White-cedar and Alaskan yellow-cedar shingles marry native plants to maximize the lush natural environment of this Truro cottage, while oversized windows welcome sweeping tidal-marsh views. / Photo by Matt Kisiday

This article is from the summer 2026 issue of Boston Home.

Surrounded by a tidal marsh, this property on one of the prettiest roads in Truro was the ideal respite far away from the homeowners’ urban residence. Simple yet stylish, small but spacious, the new two-bedroom cottage accommodated them and occasionally their grown children so they could relive fond memories of Cape summers while creating new ones.

But the path to get here was studded with roadblocks. What began as a selective renovation of a 100-year-old home in a sensitive environmental and historic district morphed into a teardown when the design and build team learned there was structural damage and little history to salvage, says architectural designer Nick Waldman. With a clean palette, they built on the existing foundation, adding 3 feet along the north side and a breezy rear porch that rakes in the view.

In the kitchen, which features open shelves instead of upper cabinets, wood tones and natural hues are paired with the homeowner’s vintage and thrifted pieces. / Photo by Matt Kisiday

“We wanted a house that fit in with the character of the road, that didn’t disrupt the natural, native landscape of Truro, that blended in and felt like it belonged here, like it has always been here,” the homeowner says. “The view is extraordinary. You walk into the house and you’re confronted with it, and it makes you feel like you’re in a wide-open, beautiful place.”

The multifunctional kitchen, living, and dining space takes full advantage of this fresh approach, with large windows on all sides and no walls to impede the view or the light that comes with it. Waldman maximized square footage here to expand this area for functionality and created a modern wall of skylights overhead to illuminate the cooking and eating zones. Floating shelves in white oak, in lieu of upper cabinets, maintain that buoyancy and show off the homeowners’ collection of midcentury vintage cookware and thrifted finds.

The primary suite takes advantage of water views with large Loewen windows and cathedral ceilings, while a warm palette sets a restful mood. / Photo by Matt Kisiday

“It’s loaded up with skylights, so that volume goes straight through here, which you can see in the elevations along this side,” Waldman points out. “The kitchen becomes part of the living room, with the same ceiling height, to reinforce that it’s all one space. The millwork itself does the job of creating the different ‘rooms.’”

Cathedral ceilings and picture windows on the second floor are a subtle bridge between bedroom privacy and light, making the entire abode positively radiant from the inside out. But from the outside in, it appears as if this modest rectangular cottage with its white-cedar shingles, traditional gabled roofline, and porches perfect for an afternoon sunset has been here all along.

Teak seating and mahogany flooring on the all-wood screened porch speak to Truro’s coastal New England vibe. / Photo by Matt Kisiday

It was styled that way, too, the homeowner says. “It’s a mixture of old and new here, sort of a juxtaposition of an old vintage oriental rug or modern light fixture,” the homeowner says of their design style. “The lines of the house are spare and clean, and walls are painted white so we could add color with the items we found.”

Naturally, this captivating cottage has curated its next 100 years in the spirit of Truro’s historic charm, with scale, light, and an aesthetic that are true to this part of the Cape.

“The big thing that I like about this house is that everything is left to weather naturally,” Waldman says. “So not only is it a ubiquitous, appropriate material for the Cape, but it’ll last a long time and look beautiful when everything silvers out.”

Custom cabinetry in Baltic birch and shiplap walls painted in Benjamin Moore’s “Cloud White” offer structure and style in the mudroom. / Photo by Matt Kisiday

Architectural Design Nick Waldman Studio
Contractor A.F. Hultin & Co.
Custom Millwork Shaw Woodworking

The post A Lovely New Cottage Brings Light to an Old Truro Foundation appeared first on Boston Magazine.

As avid gardeners, the greenhouse was a must for garden salad produce plants like tomatoes and cucumbers. / Photo by Jane Beiles

This article is from the summer 2026 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.

It isn’t often that an outdoor retreat feels both transportive and intentional—a place where architecture recedes just enough to let landscape and lifestyle take center stage. In a recent collaboration between interior designer Douglas Graneto, architect John Gassett of Shope Reno Wharton, and KVC Builders’ Jason Forino, that balance was the guiding principle from the start. “Our hope was to design buildings that had a supportive role to the landscape and the outdoor living we knew the clients would be doing in the summer months,” Gassett explains.

The result is a pool house—affectionately dubbed the “Clubhouse” by the homeowners’ two sons—that complements the main residence while establishing its own identity. Trimmed in dark green and tucked into abundant plantings, the structure sits quietly within a layered composition of dining terraces, colorful seating areas, an outdoor shower, and Argentine grills, all surrounded by cutting and vegetable gardens. The effect is less backyard amenity, more family retreat.

