A Room of One’s Own: Homeowners Can Get Personal with Custom Building
(Private Residence in East Dennis, MA: Architecture by Reed Morrison Architect; Built by C.H. Newton Builders)
Custom building is akin to wish fulfillment. After all, when building a custom home, you get to think about how you live, how you’d like to live, what you’d love. With the help of your architect, builder and interior designer—all genies, really—the spaces you’ve been dreaming of can take shape: that soul-nourishing yoga room, a boutique-worthy closet or a master suite that spills out to a rolling lawn (er, sorry, that’s my dream). These are the rooms that are so special, so personal, that they’ve been in development in your mind’s eye for years. And when they’re realized? They are fabulous.
(Private Residence in East Dennis, MA. Architecture: Reed Morrison Architect; Builder: C.H. Newton Builders, Inc.)
Test Kitchen and Bar
This high-octane test kitchen and bar brings city style and bravado to Weston. It was built by Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc. and designed by LDa Architecture & Interiors for a culinary whiz and mixologist. Decked out in stainless, tawny wood and Classic-Coke red, the space is outfitted with every kitchen amenity: two flat tops, a grill range, three ovens, an array of premium appliances and two TV monitors.
(Construction: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architecture: LDa Architecture & Interiors; Photo by Greg Premru Photography)
(Construction: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architecture: LDa Architecture & Interiors; Photo by Greg Premru Photography)
(Construction: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architecture: LDa Architecture & Interiors; Photo by Greg Premru Photography)
A central island and “lab area” invites experimentation with its “piped air and gas,” prep sink and plenty of storage. Meanwhile, in another corner, a tiled, curving glass-topped bar has all of the makings for an extended cocktail hour: a sink, refrigerator and tap, as well as a temperature-controlled wine tasting and storage room. Cheers!
(Construction: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architecture: LDa Architecture & Interiors; Photo by Greg Premru Photography)
French Country Kitchen
(Builder: Fallon Custom Homes and Renovations; Interior Designer: Liz Caan; Photo by Eric Roth)
This kitchen remodel by Fallon Custom Homes and Renovations would be just as at home in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence as it is in Chestnut Hill. A multilayered and rustic space, this French Country Revival style kitchen was fashioned for devotees of French cuisine and travel. It features all of the hallmarks of the celebrated decorating style—a sumptuous color palette, distressed furnishings, natural elements, an array of collectibles and antiques, and a few token modern accents—and all but transports the home chefs to rural France.
(Builder: Fallon Custom Homes and Renovations; Interior Designer: Liz Caan; Photo by Eric Roth)
You needn’t be a Francophile to appreciate the charm of the old-world features: the hammered copper top of the island; white Carrara marble counter; and the stained custom cherry crown mouldings, shelves and brackets. The homeowner considered details large and small—a headlining custom Aga Stove in aubergine, distressed and glazed cabinetry fastened by icebox latches, and custom brass S hooks and hanging rods—to form this one-of-kind space.
(Builder: Fallon Custom Homes and Renovations; Interior Designer: Liz Caan; Photo by Eric Roth)
Wine Cellar
(Builder: Sanford Custom Builders; Architecture: Patrick Ahearn Architect; Interior Design: Andrew Paretsky; wine cellar designed and built by Charles River Wine Cellars)
For a Weston homeowner with a passion for wine, architect Patrick Ahearn of Patrick Ahearn Architect was sure to make a wine cellar part of the plan. While Sanford Custom Builders engaged in the new home's construction, Charles River Wine Cellars went to work designing and building a peerless cellar and tasting room worthy of the client’s coveted vintage collection. The handsome space is aesthetically intoxicating, and crafted in beautiful oak (what else?) and fieldstone, and limestone flooring.
(Builder: Sanford Custom Builders; Architecture: Patrick Ahearn Architect; Interior Design: Andrew Paretsky; wine cellar designed and built by Charles River Wine Cellars)
It's all the more impressive for what you don't see, however, explains Marc A. Kaplan, president of Sanford Custom Builders. This wine cellar isn’t just another room of the residence; it is literally “its own environment.” The carefully constructed and appointed space was essentially fashioned as a giant refrigerator that can store, chill and display a few thousand bottles. We’ll drink to that!
Entry Hall
(Builder: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architect: Epstein Joslin Architects; Photo by Neil Alexander of Alexander Design Group)
When the owners of an oceanfront estate in Manchester by the Sea wanted to make a splash with their front entry hall, they commissioned Kistler and Knapp Builders to work their magic. Water was integrated into the décor by way of “a lap pool on one side and reflection pool on the other,” says firm president Douglas A. G. Stevenson. Together, the two create a “soothing and welcoming approach to the formal areas of the home.”
