Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1101832
This mix of country charm and access to urban life is the magic that drew its owners to purchase and renovate the gracious home overlooking Winchester's bucolic Mystic Lake. The couple—professionals who both work in Bos- ton—wanted a quieter home base than their previous Beacon Hill townhouse, preferably a place in the coun- try that also would be closer to family. Architect Patrick Ahearn, FAIA, understood. With offices in both Boston and Martha's Vineyard, Ahearn is used to the joys of toggling between city life and more pastoral surround- ings. He responded to the couple with a grand plan: Gut the house and introduce a welcoming openness, bringing the house up to 21st-century standards while maintaining the spirit of the original. "The point was 72 Clockwise from top left: Mystic Lake gives the home an expansive, serene view. A gutting and redesign of the interior allowed Ahearn to create an open, welcome spirit, including the kitchen and adjoining family room. The entry's staircase opens to the third floor, for a spacious feel. The staircase's balustrades are in a barley-twist pattern, reflective of the home. The wall color that runs through much of the home, including the library, is a mix of linen and china white, custom designed by Ahearn. THE CLASSIC VICTORIAN-ERA HOME, set on a leafy street in Winchester, is as genteel today as it was in the late 1800s, when its owners likely sat on the lawn in the evening sipping new-fashioned cocktails from petite crystal glasses. Fast-forward to two centuries later, and the house today has an advantage that the original owners would never have imagined: the ability to hop on a train and be in downtown Boston in 15 minutes.