The property features a handful of outdoor living spaces for al fresco dinners, cocktail hours, family hangouts, and more. / Photo by Jane Beiles

“The main goal was to create something casual and welcoming that everyone could enjoy,” Graneto says. “They wanted to embrace color and create lush gardens filled with flowers and vegetables throughout the summer.”

That vision extends to the sleek greenhouse attached to the pool house—a working space as much as an aesthetic one. An avid gardening family, the homeowners use it to propagate seedlings in spring and shelter plants at season’s end. In peak summer, vegetable plants spill across the terrace, reinforcing the seamless connection between cultivation and gathering.

KVC Builders crafted two built-in shelves inside the pool house, painted a bright, dreamy blue, with refrigeration and storage for picnic items. / Photo by Jane Beiles

Inside the cabana, the design remains deliberately simple. In the main living area, built-ins painted in Farrow & Ball’s “Stone Blue” house refrigeration and storage for picnic plates and glassware, while a generous “On the Rocks” sectional from DDC anchors the seating area. Two walls of lift-and-slide glass doors dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior, flooding the space with natural light and maintaining constant sightlines to the pool and gardens beyond. “The layout is very open to the landscape,” Forino says. “You’re constantly connected to the yard and pool, and the space fills with natural light throughout the day.”

Overhead, a vintage sputnik chandelier with turquoise bulbs and brass rods from 1stDibs adds a note of playfulness, its palette echoing glimpses of the ocean visible in the distance. The color story continues outdoors, where Graneto layered Paola Lenti furnishings in tonal greens and blues, subtly referencing both the coastal setting and the family’s vibrant art collection inside the main house.

An informal dining space among the flowers is perfect for intimate meals during the warmer months. / Photo by Jane Beiles

Rather than compete with the gardens, the architecture frames them. Rather than dominate summer living, it supports it. The result is an environment designed not just for swimming or dining, but for lingering—from early planting season through the last warm evenings of fall.

“They [the homeowners] are incredibly thrilled. They’re not only thrilled with the preparation but also with the architecture of the space and the way everything was built,” says Graneto, noting that the process was an unusually collaborative one, with every decision guided by how the family truly lives—a shared focus that’s evident in the finished result.

Architect Shope Reno Wharton
Builder KVC Builders
Interior Designer Douglas Graneto Design

The post A Woods Hole Pool House Where the Garden Is a Main Character appeared first on Boston Magazine.

Part of the furniture collection in the revived wing, this striking mid-18th-century desk and bookcase is made of inlaid woods and incised and painted bone, with mace, gold, polychrome paint, and metal hardware. / Photo courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Henry H. and Zoe Oliver Sherman Fund

​​​​This article is from the spring 2026 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.

In June, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will debut a sweeping reinstallation of its 18th-century Art of the Americas galleries—timed to coincide with the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence on July 4. Titled America at 250, the reimagined presentation invites visitors to reconsider how artists, artisans, and objects helped shape the political, cultural, and social ideas of a revolutionary era that continues to resonate today.

Marking the first reinstallation of the first level of the Art of the Americas Wing since its opening in 2010, the project reflects both evolving scholarship and the significant growth of the MFA’s collection over the past 15 years. Long recognized as one of the most comprehensive holdings of American art in the world, the collection has expanded to encompass a broader range of works from across North, Central, and South America, including Indigenous and island nations—allowing for a more expansive and inclusive understanding of the Americas.

Thomas Sully’s 1819 The Passage of the Delaware, a staple of the MFA Boston’s collection. / Public domain

Eight newly conceived galleries explore themes of resistance, liberty, labor, identity, home, family, and myth-making through works that range from monumental history paintings to exquisitely crafted furniture, silver, and needlework. Highlights include Thomas Sully’s dramatic The Passage of the Delaware (1819), a focused gallery devoted to John Singleton Copley, and installations that center communities of makers and the global histories behind everyday commodities such as tea, coffee, and chocolate.

The galleries will be unveiled during the MFA’s annual Juneteenth Open House as part of a two-day America at 250 celebration, offering free admission to Massachusetts residents alongside special programming. Together, the reinstallation reframes the 18th century not as a fixed past, but as a living foundation—one that continues to shape conversations about nationhood, power, and belonging today.

First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Spring 2026 issue, with the headline “Crafting a Nation.” 

The post The MFA Boston Reimagines a First-Floor Wing for America’s Big Birthday appeared first on Boston Magazine.

The entry layers history and whimsy. It features framed press accolades lining the walls and a verde green Chesterfield sofa from Paris’s Paul Bert Serpette flea market anchoring the space. / Photo by Sean Litchfield

This article is from the summer 2026 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.

After years of cutting her teeth in New York and building a thriving firm in Connecticut, interior designer Georgia Zikas has come home. Her new 2,700-square-foot South Boston studio on the fourth floor of 60 K Street, housed in a former warehouse, marks much more than an expansion. It’s what she proudly describes as a “hometown girl comes home” moment.

