CITY EDGE LOFT

LOCATION | BOSTON, MA
COMPLETED | 2014
ARCHITECT | RUHL WALKER ARCHITECTS
GENERAL CONTRACTOR | PAQUETTE ASSOCIATES
PHOTOGRAPHER | MICHAEL J. LEE PHOTOGRAPHY ©

After living in this unit for seven years, the owner, realizing that the neighborhood was changing fast and could support additional investment, sought to add privacy and function to an open loft. He wanted a bedroom and a study, each with walls and built-in storage, and a bigger bathroom. The challenge was how to maintain the allure of a light-filled open floor plan while providing the delineated spaces the client desired. At the same time, this unit was in need of the next level of design to give it the texture and character that would fit the owner's lifestyle.

The functional solution was to partition a bedroom and study with a nearly continuous wall of black metal industrial glazing - a modern evocation of the industrial roots of the neighborhood. Full-height cabinetry finished with a sustainable, engineered wood, stained a calm warm gray/brown subtly mutes the existing reddish orange concrete flooring and divides the spaces while providing much needed storage. Through careful planning, a bathtub was removed, turning the existing bath into a powder room and gaining space for a generous new en-suite master bath. In the drum-shaped living room, which affords a 270 degree city view, coffers in the high ceiling were smoothed over and the curved outside wall was reworked. A top-to-bottom expanse of knit mesh drapery and carefully selected paint colors unify the drum. On the opposite side, HVAC and A/V components were collected into a rational assembly of concealed storage cabinets and fixed panels, finished with the same wood veneer used throughout. A show stopping 8' David Weeks suspended light draws the eye upward and accentuates the luxurious volume of this monumental space.

PRESS  
Boston Home Magazine
Spring 2015
In the Open