Atrium House

Visitors enter this traditional 19th century Boston row house replete with painted wainscoting, elliptical staircase and turned newels, setting the expectation for a typical layout of dark, semi-updated Victorian rooms. Instead, upon entering the unit, the front door opens into a three-story atrium with sunlight bathing the space from a large skylight above. A custom live-edge walnut dining table with sling-back leather chairs and lacquer banquette anchors the center of the space, with a gleaming kitchen and a warmly modern living room opening out to either side. Where there used to be partitions, the space now flows uninterrupted from the front to the rear of the building. A wall of tightly laid gray schist stone tile similarly unites the space top to bottom.

One floor up, a transparent glass bridge spans across the atrium, connecting two bedroom suites, allowing light to penetrate down to the entry level while providing unrestricted views across the apartment. Located at the core of the building, white Carrara tile and contrasting Koto wood veneer make the en suite bathrooms bright and inviting.

At the top level, a home office opens onto a private reading terrace and overlooks the atrium and entry from above. Across the atrium is a media room, a guest bathroom and stairs to a renovated roof deck. The rooftop, with its stainless steel kitchenette, affords 360 degree views of the city, and an all-weather TV and infrared heater makes the built-in naturally weathering cedar banquette the perfect place to relax with friends most of the year. Photography: Michael Lee Photography