Architect-designed in the 1920s as a family cottage, this storybook home perches atop a rugged rock outcropping, offering a private retreat from the bustle of Newton. With its eclectic mix of materials and period details, the house’s historic charm set a high bar for any updates.
The owners sought to expand and modernize the kitchen, improve the rear entry sequence and its connection to the family room, and enlarge a second-floor bedroom—while ensuring every intervention felt contemporary yet harmonious with the home’s traditional character.
The new kitchen addition embraces a bright, modern sensibility, softened by Craftsman-inspired details in the island, lighting, and millwork. Playful, colorful furnishings introduce a family-friendly character that carries seamlessly into the adjoining family room, powder room, and mudroom.
The addition is clad in live-edge siding and painted paneling that respects the home’s rustic brick, stucco, and puddingstone exterior. Generous windows, exposed stonework in the mudroom, and two new patio areas blur the boundary between indoors and out, creating welcoming spaces for family gatherings.
Team Architect LDa Architecture & Interiors
Interior Design LDa Architecture & Interiors
Builder F.H. Perry Builder
Cabinetry Jewett Farms
Photographer Sean Litchfield Photography