(Builder: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architect: Epstein Joslin Architects; Photo by Neil Alexander of Alexander Design Group)
The hall mixes classical architectural detailing with more contemporary oak millwork, mingling the spare and the ornate for a look wholly their own. It’s an interesting space designed for exercise and entertaining, as the foyer is spacious enough to host a good many guests. Visitors are drawn to the resplendent hall’s bridge, as well as to the illuminated reflecting pool, which paves the way as if by stepping stone to an outdoor courtyard with fountains, and, ultimately, the ocean.
(Builder: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architect: Epstein Joslin Architects; Photo by Neil Alexander of Alexander Design Group)
Lookout and Artist Studio
(Builder: Kenneth Vona Construction; Architect: Nicholaeff Architecture + Design; Photo by Richard Mandelkorn)
For the owners of a beautiful bayside residence in Orleans, home is about view and vantage. To hail the property’s sweeping views of shore, sea and sky, Kenneth Vona Construction crafted an extended cupola that affords the couple and its family the ultimate sky-high perch. Designed by Nicholaeff Design + Architecture, the shingled lookout boasts a pair of symmetrical open-air stairs that ascend to an intimate observation deck and two of the most comfortable Adirondack chairs you’ll find.
An artist’s studio fills the space just below the cupola, down the interior stairs. The room is a heavily windowed, sun-washed area that, as you can imagine, allows the homeowner to get creative.
Master Closet
(Builder: Sanford Custom Builders; Architecture: Jan Gleysteen Architects; Photo by Richard Mandelkorn)
When a supremely organized couple in Wellesley dreamt of their ideal master suite, a walk-in closet and dressing room that was easy on the eye yet hard on clutter was part of the plan. Jan Gleysteen Architects drafted a wardrobe with wow factor, and Sanford Custom Builders painstakingly executed it. As functional as it is pleasing, the walk-in features “his and her” cabinetry topped in mahogany, built-in hampers and plenty of natural light. Kaplan of Sanford Custom Builders attests that it is a completely custom, seamless space that considers every last detail, right down to the shirt length of the residents.
(Private Residence in East Dennis, MA: Architecture by Reed Morrison Architect; Built by C.H. Newton Builders)
Custom building is akin to wish fulfillment. After all, when building a custom home, you get to think about how you live, how you’d like to live, what you’d love. With the help of your architect, builder and interior designer—all genies, really—the spaces you’ve been dreaming of can take shape: that soul-nourishing yoga room, a boutique-worthy closet or a master suite that spills out to a rolling lawn (er, sorry, that’s my dream). These are the rooms that are so special, so personal, that they’ve been in development in your mind’s eye for years. And when they’re realized? They are fabulous.
(Private Residence in East Dennis, MA. Architecture: Reed Morrison Architect; Builder: C.H. Newton Builders, Inc.)
Test Kitchen and Bar
This high-octane test kitchen and bar brings city style and bravado to Weston. It was built by Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc. and designed by LDa Architecture & Interiors for a culinary whiz and mixologist. Decked out in stainless, tawny wood and Classic-Coke red, the space is outfitted with every kitchen amenity: two flat tops, a grill range, three ovens, an array of premium appliances and two TV monitors.
(Construction: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architecture: LDa Architecture & Interiors; Photo by Greg Premru Photography)
(Construction: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architecture: LDa Architecture & Interiors; Photo by Greg Premru Photography)
(Construction: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architecture: LDa Architecture & Interiors; Photo by Greg Premru Photography)
A central island and “lab area” invites experimentation with its “piped air and gas,” prep sink and plenty of storage. Meanwhile, in another corner, a tiled, curving glass-topped bar has all of the makings for an extended cocktail hour: a sink, refrigerator and tap, as well as a temperature-controlled wine tasting and storage room. Cheers!
(Construction: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architecture: LDa Architecture & Interiors; Photo by Greg Premru Photography)
French Country Kitchen
(Builder: Fallon Custom Homes and Renovations; Interior Designer: Liz Caan; Photo by Eric Roth)
This kitchen remodel by Fallon Custom Homes and Renovations would be just as at home in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence as it is in Chestnut Hill. A multilayered and rustic space, this French Country Revival style kitchen was fashioned for devotees of French cuisine and travel. It features all of the hallmarks of the celebrated decorating style—a sumptuous color palette, distressed furnishings, natural elements, an array of collectibles and antiques, and a few token modern accents—and all but transports the home chefs to rural France.
