Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/809115
The Victorian detail of the fireplace adds depth and character to an otherwise contemporary entryway. bottom: The 8,000-square- foot property won the 2016 Prism Award for Best of Show of New England for Morehouse MacDonald and Associates architects. PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAM GRAY PHOTOGRAPHY. OPPOSITE PAGE: DAN CUTRONA SECRET SANCTUARY This grand home is smack in the middle of a neighborhood of Tudors and Capes, but you'd never know it if you were luxuriating in the backyard or anywhere in the house—exactly the goal of the family who tore down a preexisting home to build their perfect palace. "It needed to fit in, but also needed to reflect the owners' stylish spirit," says John MacDonald, cofounder of architectural firm Morehouse MacDonald and Associates. The Contract: "We listen hard to our clients. We immerse ourselves in their lives. We go to great lengths make sure everything works together," says MacDonald. "The end product just shows." The Build: "We created a property with understated elegance, a strong masculine feel, and classic arts and crafts architecture," says MacDonald. A grand fireplace in the kitchen and family room, old-fashioned entry with French doors, and vaulted three-story entry with a flying staircase and inglenook are highlights. "Our houses are a piece of furniture; the materials interact," adds senior associate Greg Graham. The Yard: Greg Lombardi Design was called in to maximize outdoor space and privacy. "We worked to create walls and terraces that incorporated rich material palettes: bluestone, granite, fieldstone," says owner Greg Lombardi. "Plantings were done to layer the landscape into various outdoor 'rooms.'" Morehouse MacDonald and Associates: 3 Bow St., Lexington, 781-861-9500; morehousemacdonald.com Greg Lombardi Design: 2235 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-492-2808; lombardidesign.com "WE CREATED A PROPERTY WITH UNDERSTATED ELEGANCE AND A STRONG MASCULINE FEEL." —john macdonald, mor ehouse macdonald 92 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM