A Boston House Remodel by LA Team Barbara Bestor and Carter Design

Q: Which design firm worked on the historic home remodel project?

Carter Design worked on the historic home remodel project.

Q: What style of architecture is the historic home?

The historic home is a Greek Revival-style townhouse.

Q: What was the goal of the historic home remodel?

The goal of the historic home remodel was to update the space while preserving its historic features and character.

Q: What were some of the challenges faced during the historic home remodel?

Some of the challenges faced during the historic home remodel included working within the constraints of a historic building, navigating zoning regulations, and updating outdated infrastructure.

Q: What design elements were updated in the historic home remodel?

In the historic home remodel, the kitchen and bathrooms were updated, the floor plan was reconfigured, and new lighting and finishes were added.

Q: What historic features were preserved in the home remodel?

The historic home remodel preserved original molding, doors, floors, and windows.

Q: What is the overall aesthetic of the historic home remodel?

The overall aesthetic of the historic home remodel is modern, with clean lines and a neutral color palette.

Q: How long did the historic home remodel project take to complete?

The historic home remodel project took around 18 months to complete.

Q: What is the address of the historic home in Boston?

The address of the historic home in Boston is not provided in the article.

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In San Francisco, they’re known as Painted Ladies. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, there isn’t a name for the preferred—and, if you ask us, far more compelling—Victorian house palette: exteriors in severe blacks, charcoals, and grays offset by front doors in wild lipstick shades like Lilac and Vixen Red.

LA architect Barbara Bestor of Bestor Architecture knows and appreciates this Boston tradition—she herself grew up in Cambridge. Her client, Doug Zell, the peripatetic cofounder of Intelligentsia Coffee, brings an outsider’s interest to local ways—and an inclination to loosen things up. The divorced father of one came to town a few years ago for a romance that didn’t work out—and ended up staying to open two outposts of his coffee bar and to remodel a historic Cambridge house. Having worked with Bestor a decade earlier on Intelligentsia Coffee’s much-buzzed-about Silver Lake location, he recruited her practice for all of these jobs. Bestor, in turn, enlisted Cy and Genevieve Carter of Carter Design, based in LA and Long Island, to orchestrate the house’s furnishings. The team approached the project with respect—and also a Californians’ understanding of comfort and the need for some fun. Let’s take a look.

Photography by and courtesy of Laure Joliet.

the house was built in the \1880s in cambridge&#8\2\17;s strawberry hill ne 17 — Above: The house was built in the 1880s in Cambridge’s Strawberry Hill neighborhood. Previously painted white, it was given a proper Boston color combo: Farrow & Ball’s Black Blue with a front door in a custom-mixed Fine Paints of Europe high-gloss matched to the British Standard Colour Poppy Red. A fan of “combining the serious with the playful,” Zell says the palette comes from the longstanding influence of British design in Boston,

The ground floor windows are original; Bestor took out the vinyl windows that had been added to the second floor and attic and reintroduced true divided-lite wood windows with sashes painted Benjamin Moore black. She also added a standing-seam metal roof, she says, for “hyper-functionality and to give the traditional New England home a slightly more industrial, modern texture.” (Go to Hardscaping 101 to read about the benefits of metal roofs.)

the upgraded front door has stained glass sidelights in periwinkle blue. the br 18 — Above: The upgraded front door has stained glass sidelights in periwinkle blue. The Brass House Numbers are from Prime Mailboxes. The porch and railings are the originals, restored and refinished. The team worked with local builder John Palladino.

all is light and bright in the entry and living room. the downstairs floor plan 19 — Above: All is light and bright in the entry and living room. The downstairs floor plan was largely preserved but every surface required attention: “It looked as if the previous family had walked around covered in metal brushes and bumped up against everything,” says Zell.

The new flooring is oak. The hat-shaped tole umbrella stand came from local interior designer and antiques dealer Charles Spada.

the rosewood sofa is a midcentury milo baughman design found in boston and upho 20 — Above: The rosewood sofa is a midcentury Milo Baughman design found in Boston and upholstered in a velour from Kneedler Fauchère in LA. The kilim chair is a George Smith classic bought on 1st Dibs. The domed light is from local go-to modern dealer Reside in Cambridge. Zell displays his vintage game collection in the coffee table.

zell requested a fireplace and bestor suggested instead a better for the enviro 21 — Above: Zell requested a fireplace and Bestor suggested instead a better-for-the-environment (and easier to install) Rais wood-burning stove. Workstead’s Brass Orbit Sconces flank the entry to the dining room.

zell has frequent houseguests, many of them cyclists—he himself is a rid 22 — Above: Zell has frequent houseguests, many of them cyclists—he himself is a rider and, in addition to being a craft coffee impresario, is cofounder of Allied Cycle Works, makers of carbon fiber road bikes. He says his round dining table—a 19th-century French drop-leaf design—helps the room feel less formal and enables group conversation. The Salt Dining Chairs are from DWR. The Carters found the mid-century brass chandelier on 1st Dibs.

Bestor and team linked the room to the kitchen by widening the passageway between the two.

the designers started from scratch in the kitchen, introducing custom shaker st 23 — Above: The designers started from scratch in the kitchen, introducing custom Shaker-style cabinets and a center island topped with edge-grain maple butcher block. Bestor removed the ceiling to expose the gabled peak (with added skylights) and replaced French doors with a glazed back wall and slider.

Zell already owned the industrial stools.

the island is lit by piet hein eek&#8\2\17;s tl suspension light in copper. 24 — Above: The island is lit by Piet Hein Eek’s TL Suspension Light in copper.

Despite having an endless supply of coffee, Zell says he sticks to three cups a day: he gets espresso at Intelligentsia and often makes pour-over coffee at home using Chemex or Kalita glass pots, “one American, one Japanese.”