Past Meets Present: A Tale of Two Styles

And you thought you had to decide.... A trio of wildly interesting homes combines historical architecture with modern-day add-ons, weaving a tale of two styles. This is virtuosic work by some of Boston’s finest architects and builders, not to mention completely out-of-the-box thinking. Take a look…

When Adolfo Perez Architect was commissioned with designing a contemporary, one-story addition to a 1929 Craftsman style house (pictured above) and basement renovation in Brookline’s Historic Design District, he was forced to get creative. As preservation mandates discouraged contemporary additions viewable from a public way without architectural precedent, principal Adolfo Perez designed a box-like, one-story element that provides easy access and views to the large backyard, yet is inconspicuous from the street. Perez specified copper cladding and Cor-ten steel windows and doors deemed “historically appropriate,” and incorporated a green roof to visually connect the new feature with the landscape.

Architecture: LDa Architecture & Interiors; construction: F.H. Perry Builder; landscape architecture: Cultivar Gardens; photo by Greg Premru Photography

When the large, blended family of two Harvard professors had outgrown their traditional Cambridge home, LDa Architecture & Interiors and F.H. Perry Builder were called upon to add on a contemporary wing to their otherwise classic home. A connector and kitchen were the focus of the addition, which included plenty of space for cooking, prepping and entertaining and chef-grade appliances, as well as a massive concrete countertop that had to be dropped in by crane. LDa Architecture & Interiors incorporated oversized glass window panels and painted wood siding to serve as a bridge between old and new.

Architecture: project architect Catherine Truman, completed at Ann Beha Architects; construction: Thoughtforms Corp.; photo by Eric Roth Photography

In another Cambridge home (love how those Cantabrigians think!), Thoughtforms Corporation teamed up with Ann Beha Architects to realize a modern addition clad in copper and stone. This property, which feels miles away from the city, harnesses the best of both worlds. It merges a stately Georgian-style construct with a contemporary companion that brings a woodsy, elemental feel to the living spaces and multistory kitchen within.

Top image: Adolfo Perez Architect; photo by Shelly Harrison