Zikas first tested the Boston market with what she calls a “little postage stamp of an office” in the Seaport to gauge demand. It quickly proved there was plenty—and that the studio was too small. When a broker suggested a location in South Boston “0.2 miles down the street,” Zikas hesitated. All four of her grandparents had arrived in the area from Ireland, England, and Scotland in the 1920s, so she carried an older image of the neighborhood. But the industrial terminal buildings, originally designed to service the railroad, offered abundant light and room for reinvention.

An antique English washstand anchors the vignette, paired with a plaster-framed mirror with pie-crust detailing. A Fornasetti plate, collected objects, and a small painting by a Stonington, Connecticut, artist add personality and a local touch. / Photo by Sean Litchfield

A striking abstract painting from a vintage shop in Connecticut sets the tone above a hardworking sideboard, while arched glass-door cabinets display collected pieces. A pair of cream ceramic lamps cast a soft glow, and vases by Boston ceramicist Jill Rosenwald add a local accent. / Photo by Sean Litchfield

Though the space was in rough shape, that didn’t dissuade her. Instead, she imagined something more immersive than a conventional office. “When we’re in the business of creating beautiful homes, why not aspire to work in one?” she says. Visitors now enter through a foyer-like reception area that doubles as a sample library, layered with vintage pieces, each with its own story. A green leather Chesterfield sofa anchors the room, sourced from a Paris flea market while Zikas was testing overseas purchasing for clients.

Offices line one side of a central corridor, each fully equipped so team members can “just move in and put their family picture on the desk.” At the far end, the studio opens into three distinct vignettes: a dining-room-inspired collaboration space, a cozy family-room nook, and a living-room-style presentation area. Anchored by rugs and upholstered pieces from her private North Carolina–manufactured collection, the layout reflects how Zikas approaches client projects. “We started with the rug foundation,” she says, noting that the neutral palette allows pieces to rotate—especially since clients occasionally purchase items directly off the floor.

Designer Georgia Zikas envisioned a studio that feels more like a home, where clients are welcomed as guests. The kitchen—a natural gathering spot and testing ground—features high-end materials, some she hadn’t yet used in a residential project. / Photo by Sean Litchfield

The aesthetic is intentionally eclectic. A blue velvet sofa brought from Connecticut sits alongside lacquered side tables and traditional silhouettes. Here, meetings unfold on sectionals, fabric schemes spread across an antique dining table, and presentations appear on a Samsung Frame TV disguised as art. Even the kitchen—finished in high-end materials—serves as both gathering space and testing ground. “We wanted to experiment there, too,” she says, explaining that some finishes were new to her practice.

Community also factors into the studio’s purpose. As vice president of education for the IFDA New England chapter, Zikas envisioned the space as a venue for meetings and industry events; she recently hosted the organization’s 2026 strategic planning session there. “It’s almost like buying a house and hosting Christmas or Thanksgiving,” she says.

For Zikas, returning to Boston carries emotional weight. Shaped by her time in New York and the firm she built in Connecticut, bringing that experience back to the city feels like a natural evolution. “My smile couldn’t be bigger,” she says. “My soul is so full here.”

The post Hometown Girl Georgia Zikas Returns to Her Boston Roots appeared first on Boston Magazine.

Photo by Charles Mayer

This article is from the summer 2026 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.

When architect Jill Neubauer first toured this 120-year-old, weather-beaten home on the shores of Hyannis Port, she noticed what turned out to be a sign that its rehabilitation was more complicated than the new owners realized. The wallpaper in the stairwell was puckered and pulled. “There were multiple cracks in the foundation and slab,” Neubauer says. “The east side of the house was pulling away from the west side, slipping down the hill toward the marsh.”

The owners, one of whom has a childhood history here, committed to saving it. The team lifted the house, moved it 5 feet to the east, and set it atop a new foundation, keeping the shell intact. Then, Neubauer and Clodagh Design reimagined the interior without losing sight of the past. “Everyone rallied around this great old lady desperate for love,” Neubauer says.

Photo by Charles Mayer

Honor Yankee Essence

It was important to Neubauer that they not zhuzh things up too much. Instead, she sought to capture the essence of what was, ushering the house into its next chapter gently and quietly. Inspired by the materiality, texture, and charm of the beadboard lining the west wing bedrooms, Neubauer and Nancie Min, who is the design director at Clodagh Design, specified painted wood paneling throughout the home. V-groove swathes the west wing guest suite, beadboard nestles between excavated ceiling beams in the living room, and stately board and batten greets visitors in the foyer, running up the stairs to the generous landing. “We brought the idea of the original wood forward, elevating it in scale and crispness,” Neubauer says.

