Marrying Mid-Century design and modern comforts with classical architecture, this home is no waking dream.
The calming primary bathroom also includes a stunning painting by Ricardo Mazal

Thirty-five years ago, one newlywed couple walked the streets of Back Bay, imagining a life inside one of the illustrious brownstones. “He was at MIT and she was working at the Pru,” says San Francisco-based interior designer Chantal Lamberto (chantallamberto.com) of the clients. “It was heartwarming to hear their story and it felt so meaningful that they were fulfilling their dream to one day live in a Back Bay brownstone.” After residing in many cities across the country, including Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif., and New York, the two finally found their way back to Boston and turned their onetime dream into a reality by purchasing a two-story unit in a historic brownstone.

Blending the old and new, this three-bed, 2 ½-bath home features clean and fresh design elements that complement the building’s classical details. “I think what ultimately became our path for success was to let the architectural bones be the star of the show by painting all of the walls Benjamin Moore Cloud White,” she notes. “Then, we relied on textures and luxurious fibers such as silk, alpaca and wool, rather than using [a lot of] patterns.”
In the living room, a Holly Hunt silk and wool rug wows in two shades of gray.

Once inside the warm, light-filled home, the attention to texture, striking furniture and art wows—each piece is a meaningful part of the overall composition. The owner’s jumping-off point? A pair of Hans Wegner (1stdibs.com) Papa Bear chairs for the living room. “They were the complete antidote to stuffy, overly traditional style and the perfect way to bridge this classic home with comfortable modern living in an interesting, artful way,” she says of the soft wool felt chairs. Also adding to the white, gray and black-hued space is an artistic glass Lindsey Adelman (lindseyadelman.com) light fixture above a cream banquette and coffee table from Atelier Purcell (atelierpurcell.com), gray Mattaliano (mattaliano.com) sofa and Caste (castedesign.us) bench.

However, the piece de resistance is a mirror above the gas fireplace, which the designer discovered in one of the couple’s favorite New York City restaurants, Casa Lever. “I was on a buying trip in New York sourcing for this project, and we stopped in for dinner at Casa Lever. In the bar area, they have really chic mirrors, and what makes them so special is a very deep, curved frame in a beautiful gilded finish,” she says. “My team reached out to the restaurant, who graciously put us in touch with their interior designer that allowed us to place a custom order through their resource. It was such a special story to have that design. A little part of New York in their home in Boston.”The team added mirrored doors to the dining room built-ins that reflect light.

On the opposite end of the first floor awaits a classical yet minimalist dining room coated in Cloud White—an abstract custom rug by Christopher Farr (christopherfarr.com) with a black-and-white brushstroke design provides one of the home’s few bold patterns. Modern, plush beetle chairs by Gubi (gubi.com) surround a bespoke bleached walnut and handpolished table by Gregorius Pineo (gregoriuspineo.com), all beneath an exquisite Paul Ferrante (paulferrante.com) chandelier. To add a historic touch, Lamberto dressed up the ceiling with a dramatic medallion above the main light fixture; this was also done in the living room.The Caesarstone countertops add a bright pop against gray details.

As the kitchen received small touches like high-gloss paint, vintage Italian light fixtures, a Waterworks (waterworks.com) Henry faucet and Anthony Lawrence-Belfair (anthonylawrence.com) bar stools, so did the primary bedroom. A clean and simple Christian Liaigre (studioliaigre.com) four-poster bed serves as a focal point, bookended by two light wood bedside tables from Gregorius Pineo and lamps by Stephen Gerould (stephengerould.com).
Homeowners can cozy up on the library’s reupholstered Baker sofa.

Completing this calming haven is a cozy seating area, bathed in natural light from a bay window. Here, the homeowners can unwind in their midcentury grasshopper chair, situated beside an abstract Kelly Wearstler sculpture (kellywearstler.com), and absorb their dream realized.

DESIGN DETAILS

TYPE
Single-family home

INTERIOR DESIGNER
Chantal Lamberto
chantallamberto.com

CONTRACTOR
Adams + Beasley Associates
adamsbeasley.com

RESOURCES

GREGORIUS PINEO
Table, dining room; bedside tables, primary bedroom
gregoriuspineo.com

MATTALIANO
Sofa, living room
mattaliano.com

RICARDO MAZAL
Painting, living room; painting, primary bathroom
ricardomazal.com

URBAN ELECTRIC
Sconces, living room
urbanelectric.com

ALFONSO MARINA
Bench, primary bedroom
alfonsomarina.com

LINDSEY ADELMAN
Light fixture, living room
lindseyadelman.com