MODERNIZING A BROOKLINE CLASSIC

Brookline is a lovely town spanning slightly less than 7 square miles, located 6+ miles southwest of Boston.  It’s an approximately 21-minute drive to Boston’s Logan airport via Storrow drive.  Brookline is prestigious, with cultured air, good schools and easy access to Boston’s downtown via car or Boston’s public transportation system.  

We’ve been working in Brookline for nearly 20 years now and have many lovely clients here.     

Many Brookline homeowners and luxury real estate agents are turning to Architectural Design Build.  I’ll discuss this here and wanted to walk you through a custom client project we did in Boston that came out beautifully and was published in Modern Luxury Boston Common.  

A young couple bought this home as a bastion of aesthetics, practicality and safety in which to grow their family–falling in love with the classic Victorian style and desiring to introduce a 2020 aesthetic to the home while paying homage to its classic roots.  This family had previously worked with a separate architect for their home in NY and had found it unworkable having to coordinate multiple project aspects with their busy lifestyle.  This led to their decision to work with a Design Build firm for this project.  The couple inherently entrusted NEDC to bring their design vision of a balanced modern and traditional aesthetic to life–they did not visit the home during construction.  The project aim was to balance traditional Victorian and Modern while crafting a contemporary Boston family home. They were genuinely delighted and uplifted with the results.

Modernization was achieved through the addition of color to the following classic spaces:  

• In the first-floor bathroom a classic Victorian wallpaper was introduced–whimsical in design yet perfectly designed for a Victorian style of home.  Complementing this is a classically styled toilet with a high-top tank and brass finishes.

• In the kitchen, modern green cabinets were integrated with a lovely marble-style quartz counter commonly found in Victorian Era homes.

• Upstairs Bathrooms: designing this for the children, color was added liberally to embrace a modern feel–while restoring the original claw foot bathtub for a touch of classic.

• In the Master Bath the vanity is a piece of antique furniture that was re-purposed to be their master vanity.  Above this a lovely classic wallpaper aesthetic was added–combined with a clean glass shower enclosure for that touch of modern.

This project was featured in Modern Luxury Boston Common, which can be found here.

WHAT IS ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN BUILD?

 First of all, lets define the word “Architect”:

The root of the word architect breaks down into “chief” or “master” (arkhi) and “builder” (tekton).

Archi and tekton come from the ancient Greek language, which originated as far back as 3,000 BC.

ARCHITECT = MASTER BUILDER

Short Film: The True Meaning of an Architect 

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN BUILD VERSUS DESIGN BID BUILD:

There are two primary approaches to a major home design and remodel. While this can be made very complex as a subject, the natural creative process is fundamentally simple. I will cover both here:

Design-Bid-Build is the process that has been introduced over the past 150 years or so whereby you as the client directly hire an architect to draft plans and design your project — to then have it bid out to multiple contractors seeking to win the bid and perform the project. This approach has been generalized as mainstream over the past decades and sold to homeowners, often creating client stress and potential loss of both client funds and time. This approach has many liabilities for the client due in no small part to the fragmented spheres of responsibilities which this system and method creates.

There is no single person or entity fully accountable to the client for the entire project’s success.

This single factor alone can create a host of problems for the client.

By default the client is ultimately responsible for both Architect and Builder as well as the ultimate success of the project. Thus one can have impractical and expensive design work, impractical planning, numerous change orders, shoddy craftsmanship, and projects which are off timeline and over budget. In the end, the client can be left damaged. You or a family member or friend may have experienced this in the past. We have many clients come to us after poor experiences with this approach.

Architectural Design-Build (also Design Build) is the natural approach to creation of the built environment and has been used for thousands of years to create many of the beautiful structures of earth. Architectural Design Build is the route of choice if one desires to save on time and money, reduce stress, and eliminate a fragmented sense of project responsibility in the people working for you.

Architectural Design Build is a model that stresses single-source accountability with the creative design, planning, and remodel executed start to finish by one firm.

Architectural Design-Build in Boston is currently being turned to by professionals, families, and individuals as the cutting edge of efficiency, aesthetics, practicality, and accountability when it comes to designing and remodeling a home. This approach packages architectural design and interior design services with artisan-level building and remodeling services. This natural synthesis makes for a simple, efficient, and accountable creative process followed by a streamlined and responsible build phase, reducing cost, time of execution, and client stress throughout. With the Architectural Design Build approach, the client is dealing solely with one fully accountable firm.

NEDC – WHO WE ARE: 

New England Design and Construction specializes in Architectural Design Build with a specific focus on sustainable luxury homes. We are extremely mindful of environmental impact and passionate about project efficiency and client comfort.

At NEDC we are a creative team of 24 architects, interior designers, and experienced project managers dedicated to the legacy of the architect as a master builder—and the exceptional client experience this provides.  

Formed nearly 20 years ago after CEO David Supple graduated from Tufts Architectural, NEDC is an award-winning architectural design build firm with a focus on sustainable luxury home design and build.   

We deliver architectural design build services across Cambridge, Somerville, Weston, Wellesley, Waltham, Wayland, Natick, Sudbury, Lexington, Brookline, Newton, Chestnut Hill, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the South End, Boston’s Metrowest and the Greater Boston Area.

A TOP LUXURY REAL ESTATE ADVISOR WE RECOMMEND FOR BROOKLINE: 

Craig Anne Lake  

Senior VP, Compass 

Craig Lake is known in the Greater Boston area as one of the most successful agents in the real estate industry. In 12 years, she has garnered over $380 million in total sales volume, earning a consistent spot as a Boston Top 20 real estate agent. In 2021 and 2022 The Wall Street Journal named Craig as one of the top real estate agents in the country.

As a founding board member of the Top Agent Network, an exclusive platform providing Boston’s most elite agents with pre-market off market listings. Craig has access to listings before they even hit the market.

Craig had the following to say about Brookline: 

“Brookline is a fabulous place to live, and it is so close to Boston. You can be in Coolidge Corner which has a city feel, or you can be in neighborhoods that feel more suburban. The Chestnut Hill area with its shops and restaurants is another great draw. 

I have had several clients with school-aged kids move to Brookline as they still work in Boston, so they want to remain close.  In addition, the school system in Brookline is one of the best in Massachusetts. I have also had clients who want more space for their money who choose Brookline as their home. There is really something for everyone in Brookline.” 

m. 917-655-4160

e. craig.lake@compass.com

w. http://www.compass.com/agents/craig-anne-lake/

We’ve put together a Boston Home Remodeling Cost guide based on our nearly twenty years of experience.  This is available as a free download here

DAVID MUNIZ SUPPLE – FOUNDER/CEO 

1. DAVE@NEDESIGNBUILD.COM

2. 617 474 0309 

RYAN MANHOFF – BRAND DIRECTOR 

1. RYAMM@NEDESIGNBUILD.COM

2. 484 809 3636