(Builder: Fallon Custom Homes and Renovations; Interior Designer: Liz Caan; Photo by Eric Roth)
You needn’t be a Francophile to appreciate the charm of the old-world features: the hammered copper top of the island; white Carrara marble counter; and the stained custom cherry crown mouldings, shelves and brackets. The homeowner considered details large and small—a headlining custom Aga Stove in aubergine, distressed and glazed cabinetry fastened by icebox latches, and custom brass S hooks and hanging rods—to form this one-of-kind space.
(Builder: Fallon Custom Homes and Renovations; Interior Designer: Liz Caan; Photo by Eric Roth)
Wine Cellar
(Builder: Sanford Custom Builders; Architecture: Patrick Ahearn Architect; Interior Design: Andrew Paretsky; wine cellar designed and built by Charles River Wine Cellars)
For a Weston homeowner with a passion for wine, architect Patrick Ahearn of Patrick Ahearn Architect was sure to make a wine cellar part of the plan. While Sanford Custom Builders engaged in the new home's construction, Charles River Wine Cellars went to work designing and building a peerless cellar and tasting room worthy of the client’s coveted vintage collection. The handsome space is aesthetically intoxicating, and crafted in beautiful oak (what else?) and fieldstone, and limestone flooring.
(Builder: Sanford Custom Builders; Architecture: Patrick Ahearn Architect; Interior Design: Andrew Paretsky; wine cellar designed and built by Charles River Wine Cellars)
It's all the more impressive for what you don't see, however, explains Marc A. Kaplan, president of Sanford Custom Builders. This wine cellar isn’t just another room of the residence; it is literally “its own environment.” The carefully constructed and appointed space was essentially fashioned as a giant refrigerator that can store, chill and display a few thousand bottles. We’ll drink to that!
Entry Hall
(Builder: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architect: Epstein Joslin Architects; Photo by Neil Alexander of Alexander Design Group)
When the owners of an oceanfront estate in Manchester by the Sea wanted to make a splash with their front entry hall, they commissioned Kistler and Knapp Builders to work their magic. Water was integrated into the décor by way of “a lap pool on one side and reflection pool on the other,” says firm president Douglas A. G. Stevenson. Together, the two create a “soothing and welcoming approach to the formal areas of the home.”
(Builder: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architect: Epstein Joslin Architects; Photo by Neil Alexander of Alexander Design Group)
The hall mixes classical architectural detailing with more contemporary oak millwork, mingling the spare and the ornate for a look wholly their own. It’s an interesting space designed for exercise and entertaining, as the foyer is spacious enough to host a good many guests. Visitors are drawn to the resplendent hall’s bridge, as well as to the illuminated reflecting pool, which paves the way as if by stepping stone to an outdoor courtyard with fountains, and, ultimately, the ocean.
(Builder: Kistler and Knapp Builders, Inc.; Architect: Epstein Joslin Architects; Photo by Neil Alexander of Alexander Design Group)
Lookout and Artist Studio
(Builder: Kenneth Vona Construction; Architect: Nicholaeff Architecture + Design; Photo by Richard Mandelkorn)
For the owners of a beautiful bayside residence in Orleans, home is about view and vantage. To hail the property’s sweeping views of shore, sea and sky, Kenneth Vona Construction crafted an extended cupola that affords the couple and its family the ultimate sky-high perch. Designed by Nicholaeff Design + Architecture, the shingled lookout boasts a pair of symmetrical open-air stairs that ascend to an intimate observation deck and two of the most comfortable Adirondack chairs you’ll find.
An artist’s studio fills the space just below the cupola, down the interior stairs. The room is a heavily windowed, sun-washed area that, as you can imagine, allows the homeowner to get creative.
Master Closet
(Builder: Sanford Custom Builders; Architecture: Jan Gleysteen Architects; Photo by Richard Mandelkorn)
When a supremely organized couple in Wellesley dreamt of their ideal master suite, a walk-in closet and dressing room that was easy on the eye yet hard on clutter was part of the plan. Jan Gleysteen Architects drafted a wardrobe with wow factor, and Sanford Custom Builders painstakingly executed it. As functional as it is pleasing, the walk-in features “his and her” cabinetry topped in mahogany, built-in hampers and plenty of natural light. Kaplan of Sanford Custom Builders attests that it is a completely custom, seamless space that considers every last detail, right down to the shirt length of the residents.
