Colorful Reimagining of a Brookline Victorian

Off the foyer is a colorful, sophisticated parlor where grown-ups can gather. The arch added by Eleven Interiors creates a graceful entrance to the room made bright with Romo Lavinia Matte wallcovering and woodwork painted Sherwin-Williams Gale Force.

The living room, with its restored wood-burning fireplace, casual contemporary furniture, and wood beams, is a warm, livable family space. The photograph above the mantel is by Gerome Bonner.

The arch motif is repeated in the living room, drawing the eye to foyer and parlor beyond.

The owners use the dining room, furnished with a Stickley table and vintage chairs, for family suppers as well as dinner parties. An archway opens to an alcove that houses a fully stocked bar with cabinetry and shelving crafted by Crown Point Cabinetry.

Crown Point also did the cabinetry in the new kitchen. Blue painted cupboards contrast with the natural wood finish on the island’s base.

The breakfast area is set in a corner with windows overlooking the back garden and dining terrace. The light-filled nook doubles as a cozy homework station for the family’s two young students.

Among the many spaces meant just for kids is a reading hideaway, with Harry Potter-themed wallpaper, tucked under the first-floor staircase.

A simple curved staircase invites exploration of the home’s third floor, which is the children’s domain.

The climbing wall in the playroom is lined with wallpaper depicting historic landmarks and scenes in and around Boston.

Bright blue tile enlivens the oversize shower in the children’s bathroom.

In the primary bedroom, a coved ceiling adds architectural gravitas and reinforces the blue palette set in the parlor and kitchen.

The primary bathroom takes on a softer tone in the tile-lined walk-in shower and light-tone wood stain of the double vanity.

Adding to the sense of history is an antique apothecary cabinet, a family heirloom, that occupies a second-floor home office.

In the late 1860s, many of Boston’s prominent families began migrating across city lines into suburbs like Brookline, Massachusetts, where planned developments promised more land and the associated fresh air that even tony Back Bay mansions could not offer. Among the more storied of these neighborhoods is Pill Hill, a reference to the many doctors who lived there and the Free Hospital for Women that occupied considerable acreage at its base. Today it is a historic district where most of its Victorian houses have benefited from decades of considerate stewardship by new owners.

In that vein, a married couple with two daughters, ages ten and seven, did a best-of-both-worlds renovation of an 1869 three-story, 5,200-square-foot house that continues a preservation-minded chain of ownership while giving the interiors a colorful refresh.

“The owners knew they wanted the old house to be reinvented for them while keeping its historical essence,” says Michael Ferzoco, founder and principal of Eleven Interiors, the design firm hired to orchestrate the residence’s next architectural chapter.

“It had to be warm and approachable,” says the owner. “We wanted it to be livable, but smart in the way it honored its history.” That meant carving out multiuse space for the family, cozy and fun spots for children, and decidedly grown-up retreats. “The adult spaces were definitely important,” says Ferzoco, referring to a modern-day speakeasy—a mixologist’s dream dubbed The Flying Pig—and a small but elegant parlor for entertaining guests, perhaps serving them the host’s latest cocktail concoction.

Working with Eleven’s lead designer Michael Forman, who has since opened his own Boston firm, Forman & Co, the owners reconfigured the first-floor spaces without changing the footprint of the original house. A small, outdated kitchen was moved to a larger space, formerly the dining room, at the back of the house. That created a better connection to a new garden terrace. “We love spending time out there, and the outdoor space nicely connects to the kitchen,” says the owner, an avid baker. “I love that the kitchen has plenty of workspace.” A windowed breakfast nook accommodates informal family meals and doubles as a homework station for the girls.

The former library became the dining room, where the owner displays his collection of memorabilia related to the house’s heritage. “I’m interested in history,” he says, “and I’ve enjoyed doing research on the historic nature of the home and neighborhood.” An entire wall is dedicated to carefully collected photos and documents telling the stories of past occupants, among them a surgeon, a Harvard coach, an abolitionist, and a suffragette.

Adjacent to the dining room is The Flying Pig, named for the figure atop the weathervane on the property’s carriage house. The concept evolved from weekly virtual cocktail hours the owner and friends shared during the pandemic. “I began to collect local brews and ingredients when we were on vacation, and now it’s a fun hobby,” he says.

For the children, there is a reading niche with a Harry Potter motif under the main staircase, and a playroom on the third floor that offers a subtle history lesson as kids navigate a climbing wall covered with depictions of Boston landmarks, some built before and some after their own house.

Project Team
Interior design: Eleven Interiors
Builder: Hawthorn Builders

Styling by Sean William Donovan