Perfectly Balanced

THROUGH THE PROCESS OF RENOVATION, THE HOMEOWNERS AND ARCHITECTS WORKED TO PRESERVE THE ORIGINAL FOOTPRINT OF THIS SYMMETRICAL HOME.

Tucked away in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is a small colony of 23 modernist homes. Known as Brown’s Wood, these homes were designed as a sort of cooperative in the 1950s by some of the best local architects of the time, and this particular home, designed by Walter Hill and Henry B. Hoover, was built in 1958.

“There’s a really powerful symmetry about the house,” says Colin Flavin, founding principal of Flavin Architects, the Boston firm that remodeled the home in 2017. “It’s a very symmetrical floor plan.” Heather Souza, senior associate at Flavin Architects and the project architect for this renovation, oversaw the details and execution—everything from the lighting fixtures and color schemes to the dramatically upgraded master bathroom.

“There’s a really powerful symmetry about the house.”

INITIAL INTENTION

When interviewing different architects to renovate the house, homeowners Kim and Neal Rajdev found that many wanted to drastically change the master bedroom by removing existing walls, increasing its size and taking over the adjacent bedroom. The homeowners cared so much about the original architect’s vision that they opted to keep their smaller, simpler master bedroom and work within the existing footprint of the home. “As they think about the beauty of what was created, they really want to respect that,” says Colin. The family was very involved in the renovation and Kim’s father even acted as project manager.

DESIGN IN THE DETAILS

Some of the early renovation conversations revolved around what to do with the existing tongue-and-groove paneling as well as the exposed beams and floors. “The client was at first a little nervous about having so much wood,” says Heather, “but then we decided to remain with the original intention, and we kept all the wood natural, as it was from the beginning.”

The beams and fireplace were initially all white, but painting the beams a dark gray and wrapping the fireplace with neolith iron gray brought a more modern element to the space. The original lighting fixtures in the main living spaces were much smaller opal pendants, so adding the large white Moooi Random Lights was another modern take on the classic midcentury features.

MAKING IT COMFORTABLE

Colin says that when renovating midcentury homes in the suburbs of Boston, one of the first features they often notice is a wood-burning stove. “That is an early warning that the house has never been able to be heated properly,” he says. As a result, homes like this one can be particularly uncomfortable to live in, especially during the cold winter months.

Part of the home’s symmetry lies with the unique placement of the kitchen in the heart of the home.

To make the home more livable, they added insulation to the roof and other necessary heating and cooling features. “We put down new radiant floor heating throughout all the bedroom and family spaces,” says Heather, also noting the addition of mini-split units to the walls in multiple rooms to supplement for warmth.

“We decided to remain with the original intention, and we kept all the wood natural, as it was from the beginning.”

THE HEART OF THE HOME

In the main living space, the team removed a wall that separated the kitchen from the dining room. “That was sort of typical in the 1950s,” says Colin. “The kitchen would really be kept contained from the rest of the house.” Opening up the space to better fit the family’s lifestyle allowed them to keep the concept intact while still modernizing the layout.

“We want to respect the integrity of what was created originally. So in this kitchen, for example, the location of the cooktop and sink is where things were originally,” says Colin. “We replaced all the finishes, but we kept the concept.” part of the home’s symmetry lies with the unique placement of the kitchen in the heart of the home. “It sits right in the center of the house, which I think is a neat metaphor,” says Colin, “It has a wonderful kind of family-centered focus.”

WHILE THE HOMEOWNERS WERE ORIGINALLY CONCERNED ABOUT HAVING SO MUCH WOOD IN THE SPACE, THIS FLOATING ENGINEERED HARDWOOD FLOOR IN THE MAIN LIVING AREAS WAS THE PERFECT FINISH.

TONGUE-AND-GROOVE PANELING ON THE WALLS AND CEILING FILL THE SPACE WITH WARMTH, WHILE THE DARK-GRAY EXPOSED BEAMS STAND OUT AGAINST THE NATURAL WOOD.

(ABOVE) KITCHEN RENOVATIONS INCLUDED REMOVING A WALL THAT SEPARATED THE KITCHEN FROM THE DINING ROOM WHERE THE OPEN SHELVING UNIT IS. THIS CREATED A MORE FUNCTIONAL LIVING AREA FOR THE HOMEOWNERS.

THE FLOOR IN THE KITCHEN AND DINING AREAS WAS ORIGINALLY TILED WITH 2-SQUARE-INCH TILES. CHOOSING TO USE THESE 24-SQUARE-INCH GRAY TILES MODERNIZED THE SPACE AND GAVE IT A SOFT CONCRETE FEELING.

(ABOVE) INSTEAD OF CHANGING THE FLOOR PLAN TO CREATE A LARGE MASTER SUITE, THE HOMEOWNERS DECIDED TO KEEP THIS SMALLER SPACE TO RESPECT THE ORIGINAL FOOTPRINT.

(LEFT) THIS SPACE WENT THROUGH A MAJOR OVERHAUL. HEATHER OVERSAW MOVING THE VANITY TO THE OPPOSITE END OF THE ROOM TO OPEN UP THIS PREVIOUSLY BOX-LIKE SHOWER AND BATH SPACE WITH MODERN AND FUNCTIONAL FEATURES LIKE THE CURBLESS SHOWER AND ANN SACKS TILE.