience once he stepped inside. He says, “I wanted a place that felt like a very comfortable—but chic—hotel suite.” Ferzoco infused grandeur into the small space.

Ferzoco left the four large windows bare, so the space is bright all day. He helped the homeowner “vigilantly edit” his belongings. They kept the pair of mid-century modern leather-and-wood armchairs that the homeowner purchased at a yard sale in Texas. They also kept the large mirrored Scandinavian armoire from the 1800s, which the homeowner had purchased from close friends. Ferzoco steered him to replace his sofa with two new Minoti “Hamilton” sofas from The Morson Collection in Boston, which the homeowner had been admiring for a while.

The mirrored console from Horchow pre-dates Ferzoco. The homeowner purchased years ago in what he calls “a two martini moment,” on the advice of a friend. He couldn’t believe how large it was when it showed up. It definitely adds a spot of glam.

Suspended track lighting by Bruch highlights artwork by local artist Sand T. Kalloch. Ferzoco says, “I’m not into recessed lighting; it makes the ceiling look like Swiss cheese.”

The homeowner says, “I lean toward clean lines, but I also have an affinity for older things with classicism,” so they kept the clawfoot Baker dining table and chairs, which he purchased after finishing his residency. The chairs are upholstered in gray gabardine.

The emerald green and gold Bisazza mosaic tile backsplash goes all the way up to the ceiling. Chilmark Architectural Millwork made the glossy white lacquer cabinetry. The countertops are Caesarstone in Arctic White. The LEM Piston stools are from DWR.

The homeowner found the mid-century Austrian J.T. Kalmar chandelier, made from thick panels of textural crystal, in a consignment shop in Germany on a side trip from Russia.

The homeowner already had the chartreuse Emma Gardner rug. The marble-topped Minotti cocktail table was purchased along with the Minotti sofas from The Morson Collection when they went on sale. The mobile-like “Crescendo Chandelier” by Tech Lighting suffuses light across the room.

The glass brick wall behind the sofa is pre-existing, dividing the entry from the living space. Contemporary artwork makes for a fun backdrop for the bottles.

The homeowner purchased the cowhide when he lived in Texas. He bought the “L’Instant Tattinger” print on eBay. The wavy maple screen is by Knoll.

The framed red silk tapestry from the early 1900s is a family heirloom.

Master bathroom.

The homeowner had the leather tiles in oxblood from Ann Sacks installed shortly after purchasing the loft, to give the place some character. He says, “I figured the room has no light anyway, so why not embrace the dark richness?”

Photography by Michael J. Lee

• • •

Shop the Look

[show_shopthepost_widget id=”98924″]

ARTmonday: Stephen Sheffield’s Fort Point Studio

Our friend, photographer Stephen Sheffield, held an open studio at his loft in Fort Point on Saturday.

We love spending time with Stephen and Alison, whether we’re grabbing a drink at The Hawthorne, which Alison and Stephen designed together, hanging at our house, or, in the old days, at the playground. They’re even a pleasure to follow on Facebook, thanks to plenty of lunches accompanied by oversize glasses of wine, disgruntled kid anecdotes (the boys make appearances around town on Stephen’s Instagram too), and a family trip to Disney in a Winnebago.

We’re longtime fans of Stephen’s work (click back to ARTmonday: Stephen Sheffield), but we’d never been down to his studio. So glad we made the trip. It’s in a Fort Point loft building called Mondo Condo, with a funky old elevator , exposed brick walls, wood beam ceilings, and worn wood floors.

Stephen shoots most of his photographs (he uses actual film) on location, including a fair amount on a lake in northern Maine, where they spend summers. His studio has lots of little work spaces where he makes stuff (he creates mixed media pieces too), and his darkroom is just down the hall.

The studio is filled with his work, plenty of cameras, props like his bowler hats, other interesting odds and ends, a swing he rigged for the kids, and a chandelier he concocted from mannequin limbs.

