They loved their slice of Woburn. Their three girls could walk to school and were active in sports and clubs. They had friends. They enjoyed hosting. They were part of the community.
But their house, a colonial that had been added on to by previous owners, posed a challenge. It was dated and didn’t have enough bedrooms or bathrooms for a family of five. But more importantly, it was not the “everyone come back to our place” destination they desired.
After much deliberation, the owners hired b Architecture Studio, Inc., with offices in Winchester and Hyannis, to help them fall in love with their house again. Architect Chris Brown spearheaded the renovation, which involved forming a more balanced façade, gutting and rearranging the interior, creating livable space in the basement, and adding on to the rear.
Brown collaborated with interior designer Julieann Covino, principal of Jace Interiors, on the revamp. Covino had already updated key rooms décor wise for the clients and was familiar with their lifestyle and tastes. This gut renovation allowed her to more fully steer the look, feel, and cohesiveness of the interior’s fresh start.
Initially, the front suffered from a confusing arrangement of two entrances (one was mud, but they appeared similar). “When you arrived, you had to pause and decide which door to use,” recalls Brown. The refresh eliminated one door and gave the remaining, newly primary door extra charm via a farmer’s porch.
Where the extra door used to be is now a stair well marked by white paneling and stacked windows on the outside. “That new stairwell is a special moment,” he explains. “It’s a little more contemporary in feel because of all the glazing, which floods the whole area with light, even down to the basement where it’s most needed.”
On the first floor, Brown surgically removed walls to create a more modern, open floor plan, making the home’s dark, closed-off collection of rooms a thing of the past. Now the layout stretches from a large, gracious living off the front entry, to the central kitchen, to the dining room. Steel beams provide support sans walls and columns help demarcate the spaces.
“That rear addition gave us the flexibility to create an open kitchen with two islands, which was a client request,” describes Brown. “One is a work island with cooktop that doubles as a buffet counter for serving meals in the dining room. The other is quieter with bar stools.” This bonus seating allows people to sit outside the work zone but still feel like they’re part of the activity.
Covino united the open spaces with Benjamin Moore’s “Simply White.” Her furnishings walk a line between Brown’s more modern-leaning architecture and the owners’ more traditional tastes. They also represent a true mix of high and low with custom pieces and retail items.
“On the first floor, we didn’t use a lot of patterns. This is a super busy family. They are here, there, and everywhere. I wanted any pattern to feel serene and calm, so when they’re home, they can relax and not feel overstimulated,” says the designer.
In the living room, where comfort is key, Covino opted for a sofa from Ballard Design with a tufted back that nods to tradition. “But the light blue Romo fabric makes it feel more modern,” she notes. A Meredith Thayer area rug gives the room a touch of coastal (the family also has a home in Gloucester and loves that seaside feel).
At the front of the house is a bonus sitting room, which morphed into a retreat for reading and games. Says Covino: “It is a space for the kids to leave out a puzzle as they work on it but also a space for the mom to curl up in the wing backed chair with a book and cup of tea. It has turned into a space for everyone but with the floral accents it is a nod to the mom.”
Here, high-low design continues with a game table from Ballard Designs surrounded by Redford House woven Abigail chairs, a Williston Weaves rug, and Kravet Oberlin wingback chairs with custom fabric.
“Most everything in this house has a meaning or story,” adds the interior designer. The framed photo over the fireplace depicts Ireland’s The Three Sisters, where the family visited (and a nod to their girls). Another is a commissioned artwork by Jaime McCarrier that shows the three daughters overlooking a rail in their Gloucester house.
Upstairs, the girls finally have their own rooms outfitted with faux grasscloth wallpaper in their favorite colors. In the oldest daughter’s room, a cozy nook nods to her love of reading. The completely redone primary suite delivers an improved walk-in closet and larger bathroom with soaking tub.
And finally, Brown and Covino outfitted the basement with a game room, modern Irish-inspired bar, TV lounge, bathroom, and home gym. Also on this level is an all-important secondary mudroom off the garage to handle all that sports equipment. Outside, the new landscape includes a fire pit and basketball court.
With its improved presentation and modernized interior, the revamped colonial is all about family togetherness. It was either love it or sell it and they decided to love it. They still do.
BUILDER: White Builders Inc.
INTERIOR DESIGNER: Jace Interiors
ARCHITECT: b Architecture Studio, Inc.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS: Ulrich Landscape Collaborative, LLC