BOSTON COMMON MID-RISE PENTHOUSE RENOVATION
Boston, MA 2016

ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN
RUHL WALKER ARCHITECTS


GENERAL CONTRACTOR
PAQUETTE ASSOCIATES

This large top floor mid-rise apartment counts chief among its virtues a 60’ long panoramic view of Boston Common, the State House and Back Bay, and then, if that weren’t enough a dramatic rear window-scape onto the lights of Boston’s newly re-energized theater district.  The existing floor plan divided the views into a confused warren of disorganized rooms, with too many narrow dark hallways connecting them.  The floor plan was reorganized, updating the kitchen and gathering spaces to capture light and views more fully and adding two fireplaces, with newly designed bathrooms, storage areas and a connecting gallery for the display of art and memorabilia. The building’s low ceilings were rationalized to create lighted trays that correspond to room function and furniture placement, with a dramatic modern light fixture suspended under a redesigned skylight marking the main cross-roads of the new apartment.  Finishes include soft brown oak flooring, a flecked grey schist stone for fireplaces, rift-sawn walnut for fully paneled walls (and concealed doors) and sumptuous matte travertine tile to show off clean white fittings in the master bath.