Catherine Truman Architects

Modern Boston Back Bay Townhouse

This 1873 brick townhouse in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood was converted from a multi-unit apartment building back to a spectacular single-family home. The exterior was carefully restored, and the interior was completely gutted. A new steel and open web truss structure was inserted, allowing us to maximize floor heights and create a dramatic four-story skylit atrium in the center of the house. A new stair and elevator core, illuminated from a skylight above, reach from the new ground floor to the roof deck. Winner of two PRISM awards 2019. Featured in Boston Home Magazine Spring 2018.

Mountain Retreat

This contemporary four-season, four-bedroom vacation house in northern New England, was built on an existing 30’ x 30’ foundation, with a focus on expansive views to the mountains beyond. The very efficient floor plan incorporates a large master suite on the first floor, along with a kitchen and double height living and dining space; three guest bedrooms occupy the second floor. A character hickory floor gives a rustic touch to an otherwise simply detailed contemporary space. Catherine Truman Architects was responsible for both the architectural design and all furnishings. PRISM award 2018. Featured in New England Home Magazine, July-August 2019.

Berkshire Farm House

Before the renovation, this 17th century farmhouse was a rabbit warren of small dark rooms with low ceilings. A new owner wanted to keep the character but modernize the house, so Catherine Truman Architects obliged, transforming the house completely. The family room, a large but very low ceiling room, was radically transformed by removing the ceiling to expose the roof structure above and rebuilding an open new stair; the exposed beams were salvaged from an historic barn elsewhere on the property. Original wide plank pine floors were carefully numbered, replaced, and matched where needed. Historic rooms in the front of the house were carefully restored and upgraded. The project is a net zero energy project, with solar panels, super insulated walls, and triple glazed windows.  Boston Society of Architects 2020 Residential Design Award Citation; Awarded “Best in Massachusetts” 2019 by the International Interior Design Association.

Net Zero Barn

The Net Zero Barn is one half of a larger project (see “Farm House Renovation”). When the new owners acquired the property, their hope had been to renovate the existing barn as part of the living space; the evaluation of the structural integrity of the barn timbers revealed that it was not structurally stable, so the barn was dismantled, the timber salvaged, documented, and repaired, and redeployed in the main house. The owners still wanted a barn, so Catherine Truman Architects sourced an antique barn frame of a similar size and style in western Ontario, and worked with a timber specialist to import, restore, and erect the frame on the property. A lean-to garage structure is modeled on the design of the barn that was removed. Solar panels on the roof, super insulated panels and the triple glazed windows all contribute to the Barn being a Net Zero energy project. Boston Society of Architects 2020 Residential Design Award Citation; Featured in Boston Magazine, December 2017.

Industrial Loft

This industrial loft was dark and uninviting, even though it had 13 large windows and doors on three exposures; the space was dominated by a large duct running through the center. The renovation transformed the space into a light-filled open and modern living space for a single professional who likes to entertain. The new design creates an open floor plan with a large central kitchen, flanked on either side by living and dining spaces that are perfectly scaled for solo use or larger parties. The new entry layout more than quadrupled the original amount of storage, providing plenty of closet space, bike storage, and a bank of counter height drawers, topped by a glass wall, which maintains the openness of the space while keeping the clutter of the entry separate from the main living space. Featured in Boston Home Magazine, Fall 2017.

Beacon Street Apartment

A few seemingly small adjustments to the plan of this downtown Boston condo made a huge difference in the openness of the space, while also providing significantly more storage for the young family. To create a more open sitting room and kitchen, Catherine Truman Architects  removed a structural wall between the original kitchen and hall, creating a larger kitchen, and replaced a line of structural columns in the family room, opening the spaces to each other, and providing a bank of storage cabinetry linking the two. The connection between the dining room and kitchen was enlarged, opening dining room for more casual family meals. Catherine Truman Architects also worked with the client to incorporate their existing furniture along with new furnishings and fixtures throughout, including the dramatic blue library.

Cambridge House

This contemporary addition to a classic house gave the client the best of both worlds, combining the character of the historic front with a spacious modern and light filled wing. The front of the house had been modified numerous times and little original material remained, but that was used as the inspiration in the recreation of an historically appropriate interior for the older portion of the house. In the rear, the old wing was removed and replaced with a new contemporary design, with a large double height family room at the center, overlooking a large terrace and the yard beyond. Fixed louvers are precisely designed to calibrate the amount of light in the south facing living area, limiting heat gain and creating dramatic shadows against the slate fireplace wall. Catherine Truman was the Project Architect for this project while at Ann Beha Architects.

Boston South End Townhouse

The new owners of this 19th century Boston South End brownstone wanted a contemporary renovation that respected the historic character of the old house, and could serve the needs of a family of five. The ground level was completely opened, removing both structural and non-structural walls, and opening up the rear façade with a steel and glass window and door to a balcony. The stair to the basement was opened, the mudroom expanded, and a half bath added. The new kitchen is deceptively large; hidden sliding panels conceal storage on either side of the range and the full wall behind the dining table. The formal parlor on the second floor was restored, while the master suite on the third floor was radically reconfigured to expand the bathroom and closet, and add a new laundry and bathroom. On the top floor, a Jack and Jill bath was converted to two en-suite baths; overall, the project added 2-1/2 baths and one bedroom to the house. CTA was largely responsible for the furniture, and assisted the owner with lighting, carpets and select furnishings. This home was published in Boston Common Magazine, “South End Magic,” February 2021.

Historic Charlestown Townhouse Renovation

Tight historical homes, common in the Boston area, are both challenging and precisely the type of project that Catherine Truman loves to do. A 2-year renovation resulted in a historic home featuring custom details that seamlessly blend with the home’s original good bones.

This project was featured in Modern Luxury Boston “Beauty in the Patina”

https://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?m=46795&i=765324&p=90&ver=html5