Photo by Charles Mayer

Lend a Hand

Artisanal craftsmanship and natural materials lend honesty, character, and comfort, particularly in the living room, where Clodagh Design represented all the elements: water, metal, earth, wood, and fire. To fashion the coffee table, André Joyau inserted a bronze slab between the organic ends of a tree, illustrating the intersection of nature and craft. A wood panel with abstract carvings by Benoît Averly hides the television over the fireplace, a functional and decorative display that reveals itself as one nears. The rug, composed of various antique rugs stitched together by hand, adds an element of craft underfoot. As with the table and panel, you feel the maker’s presence. “It’s made by tender loving hands,” Min reiterates. “There’s comfort from that love.”

Photo by Charles Mayer

Cultivate Context

Artwork, lighting, and color help establish a sense of place, strengthening the home’s connection to the surrounding landscape. For instance, the abstract forms on the diptych by Marc Lambrechts in the entry are reminiscent of seagulls, and seascapes painted by Provincetown native Anne Packard realistically echo the water views. In the dining room, the Pagani Studio chandelier’s rock crystal slices are shaped like sails, alluding to the husband’s favorite pastime here. In devising the home’s overall color palette, Clodagh Design considered the actual beach. “We reference a jar of local sand during the design process for every beach project,” Min says. “Cape Cod sand has the coolest tones we’ve seen.”

Photo by Charles Mayer

Don’t Scramble, Streamline

Neubauer approached the layout with a light hand, simplifying the plan so the house is easier to live in. As was typical of turn-of-the-century summer cottages, there was a slew of bedrooms—four in the main body and three railroaded in the west wing. Neubauer reduced the number to four, gracing each with an en suite bath. Downstairs, the kitchen, capped by a new mudroom on one end and stairs, fills the west wing, with natural light streaming in along both sides. Most significantly, Neubauer opened up the oceanside screened porch that was suffocated by jalousie glass years before. French doors lead there from the dining room, while French doors in the living room lead to the adjacent terrace. “There is more breathing room and connection to the landscape,” the architect says. “You feel the breeze, catch the sunlight, and hear the waves.”

Architect Neubauer Ennis Architects
Builder E.B. Norris & Son
Interior Designer Clodagh Design
Landscape Architect Bernice Wahler Landscapes

The post Saving a Grand Old Lady on Hyannis Port appeared first on Boston Magazine.

Courtesy photos

The Enchanting Interiors of Bunny Mellon: Paintings by Snowy Campbell, with a foreword by Charlotte Moss

Featuring luminous paintings by artist Snowy Campbell, this long-awaited volume provides an inside look at philanthropist and style icon Bunny Mellon’s flair for design and her homes’ elegant interior spaces. Hired by Mellon in 1970, Campbell documented the Mellons’ residences in New York City; Upperville, Virginia; and Washington, DC, showcasing rooms layered with blue-chip art, fine antiques, and personal treasures arranged with effortless sophistication. With a foreward written by Charlotte Moss, the book, a project originally launched by Mellon and featuring contributions from design luminaries and text from society writer James Reginato, celebrates her singular ability to balance grandeur with comfort. The result is an artistic tribute to exquisite taste, timeless decorating, and a life rich in connoisseurship. $60, Rizzoli.

Jenny Sais Quoi: Adventures in Vintage & Personal Style, by Jenny Walton

In this vivid visual diary, artist, designer, writer, and Vogue vintage shopping columnist Jenny Walton invites readers into her world of color, nostalgia, and unique aesthetics. Mixing collages, essays, illustrations, paintings, and photographs, the author traces her evolution from fashion student to street-style star to international tastemaker, revealing how vintage clothing became a source of confidence, joy, and self-expression for her. Along the way, Walton shares thoughtful advice and stories on everything from how to shop secondhand to designing a personal palette focused on individuality instead of trends. Playful design details, like the eye-catching trompe-l’oeil cover and interactive mix-and-match pages, make this collection a celebration of personal style that’s as creative as the author herself. $54.95, Monacelli.

Courtesy photos

Summer by the Sea: Cottages from Watch Hill to Little Compton, by Thomas A. Kligerman, with photographs by Read McKendree

Renowned architect Thomas A. Kligerman turns his lens to Rhode Island’s storied seaside cottages in this vibrant exploration of the shingle style, often called the “architecture of the American summer.” The book begins in Watch Hill and winds along the Atlantic coast, tracing the evolution of these relaxed yet refined homes from 19th-century masters such as Calvert Vaux to modern architects including Peter Bohlin and Gil Schafer. Alongside historic and vernacular cottages, some held by the same families for generations, Kligerman includes his own Weekapaug retreat, designed as an homage to childhood summers. Lush photography captures breezy porches, layered interiors, and landscapes that make up this enduring idyllic setting. $64.95, Monacelli.

Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, edited by Sonnet Stanfill and Lydia Caston

This richly illustrated volume revisits Elsa Schiaparelli’s life and legacy. The visionary Italian fashion designer, who blurred the line between art and her craft, was celebrated by Cristóbal Balenciaga as the “only real artist in couture.” Infusing her designs with surrealist wit, she collaborated with figures such as Salvador Dalí and Man Ray. From the controversial lobster dress in Wallis Simpson’s trousseau to the daring tennis culottes worn by Lilí Álvarez at Wimbledon, Schiaparelli creations were as provocative as they were wearable and attracted a devoted circle of Hollywood and high-society clients. Today, her bold visual language endures in Daniel Roseberry’s work for Maison Schiaparelli, proving her lasting influence on fashion’s avant-garde. $70, Abrams.

Flowering Outdoors: Gardens & Parties: Inspiring Floral Touches for Outside Spaces and Entertaining, by Margot Shaw, with Lydia Somerville

In this lush guide to al fresco living, author and Flower magazine editor Margot Shaw gathers leading tastemakers to share fresh ways of bringing flowers into exterior spaces. From city balconies and country patios to mountain retreats and seaside terraces, designers including Meg Braff, India Hicks, and Zezé provide ideas for styling these spaces with beautiful blooms housed in metal urns, terra-cotta containers, and other pots. In addition to inspiration for hosting garden parties with finesse, the book includes a practical primer on garden elements such as architectural details, furnishings, and statuary that shape inviting open-air “rooms.” The result is a visual feast and a practical handbook for seamless entertaining. $50, Rizzoli.

First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Summer 2026 issue, with the headline “By the Book.”

The post Five Art and Design Books for Your Summer Reading List appeared first on Boston Magazine.

LISTING AGENTS: CAHILL+CO. TEAM, WILLIAM RAVEIS (MILTON); REBECCA DAVIS TULMAN AND LESLIE SINGLETON ADAM, GIBSON SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY (BOSTON)

RUDY MAYER, NASHUA VIDEO TOURS (MILTON); COURTESY OF TULMAN ADAM PARTNERSHIP, GIBSON SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY BEACON HILL (BOSTON)

What you get for the same price can look wildly different depending on where you land. And for this month’s contenders, it’s about space in the ’burbs versus service in the city.

In Milton, this recently sold 1929 Craftsman offers a practical layout with room to grow. An inviting kitchen anchors the main level, connecting with living and dining spaces that flow naturally together. Outside, a tree-shrouded backyard just a short stroll to Turner’s Pond adds to the appeal, while a two-car garage and the semifinished basement have endless potential.

Located in the Archer Residences, this luminous Beacon Hill home pairs a clean, modern interior with 24-hour white-glove services that include concierge staff and an impressive fitness center. Bonus points for a primary suite with a sizable walk-in closet and an office that can accommodate a sleeper sofa.

So which home wins this showdown? It seems the current demand leans more toward the suburban lifestyle, as that property received multiple offers in just six days on the market and sold for over asking price—while the city pad took more than six months to go under agreement.

This article was first published in the print edition of the May 2026 issue, with the headline,“A Storybook Craftsman vs. an Amenity-Rich City Condo.”

The post Real Estate Showdown: A Milton Craftsman vs. a Beacon Hill Condo appeared first on Boston Magazine.

Seen from the rear, this Wellesley home appears completely modern as well as enticingly integrated with its backyard landscape. / Photo by Nat Rea

“I joke sometimes that we’re making Wellesley modern, one house at a time,” architect David Stern says with a chuckle—although it’s not entirely a jest, since he and his business partner (and wife), interior designer Diane McCafferty, have gradually been doing exactly that. In fact, it was a mutual friend of clients for whom the pair had built a previous modern home who introduced their work to this property’s owners.

This couple, Stern says, “wanted something that was not your run-of-the-mill suburban house.” They had in mind an ambitious wish list of outdoor amenities—terrace, pool, pool house with roof deck, hot tub, tennis court, and more—that would prove very challenging to fit onto a shallow hillside site that rises some 35 feet from front to back. Another hitch: A 1930s center-hall Colonial, which the Wellesley Historical Commission listed as “preferably preserved,” already stood on the lot—meaning that seeking to tear it down would invoke a 12-month demolition delay bylaw the town had passed in 2017. “I told our clients that it would be more complicated to keep part of the existing structure, but we could get started right away,” Stern reports. “And the mission became a little different: How do we do that and still get the house we want?” For this project, the designers’ conception of “modern” would need to be flexible enough to embrace, literally, a chunk of tradition.

