Nicole Hogarty Designs a Back Bay Brownstone

For the library of a Back Bay condo overlooking the Charles River, designer Nicole Hogarty selected such luxe elements as Loro Piana upholstery, a custom Landry & Arcari hide rug, and a Tempest Blue quartzite mantel. A photograph by Dean West and Nathan Sawaya hangs above the fireplace.

A seating area in the dining room features Interior Crafts lounge chairs, a Matthew Fairbank Design pendant, and a lithograph by Henri Matisse from Galerie d’Orsay.

A Dew Drops light by Boris Klimek for bomma hangs above a custom Partners in Design sectional, a Holly Hunt lounge chair, and a Giorgetti room divider. The artwork to the left of the doorway is by Nathan Coe.

Glass-and-steel doors divide the library from the foyer, where a Murano glass chandelier from High Style Deco illuminates suede-upholstered walls and a wooden sculpture by Caprice Pierucci.

Hogarty emphasized river views by leaving the living room’s windows unadorned.

For the foyer, the designer commissioned a custom North Forty Studio console with undulating curves that reference the movement of water. The artwork behind is by Edward Lentsch.

Hogarty selected the dining room’s abstract-patterned, bamboo silk Steven King rug for “an artistic moment, something modern to both elevate and ground the room.”

Because the home’s gut renovation by BSA Construction and Payne | Collins Design called for relocating the kitchen and opening it to the formal living room, Hogarty had the uppers of the Christopher Peacock cabinetry painted the same shade of white as the walls. “We wanted to soften the functional aspects of it,” she says, “to make it feel more like millwork than just a kitchen.”

For the wall above the Partners in Design sectional, artist Erik Skoldberg created a custom work depicting the homeowners’ vintage Ford Bronco.

The game room centers on an 11 Ravens pool and Ping-Pong table illuminated by a Hinterland Design pendant. The wall sculpture is by Zieta Studio.

Artistica Home stools sit at a custom table in front of a David Yarrow photograph.

The primary bedroom’s chandelier features shades by ceramicist Andrew Molleur, while the Alison Shaw photograph references the clients’ love of the ocean.

Of the primary bath, which features a polished nickel-clad tub and a Lindsey Adelman chandelier, Hogarty says, “We didn’t want it to feel typical.”

Stained oak enrobes this dressing room, which displays another David Yarrow photograph.

In the courtyard, a Pure Cube sauna sits amid furniture from JANUS et Cie and Casa Design Group.

By the time an interior designer creates a third home for clients, she has usually figured out how to respond to their needs, lifestyle, and aesthetic. That certainly proved true for Nicole Hogarty as she curated the subtly statement-making decor of this expansive home, which occupies the first three floors of two combined 1890s brownstones in Boston’s Back Bay. Hogarty, however, had not only figured out the desires of her fun-loving clients—Sal and Sabrina Napoli and their two young-adult children—she’d internalized them.

While designing their previous apartment in 2020, and a Martha’s Vineyard getaway soon after, Hogarty says she learned that the Napolis love sophisticated, quiet luxury. “They’re not label driven,” she notes, “but they’re impressed by quality.” That led her to use sumptuous materials, custom furnishings, and the sort of thoughtful, space-enhancing details for which her firm is known. Consider the wine cellar alcove. It stylishly houses nearly 400 bottles and scores of cigars in its soapstone–topped cabinetry, and it sports a leather-wrapped panel hung with a commissioned work by artist Erik Skoldberg.

She had also learned that the family enjoys entertaining in groups large and small, which led her to elevate the home even further with artisanal elements that lend a welcoming level of formality. She understood, as well, that they appreciate comfort, so she selected softly upholstered sectionals, even for the formal living room. She discovered, too, that they take great inspiration from the water, which prompted her to borrow blues and grays from the home’s Charles River views.

The Napolis shared inspirational images of favorite hotels—Boston’s XV Beacon, several Four Seasons locations—as well as The ’Quin House, the private club on Commonwealth Avenue recently reimagined by designer Ken Fulk, where they’re members. Sabrina requested a formal dining room, and Sal wanted a pool room on the main living floor. But they didn’t offer much direction beyond that. “They knew we’d carry their voice through,” says Hogarty. “I cherish that level of trust.”

The feeling was mutual. “We knew if we had Nicole, we’d end up with a spectacular place,” says Sal. “We relied on her to push us out of our comfort zone.”

Those pushes resulted in some spectacular moments: a library painted a high-gloss violet-tinged black shade that’s almost mirror like, moldings and ceiling included; a water-view living room crowned by a swooping leather-and-crystal light fixture.

Builder BSA Construction and architect Ron Payne of Payne | Collins Design operated with a similar mind meld. “We’ve collaborated on many projects over the years,” says Payne. “BSA takes great care to ensure a successful outcome for our designs.” Their gut renovation of this home, last updated in the 1990s when the two brownstones were combined, centered on a complete transformation of the layout to bring the most-used spaces—including the now-open kitchen—to the third floor, maximizing river views.

All this synergy allows the inspired residence to live just as impressively as it looks.  “We wanted a home that we could really use,” says Sal. “I can’t believe how much we maximized every square inch, almost to the point that we have even more usable space than when we lived in the suburbs.

“And it’s all so comfortable, too,” he concludes. “No one’s afraid to sit on anything.”

 
Project Team
Architecture: Payne | Collins Design
Interior design: Nicole Hogarty Designs
Builder: BSA Construction
Landscape design: Perennial Gardens