Outdoor appeal in Bay Village
The last thing you expect to find when losing your way in the Bay Village — Boston's tiny historic neighborhood packed with brick row houses lining narrow streets — is a taste of the outdoors.
But the newly renovated home at 28 Melrose St. comes pretty close.
“The whole idea was to become one with nature,” said Angelique Kouris, as she pushed open an accordion door made of glass and the size of a garage entrance. Upon opening the door, the ground level kitchen of the Federal-style row house flowed out onto a big sunny patio.
“Even though you're in the city,” she said, “you're connected with outdoor living.”
Kouris renovated the fivelevel, $2,695,000 home with her husband, George, this year.
Hyperbole aside — the place isn't exactly the wilderness — the design makes the home feel big, bright and airy. And the patio is landscaped with shrubs and plants and fenced in by brick walls partially grown over with lush green vines.
The theme of openness is echoed throughout the 2,600-square-foot house. Three of the floors have some escape to the outside, whether it be the deck off the living room or the “skylight balconies” on the top floor that allow views of the city and a breath of fresh air.
“It was a small place, so the idea was to open it up as much as possible,” said the home's architect, Paul MacNeely. “The key to a place like that is light. The more light you can get in there, the bigger it feels.”
As for the rest of the home's design, it's white and contemporary and linked by a staircase with wood steps and a railing of black metal rods. Oak floors are throughout, starting with the kitchen. That big room is probably the home's most impressive, and is equipped with one of those cool induction ranges that heats food through an electromagnetic field, quartz countertops and center island, a fireplace and a porcelain-like tile backsplash.
Upstairs in the first-floor living room is a white-painted wood paneled wall with built-in shelves, cabinets and wet bar. The master bedroom that takes up the second floor has a large bathroom with a double-vanity and a grand stand-alone tub. A floor up are two more bedrooms and above that is the top-floor family room with the skylights. Views of historic Bay Village homes that rival the beauty of nearby Beacon Hill can be seen from every window in the house.
The transformation was dramatic, MacNeely said.
“It was a mess (before), it was chopped up into several rooms, the ceilings were low,” said MacNeely, who said the plan was to open up the home as much as possible.
But rebuilding the interior while still maintaining the historic brick outside of the home was a challenge.
“Even designing the staircase was a task,” said George, Angelique's husband. “The front door outside is custom-made ... to match what was there originally.”
Some of their first plans for the place were shot down by the neighborhood's historic group, said MacNeely, adding that the rules contributed to a better design.
“It keeps the fabric (of the neighborhood) consistent,” he said. “The key from my perspective is being able to work within those confines.”
Julie Holenport of Coldwell Banker is handling the sale of the home: (617) 605-3429.