The Blossom House: An Award-Winning North Shore Classic
Carpenter & MacNeille blends classical design with modern ease in a North Shore renovation.
In a lush North Shore neighborhood, a once-tired 19th-century home has been revived as a Georgian-inspired estate of beauty and balance. Designed, built, and exquisitely detailed by Carpenter & MacNeille, the Blossom House is an ode to classical architecture reinterpreted for modern living.
What started out as a renovation quickly evolved into a complete reimagining. “It needed everything,” says Michael Gray, Principal Architect and Managing Partner at Carpenter & MacNeille. “We went right down to the studs and essentially rebuilt the house—only the central core framing remained.”
From this foundation, a new vision emerged: a graceful Georgian estate, grounded in symmetry, craftsmanship, and a sense of permanence. “It fits right in. It looks like it’s always been there,” Gray notes. Along with Mr. Gray, who conceived the master plan and design direction for the project, the core team from Carpenter & MacNeille included Senior Project Architect Steve Harrington, Senior Interior Designer Anne Alberts, Senior Construction Manager Brett Crimmin, and Site Supervisor Ron Davison.
A Conversation of Past and Present
The architecture of the home evokes the timeless beauty of 19th-century design, with its columned portico and graceful curved front steps and bronze rail setting the tone for a formal, classical style. A pillowed granite foundation supports the rebuilt central pavilion, now flanked by additions and classically detailed dormers.
The design narrative unfolds around an elliptical motif, serving as a subtle, repeating shape that lends cohesion and fluidity throughout. The signature oval window centered on the façade, inspired by historic New England architecture, became the seed for what would blossom into the home’s unifying theme. “That was the starting point,” recalls Steve Harrington, Senior Project Architect. “From there, the motif carried through the interiors, all the way to the custom stained-glass dome crowning the stairwell.”
From the Inside Out
Stepping through the mahogany front door, Carpenter & MacNeille’s trademark craftsmanship immediately makes a statement. Custom millwork and tailored finishes abound, from the paneled stairwell and Venetian-plastered domes to the oak-paneled office with its hidden bar. “Every unique aspect, we look at as an opportunity to do something interesting and cohesive within the rest of the design,” says Gray.
The interiors, led by Anne Alberts, Carpenter & MacNeille’s Head of Interior Design, balance formal structure with a sense of ease. At the heart of the home, the kitchen serves as a warm, light-filled anchor for family life. Traditional cabinetry and a statement brass hood bridge the past and present, while thoughtful features such as a concealed coffee bar and marble pocket-door spice racks cater to modern living and entertaining.
The kitchen opens into the living room, where a limestone fireplace and arched built-ins frame a gathering space that is both serene and inviting. Every piece of custom cabinetry and millwork feature was designed and fabricated in Carpenter & MacNeille’s Essex workshop, ensuring seamless continuity between concept and completion.
Upstairs, the primary suite encompasses more than half the second floor, serving as a private retreat complete with a terrace offering distant ocean views, a spa-like bath, and a walk-in closet that connects seamlessly to the laundry suite.
The home’s most intimate space awaits at the top: a third-floor library that feels like its very own world. Wrapped in stained oak paneling and finished with a beadboard ceiling and herringbone floor, the library channels the romance of a Tudor Revival study or perhaps the captain’s quarters of an old-world ship.
The outdoor spaces carry the same level of refinement, with gas lantern lighting, granite, and stucco serving as a unifying thread. Beyond the rear porch, equipped with built-in heaters for year-round use, the pool and pool house extend the home’s sense of livable luxury outdoors. The new French-eclectic carriage house, clad in stucco with mahogany doors, slate roof, and an octagonal lantern, echoes the main home’s materials and details.
The Master Builder’s Touch
As architects, builders, interior designers, and custom millwork and cabinetry craftspeople, Carpenter & MacNeille embodies the “master builder” tradition, where architecture, construction, and craftsmanship unite under one roof. “The concept of the master builder—one mind conceiving, drawing, detailing, and building—is something we’ve embraced since the beginning of our firm,” says Gray.
A Legacy of Timeless Design
Today, the Blossom House stands as a modern classic. Recently honored with a Bulfinch Award, the project reflects the very best of New England architecture: timeless design, handcrafted details, and a deep respect for place.
For Carpenter & MacNeille, celebrating their 30th anniversary, the project captures the firm’s enduring mission. “A great client makes a great project,” says Gray. “And when someone tells us it looks like the house has always been there—that’s the best compliment of all.”