Stephen grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts, attended Cornell University, earned his MFA at California College of the Arts, and teaches at New England School of Photography. Stephen Sheffield is represented in Boston by Panopticon Gallery.

• • •

Shop men’s clothing & accessories >

Design Diary: A Condo Built for Wine

For last year’s Boston Globe Magazine Kitchens & Baths issue, I profiled one of the more interesting projects I’ve researched—a condo for which the starting point was the homeowners’ wine collection. Designed by Thomas White of ACTWO Architects and built by Merz Construction, this 2,100-square-foot three bedroom in a high-rise overlooking Boston Common obviously did not come with a wine cellar. Here’s a detailed look, photographed by Greg Premru.

The entry area is defined by the same tile used in the kitchen, a ceramic tile by Tau that resembles Corten steel. To the right, interior designer Manuel de Santaren, whom the couple had worked with on prior projects, suggested cutting a five-inch deep niche for their Fornasetti screen, which was purchased by the husband’s mother in the 1950s. To the left is the hallway with the wine. Straight ahead is the dining area, partially concealed by a fixed metal screen.

The “Athos” dining table by B&B Italia are from Montage in Boston. The “Lirica” chairs by Domitalia are from Italian Interiors in Watertown. The Light blue wool rug with gold silk pattern is from Landry & Arcari in Boston. The light fixture is the Artemide Triple Linear Logico Classical.

Wanting a textured, transparent material other than glass, White devised a curtain of stainless steel rings that’s normally used in commercial applications, like cladding on airport facades. He brought in Jonathan Merz of Merz Construction early in the process, and they collaborated on the installation, using stainless parts they had had specially fabricated.

The photograph at the end of the hallway, by Victor Schragar, pictures books in varying stages of focus, wrapped in paper to resemble color fields. The couple purchased it from the Bernard Toale Gallery in the South End. They refinished the existing oak floor in medium brown.

The homeowner wanted to be sure that displaying the didn’t come off as ostentatious, or look like a bar at a trendy restaurant. White offered this wine storage solution: an illuminated wall of wine with floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors that could accommodate almost 30 cases of wine. It became the starting point for the overall design of the home, and its focal point.

After experimenting with costly custom ideas for what would hold the wine bottles, they chose an off-the-shelf metal rack that the homeowner found online.

White says, “We realized that illuminating the bottles could be artistic, and decided to make a whole wall glow.” When the doors are rolled shut, it’s not obvious what’s behind there. The homeowner says that it takes a while before people realize it’s wine. As for the mesh screen, he says, ‘“At night, light skims down the screen, transforming it into a sparkly wall.”

Lighting is at the top, behind a white pre-finished aluminum panel. There’s also a small exhaust fan that ventilates the heat that builds up from the lights. They took great pains to hide the ventilation, ducts, lighting, etc. and to be sure there were no unsightly shadows. Handles are stainless steel inset in the glass.

Standing in the kitchen, looking towards the entry. Waterfall countertop is a buttermilk shade of Caesarstone.

Since it’s visible from the entire home, they wanted to create a sleek kitchen that didn’t necessarily look like a kitchen. They chose white laminate glass for the backsplash, adding LED lighting behind it, so at night it would glow like the wine cabinet. Merz handled the tricky technical end of all that. The homeowners got the idea for floating shelves above the counter from the SieMatic showroom, where they purchased the cabinetry.

View of the wine cabinet, and the pantry beyond. The pantry houses an extra oven, microwave, and extra storage for dishware.

ACTWO designed built-ins for the living room, finished in rosewood and white gloss laminate. The homeowners collect colorful glass pieces displayed on the floating shelves.

The condo has a great city view, overlooking the Boston Common.

Since the homeowners are empty nesters, the two other bedrooms are his and hers offices, which also function as guest rooms.

More great built ins; note the vertically-oriented cubbies for the books.

