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boston house
The Cambridge Victorian was last updated in the 1970s and underwent a top-to-bottom makeover with an injection of color.
When architect Sam Kachmar’s client first contacted him When she renovated her home in Cambridge five years ago, she knew it would take a lot of work, but she and her husband were hesitant to invest a fortune if it wasn’t their forever home. “I think we need fewer walls and an open floor plan,” she suggested.After looking at her extensive art collection, Kachma demurred: “I think you need more Wall,” he told her. However, despite multiple design iterations, the pair just couldn’t seem to pull the trigger. Instead, they called to say they had found a house that needed a complete renovation—could Kachma take a look?
The charming 1897 Victorian-style building in Cambridge’s Avon Hill neighborhood and Plenty of wall space. But it was last renovated 50 years ago and it still looks the same, with yellow toilets, walk-around closet doors and red floors. “It was a great style from the 1970s, but people today are not pursuing that style,” says Kachmar, principal of Samuel Kachmar Architects. Not to mention, it’s not insulated, still has a lot of single glazing, and is the opposite of energy efficient. It needed some serious TLC—but just how much, we didn’t know until they opened it and found a mess. “We wanted to know, how does this thing stay in shape?” said Kachmar, who worked with lead designer Mike Fields. “Everything was stitched together in a way that wouldn’t be appropriate for a house of this level of grandeur.”
To satisfy Cambridge Historical Commission approval, the plan was to restore as much of the interior as possible while retaining as much of the historic features on the front of the house, including leaded glass window panes. The most significant structural change proposed by the team was moving the basement staircase from the back of the house to the front, connecting it to the main stairwell. So you can stand in the basement and see all the way to the master suite on the third floor. “In a house like this, it gives you a nice sense of verticality,” says Kachma. It’s practical, too: The walkout basement now houses a cozy family room (along with an office, guest suite, and gym) that’s easier to access from the main living area.
A grand four-story staircase provides an elegant focal point upon entering the home. To the right is the living room and to the left is the dining room, mudroom and kitchen. In the space vacated by the back stairwell, Kachma added a powder room adjacent to the mudroom and kitchen. Schumaker’s decision to use Chinese blue “Chiang Mai Dragon” wallpaper in the powder room was one of the first decisions the client made together with interior designer Amanda Reid of Mandarina Studio. “That really influenced the color palette of the rest of the house,” says Reed, including Farrow & Ball’s “Lulworth Blue” kitchen cabinets, which were chosen for their “fun and happy” vibe.
One of the couple’s top priorities was having access to the backyard from the kitchen, so the team replaced the outdated windows with French doors that lead to a newly landscaped bluestone patio complete with plunge pool. A bench was a must, too: The client wanted a place for her two daughters to do homework or eat breakfast, but not at the kitchen island or formal dining room. Schumaker-designed “Exotic Butterfly” pattern fabric both indoors and outdoors brightens the space and accentuates the vivid blue cabinetry.
The colors of the girls’ ensuite bedrooms upstairs reflect their personalities: one in soft pastels, the other in brighter, more lively tones. On the third floor, the master suite includes a sitting area, a sleeping area and a bathroom—complete with a separate soaking tub, curbless shower, and separate water closet—to the right as you first ascend the stairs. To the left.
The final design respects the history of the house. “It’s a fusion of styles and periods,” says Reed, “which makes it feel like a cohesive plan and doesn’t interfere with the original architecture of the house.” What’s more, it achieves the client’s goal: to provide Her colorful art collection provides a fitting backdrop. Mission accomplished—and then some.
Bath and beauty
Reed typically steers clients toward a more sophisticated look when planning a child’s bathroom because children “inevitably grow,” she laughs. “It’s one thing to change the color of the bedding or walls, but most people aren’t going to renovate their bathroom again for a few years, so you definitely want to design something that will grow with your child.” For example, for your youngest daughter’s bathroom, a flower-shaped side wall A mirror and delicate flower-shaped drawer pulls off the dresser cleverly mimic the pattern of her Galbraith & Paul bedroom curtains.
architect
Sam Kachma Architects
builder
Perry FH
interior designer
citrus studio
First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Spring 2024 issue, titled “A Herculean Task.”
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