Exuberant masses of plant material enliven the backyard’s outdoor living areas. In addition to its rooftop deck and pergola, the fieldstone pool house contains a living room with a fireplace and a Ping-Pong table, a kitchenette and dining area, a bathroom, a laundry room, and storage for toys and pool equipment. / Photo by Nat Rea

Interior designer Diane McCafferty equipped the living room with simple, modern furnishings that would be robust enough to stand up to two high-school-age boys, a rambunctious pair of Bernese mountain dogs, and one very large cat. Panoramic windows almost erase any sense of separation from the scenery outside. / Photo by Nat Rea

The older house is now an “object” embedded into a contemporary framework that wraps its sides and rear. Stern kept the core of the existing building, with modifications: a slate roof was put on, window openings were made taller, and eaves and dormers were simplified. The former wood-frame windows were changed out for steel ones, with an extra window replacing what had been the central front door. The steel windows, along with a coat of white paint applied over the originally red brick, give the edifice almost the feel of an art deco pavilion—helping, in a subtle way, to meld it with the present-day additions.

The home’s interior is clean-lined throughout, a study in quietly seductive elegance. The floors are wide-plank oak (and Jet Mist granite tiles in a new, asymmetrically placed entry hall); a similar oak, lightly bleached, was used for cabinets, wall paneling, and other millwork. Expanses of richly veined stone sheathe fireplaces, the kitchen island, and bathroom walls and vanities. The architectural detailing, plain at first glance, shows a high degree of sophistication when examined carefully.

Brightness floods the primary bathroom’s shower via another skylight. Two different tile surfaces—one gray, one white—create a subdued harmony with the central marble wall and floating bench. / Photo by Nat Rea

A large skylight illuminates the kitchen island, which appears to levitate just slightly above the herringbone oak floor. Sleek glass-front cabinets from Valcucine can close to conceal almost all of the room’s functional elements, cooktop and exhaust hood included. / Photo by Nat Rea

White veining in the Jet Mist granite floor looks almost like a photographic negative of the Lilac marble covering the sink wall in the front powder room. / Photo by Nat Rea

By far the most noticeable feature inside the home is a multistory “spine” of blackened steel and glass, an assembly of floors, railings, and stair supports that extends from the basement all the way up to rooftop skylights. “It’s the crux of the design,” Stern says, “connecting the spaces together vertically and horizontally.” And, vitally, it allows natural light to penetrate deep into the interior.

In addition to the usual business of devising appropriately attractive grounds for the house, landscape designer Michael Coutu of Sudbury Design Group partnered with the architects to solve the knotty site-planning problems—particularly in the backyard. Granite steps and granite-faced retaining walls lead from the home’s rear terrace up to a pool area that extends out from a rustic fieldstone pool house (converted from what was probably once a garage or cottage); a sheltered hot tub sits off to one side. Further stairs access an upper deck and pergola installed atop the pool house, which take advantage of glorious views to the west and southwest. A hidden path continues to the tennis court farther up the hill. Lush plantings of stewartia, Serbian spruce trees, hydrangeas, and ornamental grasses provide punctuation at strategic points and soften the masonry.

In the end, having to accommodate the earlier dwelling served as a springboard for the whole project. “There’s a slight formality to the front of the house,” Stern notes, “then in the back it explodes and becomes a more informal expression of the program.” Coutu’s conclusion: “The way that David and I were able to make this transition from classic Wellesley to more contemporary and then to the stone cottage—it all works. I think it was a really successful plan.” Successful…and lovely.

Connection, both physical and visual, is the theme in the home’s main stairway and circulation space, with its steel-and-glass floors, lattice wall, and open stair risers. / Photo by Nat Rea

Seen from the front, the limestone-clad contemporary parts of the house bookend the older brick section. The street-facing landscape is understated, with foundation plantings of holly, andromeda, and pachysandra ground cover. / Photo by Nat Rea

Architect & Interior Designer Stern McCafferty
Builder The Lagassé Group
Landscape Designer Sudbury Design Group

The post They Couldn’t Destroy the Wellesley Colonial. So They Built Around It. appeared first on Boston Magazine.

Rather than leaning into a traditional nautical aesthetic, the interiors of the home celebrate natural light, texture, and thoughtful detailing—a softer, more timeless approach to coastal living. / Photo by Hayley Dayimeless

This article is from the summer 2026 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.

When interior designer Charlotte Save first met the owner of this home, the connection was immediate. Both women are Swedish, both have lived internationally, and both share an instinct for interiors that feel restrained, layered, and quietly confident. The homeowner, a Boston-based professional building a 3,000-square-foot summer retreat on Nantucket, wanted a beach house—but not the obvious kind. No overt coastal clichés. No heavy furniture. And absolutely no marble countertops. Instead, she envisioned a home that felt European in its sensibility: pared back, timeless, and flexible enough to host 40 guests one weekend yet feel intimate on a Tuesday night alone.

Set on the edge of Nantucket’s historic district, the house adheres to the island’s rigorous architectural standards while introducing a refined Scandinavian undercurrent. For Save, who grew up surrounded by centuries-old European buildings, that respect for context felt natural. “We wanted it to feel timeless,” she says, “like it could age beautifully with her.”

