This Renovated Home Embraces Traditional Details

Rugs from Landry & Arcari welcome guests into this Boston-area residence, which was recently reimagined by the firm Carpenter & MacNeille.

To accommodate large gatherings, the firm designed an expansive new family room complete with a fireplace and space for the clients’ baby grand piano; interior designer Anne Alberts reupholstered the antique armchair in a Lee Jofa embroidered fabric and a Kravet leather.

The living room, which occupies part of the original home, features the clients’ own sofa that was reupholstered in a Pindler fabric, side tables from Woodbridge Furniture, a cocktail table from Chairish, and curtains made from a Schumacher fabric.

The entry hall is enveloped in a Phillip Jeffries wallcovering, while a striped runner from Woodard & Greenstein graces the stairs.

In the adjacent dining room, antique chairs from Leonards New England surround the clients’ own table, and the rug is from Landry & Arcari.

The family room’s shelving and paneling are painted Benjamin Moore Sag Harbor Gray.

Custom oak millwork “with lots of knots and character,” per MacNeille, makes the newly constructed family room feel like it has always been there.

The powder room walls feature a print from C.F.A. Voysey; the custom vanity is topped with reclaimed marble, and the fittings are from Sigma Faucet.

Oak beams lend a farmhouse feel to the kitchen, which is open to the front hall, back hall, and den.

Nearby, the butler’s pantry is painted Farrow & Ball Pigeon and displays the clients’ china collection.

The homeowner is an avid cook and baker, so the firm designed a lower surface at the end of the island that is meant for kneading dough and other prep work.

The back entry is paved in brick, a durable material meant to hold up to muddy boots, dogs, and the family’s cat.

In another guest room, both the antique bedside table, topped with a lamp from Chairish, and the artwork are from the clients’ own collection.

A paper from Sandberg adorns the walls of a guest room.

Carpenter & MacNeille transformed what was a modest 1950s reproduction of an eighteenth-century colonial, tearing down a portion of the original home and more than doubling its size.

The landscape design was a joint effort by Carpenter & MacNeille, Merrifield Garden & Design, and landscape contractor Willow Tree & Landscape.

Making something new appear as though it has always been there requires a deft hand. And although architect Rob MacNeille technically wasn’t starting from scratch in the case of this project outside Boston, the program involved a significant expansion that completely transformed the property. The clients who purchased the existing home—a modest 1950s reproduction of an eighteenth-century colonial—have six grown children and therefore needed additional space to host large family gatherings.

But it wasn’t just the main house that was calling out for attention: Carpenter & MacNeille touched every bit of the 4.5-acre property, from overseeing the landscape design to erecting a pool house and updating the outbuildings, including a two-bedroom guesthouse,
a woodshop, and a barn (a remnant from the horse farm that once occupied the land).

The vision was to create a five-bedroom farmhouse-inspired residence “that looks like it has evolved over a couple of centuries,” explains MacNeille, who ultimately removed portions of the existing structure to realize a final product that is more than double in size. “It has a traditional New England vernacular, with a red-cedar shingle roof and copper detailing.” Inside, each of the main spaces features a fireplace—which is typical of older homes in the region—while rustic oak flooring, beams, and paneling lend a timeworn feel.

According to the architect, the first order of business when reworking the residence was creating a spacious dining room that could seat fourteen people. In fact, the room has a large cased opening so a longer table can extend into the adjacent hallway during special occasions. Entertaining was top of mind in all aspects of the home, especially when it came to the expansive new family room as well as the kitchen and adjoining pantries (one for food and a butler’s pantry for displaying china). The oak details are carried into the light-filled family room, which features custom millwork, a fireplace, and space for the family’s baby grand piano.

“Music is a big part of their lives, particularly when they are entertaining,” notes MacNeille. “The family room is much bigger than any of the spaces in the old house, so it was a challenge to integrate it into a residence inspired by the eighteenth century.”

A critical component of making the finished product feel cohesive is the palette, which MacNeille’s colleague, interior designer Anne Alberts, kept soft and neutral, with the exception of indigo, green, and burnt sienna.

“The scheme reflects nature, from wheatgrass to evergreen,” says Alberts, who opted for durable materials such as quartzite, brick, and performance fabrics. “The homeowners can kick up their feet here. There’s a blend of old and new, pieces we reworked, and antiques we found that are not too precious and feel at home on a farm.”

And while the clients may not be active farmers, says MacNeille, they are, in fact, avid gardeners (with muddy boots in tow), and there’s a constant stream of dogs, cats, and people coming and going. “The residence has a level of sophistication, but it’s not overly
detailed,” continues MacNeille. “It feels approachable and lovely.”

Project Team
Architecture, interior design, and landscape design: Carpenter & MacNeille
Builder: Robert Lawrence Builders