In Boston, where architectural heritage often resists reinvention, an 1899 brownstone by Lisa Tharp Design has been carefully recalibrated for contemporary family life. Commissioned by a media and tech couple with seemingly opposing sensibilities, the project became an exercise in alignment between modernist restraint and the glamour of European boutique hotels.
“Warm, dynamic clients whose enthusiasm for, and trust in, our ideas was an absolute joy,” says Lisa Tharp, founder and principal designer of the studio. “We are preservationists who love restoring a classical home, while authentically adding in the amenities of modern life.”
Previous renovations had stripped the four level residence of much of its original character. One of the central architectural challenges was a deep soffit cutting awkwardly through the main circulation space between the living room and kitchen. Tharp responded by introducing curved walls and an arched opening that now frame an intimate dining nook centred around an 11 foot pedestal table finished in automotive paint. “We hid that soffit within a new arched opening and curved walls to create an intimate dining nook that can surprisingly seat 20 people,” she explains.
The interiors draw heavily from French Modern and Art Deco vocabularies through polished walnut, rosewood, parchment finishes and a restrained yet immersive approach to colour. “Clients love rich warm color,” says Tharp, who treated saturated hues “as neutrals by staying within a narrow band of color across walls, millwork, even ceilings.”
Champagne tones envelop the primary suite through lacquered ceilings, silk textiles and wallpaper, while terracotta and muted orange shape the dining and family rooms. Warm blues and forest greens anchor the living spaces and nursery, where an Italian pastoral scene sits behind newly installed green pocket doors.
Throughout the home, violet marble, mica infused walls and gold leaf ceilings sit alongside pieces sourced from Holly Hunt, Baker Furniture, Knoll, Dedar and The Rug Company, while works by Richard Serra, Marc Chagall and Julian Opie reinforce the home’s collected sensibility. The result is a residence where historical architecture regains depth through materiality, atmosphere and a carefully calibrated sense of permanence.
