Back Bay Duplex

Victorian townhouses are magnificent yet tend to be dark with discrete rooms, and this building in Boston’s Back Bay was no exception. The clients, who grew up in the house as children, wanted to transform the space into a home that was bright and comfortable. By opening the parlor level up completely from front to back, spaces flow from one to another and provide a corridor for natural light to illuminate the innermost parts of the home. Traditional details are contrasted by a sleek modern kitchen at the heart, and a modern glass railing at the original staircase. A neutral palette is used throughout and unifies the living spaces by offering a sense of consistency. Lighter colors enliven the bedrooms that do not have the advantage of direct natural illumination. The result is a unique, bright, and spacious modern home that is defined not by its constraints, but by its feeling of openness, unity, and luxury.