EXTENDING SPACE

A reimagining of a worker’s cottage in Roxbury offers lessons in living large.

GROWING UP IN THE NETHERLANDS, Hidde Ploegh lived in old homes with modernist interiors. So, when the biochemist was looking to start fresh, he decided to trade in his conventional home in Brookline Village for one he would build from scratch. A new house that would satisfy his needs — not too big, close to work, built to last — and align with his Northern European aesthetic.

Architects Mette Aamodt and Andrew Plumb implicitly understood Ploegh’s point of view, thanks in part to their own Nordic heritage, Aamodt’s stint in Japan, and their dedication to what they call “slow space” (high-quality buildings made with healthy materials). They found Ploegh a crumbling worker’s cottage on a cul-de-sac in Roxbury’s Fort Hill neighborhood, took it down to the bedrock, and designed a 1,950-square-foot home in the existing footprint.

The cottage’s oversize windows, shimmering black brick, slatted wood details, and solar panel-studded metal roof mark the home as modern, but the overall shape and gable roof fit into the look of the neighborhood. “I wanted a structure that speaks a similar language as the neighboring houses,” Ploegh says.

The interior is open and airy with an upside-down layout dictated by the site. The two bedrooms and the office, which walks out to a patio thanks to the sloped property, are on the lower level where it’s dark, quiet, and conducive to sleeping. The entry level is devoted to cooking and dining, and the top floor, which gets glorious sunlight, is a living room

with 20-foot-tall cathedral ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows that follow the lines of the pitched roof. “Hidde was flexible in his thinking about how to use the house,” Aamodt says. “He recognized the value of using the best space for the waking hours.”

Ploegh also embraced the architects’ suggestion for a statement staircase. Typically, in smaller houses, it’s tucked to the side so as not to eat up living space. But this one, built by the same carpenter who created the home’s detailed oak interior, is central to the home’s overall design. “The stair takes up a lot of space but creates a lot of delight,” Aamodt says. “It’s also a light well: Light spills down from above, drawing occupants up to the kitchen in the morning.”

The sculptural staircase sits to the left of the front door with a vertical stretch of windows behind it, contributing to the interior’s Zen-like feel. The foyer is a discrete space — a wall of cabinetry blocks the view into the rest of the home — that acts as a visual palate cleanser. “It forces you to slow down, pause, and collect yourself,” Aamodt says.

The setup also plays a role in making the home feel larger. To reach the kitchen requires maneuvering around the stairwell, past the slatted screen, and then turning again. “Having to turn left then right elongates the journey,” Aamodt says, explaining that she borrowed the strategy from Japanese architecture. “The mind records the movements of the body, tricking you into thinking you’ve covered more ground than you actually have; experientially, the space feels bigger.”

Although the eat-in kitchen is not par

“Lining the house in a cohesive material lends a continuity that makes the space feel expansive,” Mette Aamodt says.

ticularly large, the wall of windows — the entire back of the house is glass — visually extends it. It doesn’t hurt that the room opens to a deck that runs the full width of the house. The natural materials palette also contributes to the comfortable feel. “Our bodies have an affinity to elements that are part of nature because we’re part of nature,” Aamodt reasons. “I also love that the soapstone countertops will change and age with use.”

The soothing white oak walls and ceilings and the reclaimed red oak floors (their livelier graining helps hide dirt) flow seamlessly from one room to the next. “Lining the house in a cohesive material lends a continuity that makes the space feel expansive,” Aamodt says. Ploegh admires the wood’s warm ambience and the exquisite craftsmanship, noting that not a single nail or screw is visible. He also enjoys the treehouse-like views from the balcony off the book-filled living room. His two wire-haired dachshunds, Scooter and Trinket, appreciate the views that the floor-to-ceiling windows grant them.

The location and diverse neighborhood are also important for Ploegh. Not only can he pop home for lunch, he loves the camaraderie he’s found here. “We all know and look out for each other, and even share different cultural traditions,” he says. “I think I’ve met more people here in the last couple of years than I did in the 20 years in my former neighborhood.”

YOUR HOME SMALL SPACES

Facing page: Shimmery black brick by Endicott is a modern interpretation of a traditional material, which pairs with the wood screen at the front porch that’s meant to ease the transition from outside to in. Above: A Rakks shelving system is an economical solution for storing the homeowner’s book collection in the living room, where simple lights don’t interfere with the leafy view. Right: Upon entry, one can go down or up the light-filled stairway or make the way around the slatted screen, pause at the bench to remove their shoes, then continue to the kitchen.

Facing page: A storage loft takes advantage of the 20-foot-high ceiling in the front-facing part of the living room. The sofa was built by local woodworker John Rowley, based on a 1920 design by Eileen Gray. Top: A minimalist wall of cabinetry blocks the view from the front entry into the kitchen, where the island’s soapstone countertop includes a marble insert for pastry- and chocolate-making. Above: Owain Harris, a New Hampshire-based cabinetmaker, made the custom ash storage piece with asymmetrically-arranged and numbered drawers that sits on the lower level by the home office.