which, in the case of the one in the dining room, includes a bread oven. But they’ve been updated with a facing of matte black granite that transports them instantly into the twenty-first century. For an antidote to the 1970s-era kitchen, Balsbaugh called on SieMatic of Boston. The room was rearranged and re-plumbed and brought into the present with a marble backsplash, lacquered cabinets capped with slender white quartz, and an island with a three-inch-thick oak breakfast bar. Alterations to other parts of the 4,900-squarefoot house were less dramatic, but no less necessary. A spacious walk-out basement was converted into two bedrooms, a family room, and a full bath. Plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling systems were replaced throughout. An ell at the rear of the original house was also updated, and a pool, pool house, and garage were added.
The street-facing side, meanwhile, was refreshed in accordance with the dictates of local historical authorities: existing twelve-over-twelve windows were repaired and protected with all-but-invisible storms, and new wood siding and shingles were installed and left to age gracefully. Boxed lanterns and pilasters adorn the front door, offering no hint of the surprise that awaits just over the threshold. “You walk through the door and it just feels good,” says Balsbaugh in an effort to explain the pleasing balance between the home’s antiquity and its newfound modernity. Her client, too, attributes the success of the design to the emotions it inspires, rather than the time or place it might be thought to represent. “I feel like it’s a very calm house, a very minimalist house,” she says. “For me, it’s like serenity. I just love everything about it.” RESOURCES : For more information about this home, see page 209. May–June 2019 | New England Home 121
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