In one of the lower-level guest rooms, a blue-palm wallcovering by Cole & Son is paired with a Serena & Lily headboard and a scalloped-edge rug that evokes a wave motif, calling to mind the ocean down the road. / Photo by Hayley Day

A bar area on the main level is furnished with chairs from the Swedish brand Carl Malmsten, which Save had upholstered in leather. Underfoot is a Serena & Lily rug, while the woven light fixture is from Fern Living, a Danish maker. / Photo by Hayley Day

Light became the guiding principle. Windows wrap nearly every room, so Save chose furnishings elevated on legs—an approach inspired by Austrian designer Josef Frank—to allow the eye to travel uninterrupted from floor to wall. Varnished oak floors laid in a herringbone pattern anchor the main level, setting the stage for furnishings chosen as much for lightness as comfort. In a seating area off the entryway, caramel-toned leather lounge chairs catch and reflect sunlight rather than absorb it. “When you have that much light, you want it to bounce,” Save explains.

At the heart of the open-plan main floor is the kitchen, a space driven as much by performance as aesthetics. The homeowner loves to cook and entertain, and she was unequivocal about one thing: She needed a surface that could withstand a hot pan. Marble was out. In its place, Save specified porcelain for the countertops, backsplash, and perimeter surfaces—durable, resilient, and quietly elegant. The continuity of material keeps the space crisp and uncluttered.

Brass Visual Comfort sconces flank the clean-lined hood above the striking blue Officine Gullo range. Brass-and-leather cabinet hardware is from Turnstyle. / Photo by Hayley Day

To prevent the kitchen from feeling overly built-in, the island was crafted in oak, designed to read as a piece of furniture rather than millwork. “It softens the room,” Save says. “It makes it feel more lived-in.” Leather-and-brass hardware from Turnstyle adds tactile warmth to the cabinetry, introducing texture that feels refined rather than flashy. An Officine Gullo range anchors the space with understated gravitas, reinforcing the European thread woven throughout the home.

Crucially, Save eliminated upper cabinets. Without them, sightlines remain open, and light circulates freely across the room, enhancing the connection between the kitchen, dining, and living areas. An Italian blown-glass chandelier hangs over the dining table, which has a subtle raw-edge detail selected for the way it balances the warmth of exposed wood beams, preventing the architecture from feeling too strict.

The primary suite’s vaulted ceiling is finished with white V-groove boards that intersect with natural wood beams. “It’s a nice detail without overdoing it,” Save says. The made-to-order rug is by British brand Jennifer Manners. / Photo by Hayley Day

While the first and second floors maintain a composed palette of whites and layered blues—raffia wallcoverings by Phillip Jeffries add texture without heaviness—the lower level introduces playfulness. A wallcovering inspired by a de Gournay mural sets the tone in one bedroom, while a lively blue-palm-pattern Cole & Son design sheathes the walls in another.

Island references appear in thoughtful gestures rather than theme. In a powder room off the mudroom, a brass porthole mirror hangs above a sculptural wood sink, while a bespoke nautical-chart wallpaper on the ceiling marks the home’s exact Nantucket location. “She’s a sailor,” Save notes, “so we wanted a nod to that without being overly literal.”

The mudroom was designed for durability with a porcelain tile floor intersected with wood for warmth and visual appeal. Walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s “Summer’s Day.” Visual Comfort star light fixtures nod to nautical styling. / Photo by Hayley Day

The powder room exudes a bit of maritime whimsy with the ceiling’s bespoke wallcovering, fashioned from a nautical chart, and the porthole mirror. The spare wood vanity nods to craft and utility, hallmarks of Nantucket’s architectural legacy. / Photo by Hayley Day

Practicality was essential—especially with a Bernedoodle in residence. The mudroom pairs oak millwork with durable porcelain- and slate-look tile designed to handle sand, wet towels, and muddy paws. Star-shaped ceiling fixtures from Visual Comfort add a subtle maritime wink, while the shade of green selected for the walls recalls both sea glass and the gardens surrounding the home.

“It’s an island house,” Save says, “but not on the water.” That nuance defines the project. Rather than lean into overt beach motifs, she created a home rooted in craftsmanship, light, and longevity. The result feels both Scandinavian and Nantucket at once—elegant, welcoming, and built to endure.

A fully-equipped outdoor kitchen with a mahogany-clad interior has folding windows that integrate the space with the patio area, allowing the person who is preparing food to be part of the socializing. / Photo by Hayley Day

Builder Cheney Custom Homes
Interior Designer Charlotte Save

First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Summer 2026 issue, with the headline “The Long View.”

The post What Happens When Two Swedes Design a Nantucket Beach House appeared first on Boston Magazine.

Photo by Michael J. Lee

This article is from the summer 2026 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.

The land came first. Two adjacent, heavily wooded parcels on Martha’s Vineyard, bordered by a pond alive with birdsong and marine life, felt almost enchanted. The wife compared it to Narnia. What followed was a home designed not just to sit lightly within that landscape, but to bring an extended family together—without sacrificing space to retreat.

The clients, a couple living outside of Boston, had visited the Vineyard over past summers and imagined having a home there one day. They began conversations with architect Travis Ritchie before they had even purchased the property. After one deal fell through, Ritchie’s realtor connection found a pair of adjacent parcels owned by a mother and daughter. Heavily wooded and bordering a lively pond, the setting “has this magical outdoor quality,” says designer Jennifer Palumbo, who helped bring that feeling indoors as well.

Furnishings with textural appeal—a leather-and-brass ottoman and a tasseled M2C Studio chandelier—enliven the living area. The adjacent sunroom can be closed off from the space with a sliding glass door. / Photo by Michael J. Lee

Though this was the clients’ first time working with a design team to create a custom home, they were decisive about what they wanted. The house would be a landing spot for their three adult children and a place where family and friends could comfortably visit for extended stays. Integral to the layout was that there were ample gathering spots for the family to be together, as well as private areas where one could go to recharge.

“The challenge was keeping the feeling of intimacy and laid-back comfort of a small house in larger spaces,” Ritchie says. He achieved that balance by creating a core of communal areas and separate wings for the homeowners and their guests. In the center of the home, the multifunctional great room opens to the kitchen and dining areas, flanked by a guest wing on one side and space for the homeowners on the other. As a result, “it’s a large house that doesn’t feel large,” Ritchie says.

The daughter’s bathhouse is a place to get away. Palumbo used dark textured tile from Discover Tile on the walls and a floating vanity in lighter wood. The space also has a tub positioned under a large window that looks out into the forest. / Photo by Michael J. Lee

The primary bedroom is a neutral backdrop for the forest views outside with an RH bed, Annie Selke linens, and a pair of armchairs from Artefact. / Photo by Michael J. Lee

The primary suite gives the homeowners lots of privacy and space to relax. Made Goods’ “Nerine” bedside tables are paired with Visual Comfort “Argo” pendant lights. / Photo by Michael J. Lee

The homeowners have a private retreat in their primary suite. Expansive windows and Palumbo’s clean, neutral design keep the woodsy views in focus. A walk-through closet connects to a bathroom, outdoor spa, and shower. On the floor above, an office opens to an attached roof deck. In the guest wing, Ritchie stacked three en suite bedrooms above a first-floor garage, laundry room, and fourth guest room. Palumbo added flexibility by designing each guest suite with beds that can be combined into a king or separated into two twins, accommodating whoever is visiting.

Though the children don’t have dedicated bedrooms, their passions are woven into the design. The oldest son is a chef, reflected in the well-equipped main kitchen, an adjacent outdoor cooking area with a large bar and pizza oven, and additional prep space at the pool house. Their artist daughter has a studio over the garage, and her sister’s love of Japanese culture inspired an onsen-like bathhouse. The multitude of distinct spaces gives the property an almost resort-like feel, says Palumbo.

Ritchie used lower ceilings in the kitchen to differentiate the space from the dining and living room areas. Palumbo designed white-oak cabinets with plank-style fronts and used green, the client’s favorite color, as an accent on the island. / Photo by Michael J. Lee

Palumbo chose a Palecek sofa and chairs for the outdoor seating area off the main home’s kitchen and dining space. The same natural-stone façade is used for both the indoor and outdoor fireplaces, one of many design details that enhance the indoor-outdoor connection. / Photo by Michael J. Lee

That feeling is reinforced outdoors, where landscape designer Matthew Cunningham created a carefully choreographed path system connecting the home’s various spaces that encourages exploration. While some trees were removed to accommodate the footprint, Cunningham’s team preserved the property’s sculptural oaks and low blueberry and huckleberry shrubs, layering in salt-tolerant, drought-resistant native plantings. “The house and garden are very much in sync,” Cunningham says. “Part of the experience of this place is being able to relax within the beauty of this unique island ecosystem.”

Palumbo carried that harmony inside by keeping the interiors fairly neutral, with lighter woods and subtle touches of green. Pared-back cabinetry and simple trim details allow the eye to rest on the surrounding forest and water views.

Enveloped in nature, with space to explore and room to retreat, the home offers the ideal setup for family vacations—whether the house is full of guests or serving as a quiet island escape.

A window seat nestled in a sunny spot near the entryway has a cushion upholstered in Schumacher fabric. White-oak paneling gives the nook additional distinction. / Photo by Michael J. Lee

Architect R+D Studio
Builder Stedman Construction
Interior Designer Jennifer Palumbo Interior Design
Landscape Architect Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design

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