Bespoke Cottage

Jenny Johnson, the Emmy-winning host of NESN’s Dining Playbook and Comcast Newsmakers, and her husband, N Magazine editor and author Robert Cocuzzo, partnered with New England Home to reimagine the couple’s newly purchased cottage along Boston’s North Shore. The goal was to reinterpret the 1903 home for life in the twenty-first century, so Johnson and New England Home teamed up with an award-winning interior designer, a renowned builder, and a curated collective of local, regional, and national partners to make the family’s vision a reality without sacrificing the sought-after charm and character that defined the cottage’s original spaces.

“We’re storytellers by profession,” says Johnson, “so it was important to us that our home told a story from the moment we walked in.” To help draft that narrative, Winchester-based interior designer Kate Maloney Albiani was called upon for her expertise and educated eye to marry vintage charm with the contemporary needs of a young family’s active lifestyle. Known for her deft ability to mix old and new, along with color, pattern, and a certain joie de vivre, Maloney Albiani was the ideal choice to imbue the vintage cottage with a veritable breath of fresh air.

“I take a lot of cues from the architecture itself, and then I also try to consider the family that’s going to be occupying the space,” says Maloney Albiani of her process. “So I often bridge the gap with textiles and soft goods to help me mix a younger flavor into a more traditional setting.”

Throughout the residence, an eclectic mix of furnishings, art, and accessories engages the senses. In homeowner Jenny Johnson’s chic office area, Johnson works from Universal Furniture’s Carmichael Accent Chair. The nubby rug from Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting adds a layer of coziness. The vases are from The Chatham Home.

New homeowners Jenny Johnson and Robert Cocuzzo with daughters Vienna and Lenox.

A sculptural Graves Task Lamp from Circa Lighting complements the abundance of natural light in Johnson’s office area. The desk accessories are from The Chatham Home.

A small area rug from Landry & Arcari defines a small seating area in a large living room.

The living room is the heart of the young family’s home, and it also serves as a busy pass-through to almost all other areas of the residence, so a floating furniture arrangement was devised to leave pathways unobstructed. The Tate Sofa, flanked by a pair of Mitchum end tables, is grouped with two leather Eden accent chairs, all by Universal Furniture. In front of the windows, two Dexter accent chairs flank the Scatter Table, also all by Universal Furniture. The Anette floor lamps are from Circa Lighting. The area rug and stair runner are from Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting. Artwork by Judith Bigham hangs above the mantel, which is adorned with accessories from Lekker Home.

The mix of patterned fabrics on the chairs and on the curtains are the perfect juxtaposition to the rug’s subtle design.

Leather, brass, and a hand-crafted rug create a sophisticated mix in front of a cozy fireplace.

Two different styles of rugs from Landry & Arcari define this sunroom’s distinct seating areas.

Unique rugs from Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting also give individual spaces a personal point of view, even as rooms flow one into the other. “All of the downstairs rugs are different and define the spaces differently, but they flow really successfully,” says Maloney Albiani.

The public living spaces and private quarters incorporate stylish and family-friendly upholstery, case goods, and other furnishings by Universal Furniture. A chic mix of different textures and finishes, along with sleek and eye-catching silhouettes, effortlessly melds with the spaces they inhabit.

One of the biggest feats of the project was a newly renovated primary bath, as well as the addition of a new shared bath created from unused closet space. Enter builder FBN Construction and the pros at Designer Bath and Salem Plumbing Supply to work their magic.

“I am so grateful to FBN Construction and Designer Bath and the partnerships they brought to the table,” says Maloney Albiani. “When you’re designing something very technical like these baths, strong partners become imperative. Designers have the vision and the conceptual idea of what we want these bathrooms to look like, but it’s incredibly helpful to have partners who are knowledgeable and can really help you with the execution.”

The home’s primary bath was renovated into a spa-like sybaritic retreat by FBN Construction. One of the room’s focal points is the Interlude vanity in Morel by Bertch, which is available through Designer Bath and Salem Plumbing Supply. The Edie sconces are from Circa Lighting.

The Formoso Petite Bathtub is complemented by a Taos Floor-mount Tub Filler with Handshower, both by Crosswater London and available through Designer Bath. The rug is from Landry & Arcari. The artwork is by Lauren Marttila.

The Statuario marble from Cumar used for the countertop and the shower jamb and niche features a bright white background and soft-yet-distinct gray veining.

Tile and marble in the primary bath include a mix of glass mosaics, herringbone patterns, and hexagon designs from DiscoverTile to add visual interest to the ethereal design. Oasis Shower Doors expertly installed the neo-angled shower enclosure. The shower control and showerhead are the Taos Pressure-balance Shower Set Trim, available through Designer Bath

Vienna’s room features floral throw pillows from Cheeky Monkey Home, bedding from The Chatham Home, the Clout Small Sconce from Circa Lighting, and a plush rug from Landry & Arcari.

A new shared bath was created out of unused closet space. The bathroom floor, shower floor, and shower accent wall all feature a matte marble-look three-quarter-inch recycled-glass penny-round mosaic from DiscoverTile.

In daughter Vienna’s closet, California Closets design consultant Hailee Jacobsen took advantage of every inch of usable space, maximizing functionality while keeping things accessible.

The shower control system features Crosswater London’s Belgravia 1000 Thermostatic Valve Trim With Single Integrated Volume Control and Cross Handles. The shower doors from Oasis Shower Doors were hinged off a glass panel, instead of the wall, to keep the towel bars from hitting the walls. The shower jamb is Calacatta Lux quartzite from Cumar.

The Calacatta Lux countertop from Cumar is a soft-white quartzite with a linear, thin, soft-gray vein. Crosswater London’s Belgravia Single-hole Basin Faucet with Cross Handles is from Designer Bath.

Bob Ernst of FBN Construction notes the challenges of working on older houses. “We have found, over our years of experience, that they ‘just don’t build them like they used to,’ and in many cases that’s a good thing,” says Ernst. “What passed for good-quality construction techniques could pose problems with meeting current codes and supporting the use of available and desired materials and state-of-the-art systems, such as HVAC, electrical, and plumbing. Being involved from the beginning of the design process with the owner and designer in collaboration allows us to listen to program goals and objectives, offer creative solutions, and brainstorm possible options before decisions are made without the benefit of our knowledge and experience.”

As far as that genius move to create a new bath out of previously unused space, Ernst is a house detective, of sorts.

“I have personally been able to carve out a number of these unique and efficient bathrooms where others might have overlooked the possibilities,” he says, “so I always approach them with a positive attitude and an open mind.”

Once the foundation was laid and layers were added, the focus turned to ambience. “Lighting is a really nice way to bring in additional personality to the architecture and is the least permanent of all of the architectural choices,” says Maloney Albiani, “so you can have a bit of fun.”

And with this renovation, “a bit of fun” seemed to be an apropos capstone for both the collaborative partners and homeowners.

Welcome home!

Project Team
Cumar Couture Stone, cumar.com
California Closets, californiaclosets.com 
Designer Bath, designerbath.com
Discover Tile, discovertile.com 
FBN Construction, fbnconstruction.com
Kate Maloney Interior Design, katemaloneyid.com 
Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting, landryandarcari.com 
Universal Furniture, universalfurniture.com