The homeowners on the cover of the 2013 Globe Magazine Kitchens & Baths issue.
Read more about them and the project in my article “Beauty and the Bottle.“

* * *

Shop innovative lighting at Switch Modern >

Design Diary: A Boston Patio Inspired by Majorelle Gardens

Another oldie but goodie from the Boston Globe Magazine archives. In October 2009, I wrote “Kind of Blue,” about a Beacon Hill patio redesigned for outdoor entertaining, inspired by the homeowner’s trip to Morocco; Majorelle Gardens to be exact. This well-traveled 50-something hired Brian Feehan to transform her 10-by-17-foot outdoor space when she returned from her trip. He wondered how he would cram a 20-foot reflecting pool in there, but with a flair for the dramatic (Feehan is actually a director and choreographer), he managed to eke out a bit of paradise in the historic neighborhood.

I N S P I R A T I O N
Jardin Majorelle • Marrakech

Majorelle Garden was designed by the painter Jacques Majorelle in 1924 and revived by fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent and his partner, Pierre Berge, in 1980. Feehan took cues from the distinctive cobalt blue accent color, Moorish latticework, lush greenery, and fountain.

B E A C O N H I L L P A T I O
Designed by Brian Feehan

Feehan replaced the existed rotted wood deck with a mahogany-stained ipe deck and painted the existing lattice matte black. He added a trio of of 6-inch-wide horizontal wood strips in cobalt blue around the perimeter. The slats add color, and the homeowner can hang votives and flowerpots from them.

For additional interest and color, Feehan hung a pair of antique Chinese doors found at SoWa showroom Mohr & McPherson. The scale and shape mimic the French doors on the opposite wall, and provide a focal point when one steps onto the patio from the house.

The blue mosaic tile you see in the background is a fountain. More about that below. Look closely, there are mirrors on either side of it, which extend the feel of the space.

Feehan created a mosaic glass tile wall fountain that’s eight-feet high. Water runs down the surface, which is covered with tiles in different sizes and thicknesses. It’s uplit, creating a glistening, otherworldly effect in the evening, and sounds lovely too. The water collects at the bottom in a cobalt-colored trough that runs the length of the brick wall.

Moroccan style tiles are affixed to the gate, adding more flavor.

The patio is accessed from the condo by French doors.
Don’t you wish she’d invite you to a cocktail party?

B E F O R E

* * *

It’s time to wear your espadrilles!
Shop Soludos >

Design Diary: Rockledge House by Larson Shores Architects

I have many Design Diary posts for you—looks at homes I’ve written about for Boston print publications, but have yet to feature on StyleCarrot. This home, designed by Carrie Shores of Larson Shores Architects is an eco-friendly project we featured (on the cover) of the Boston Globe Magazine in December 2009. The article, called “Living A Vision” was photographed by James R. Salomon.

I flew up to Rockland, Maine to see the house, interview homeowner Rhonda Nordstrom, and isit her spa, which I blogged about here: Beauty Break: Rheal Day Spa. But before you click over, scroll through to see Rhonda Nordstrom’s green home in coastal Maine.

Photo by James R. Salomon

The two-story house, which replaced a small cottage that had no heat or running water in winter, is 1,400-square-feet, and sited on two-tenths of an acre with a very New England view. They didn’t cut down any trees, but had to do a lot of excavation and grading. The house is sited so passersby can enjoy the view of the harbor.

The exterior is shingled, to blend with the Maine vernacular, though the trim is painted black. The arrangement of windows and the overhang of the back porch lend a modern feel. They left the metal chimney pipe exposed, to echo the sensibility of the working waterfront.

Photo by James R. Salomon

Eco-friendly finishes are mixed with a contemporary and Scandinavian aesthetic. (Rhonda’s husband’s parents are from Sweden.) The kitchen cabinetry is Ikea, which fit the look and budget.

Photo by James R. Salomon

There’s no basement, just a concrete slab. Instead of covering over it, Shores incorporated it into the design. The first floor is stained, polished concrete, with radiant heat. The countertop is Corian. Beyond the eating area, sliders open into the grassy yard, which leads to the water.