Renovated townhouse with modern interior design by Walker Architects

Boston historic townhouse renovation with modern design features.

Historic dining that mixes historic architectural details with modern interior design in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood.

Interior design featuring a blend of modern design and original details.

A Beacon Hill dining room updated with contemporary lighting fixtures and modern furniture.

A modern walnut kitchen designed for a historic Boston rowhouse featuring open shelving and retro applyances.

Modern Kitchen Remodeling design in New England

Contemporary Townhouse Renovation in Boston.

A contemporary den with custom television storage.

Home office design featuring colorful custom bookshelves.

Beacon Hill House minimalist primary bedroom design by Walker Architects

Modern bedroom interior design featuring a built-in wardrobe closet by Walker Architects.

Beacon Hill House dressing room featuring warm gray custom cabinetry.

Warm minimalist details by Walker Architects.

Renovated townhouse powder room with dramatic floating vanity.

BEACON HILL TOWNHOUSE RENOVATION

Boston’s Beacon Hill streets are often crowded with tourists mostly engaged in the fantasy of what it might be like to live in a tight historic neighborhood, traveling worn brick sidewalks and streets sometimes barely wide enough for a horse carriage. And usually, those few who take the next step and buy an old house here continue to indulge that fantasy with some combination of faux Federal or Victorian interiors that have little to do with their otherwise modern lives.

For one young couple just starting out, however, the renovation of this house was an opportunity to embrace the history of the neighborhood with a fresh and energetic take on rowhouse living. The house – five floors each barely more than 500 square feet—had been treated rather roughly over the past nearly two hundred years. What modest original detail that remained – marble fireplace surrounds, simple crown mouldings and window casings – was preserved, but the owners embraced a clean and confident aesthetic for a new kitchen, bathrooms, a media room, a primary suite, and furnishings throughout.

Architecturally, enclosed rooms were retained for bedrooms and studies, while walls were freely removed elsewhere to create an open kitchen and lounge on the entry level, and an airy, white-and-gray retreat of a primary bedroom at the top floor. In between, wood floors were dyed a bold black, while damaged and dowdy stair rails were refreshed with high-gloss paint and a bold carpet pattern. This backdrop hosts a sophisticated mixture of modern and vintage furniture and artwork. Old and new surprise each other in unexpected pairings – walnut veneer suitable for a downtown law firm is deployed on sleek, handleless kitchen cabinets, and a sculptural foot playfully kicks off an introduction to the otherwise formally arranged parlor-level living and dining rooms. The overall effect is both calm and energizing; the perfect sense of home in the city.

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