Home Design

The house that love built

This Lincoln home by late architect Robert ‘Buz’ Brannen was a love letter to his wife, Barbara. Key features include a grow house, a lap pool, and a weaving studio-turned-accessory apartment.

The home, with its cedar shingle siding and cedar shake roof, blends in with its natural surroundings.

By Marni Elyse Katz - Globe Correspondent

November 1, 2023

4 minutes to read

It’s evident that Robert “Buz” Brannen cherished the symbiosis between buildings and nature.

But it’s not the late architect’s impressive public portfolio as cofounder of Jung/Brannen, Boston’s largest architecture firm in the 1980s, and its work at One Post Office Square, One Financial Place, and 125 High St. that necessarily demonstrate this appreciation.

Rather, it’s the home Brannen, who died at age 90 in 2021, designed and built for his family in 1977 at 14 Baker Bridge Road in Lincoln. It also illustrates his deep devotion to his wife, Barbara Brannen, who died in 2017. The home, which changed hands in 2018, recently hit the market again for $1,985,000. (Current status? Under agreement. The listing agent is Terry Perlmutter of Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty.)

Located on a wooded road with low stone walls near the Gropius House, the Carroll School, and the deCordova Museum, the 2.2-acre property is surrounded by 114 acres of conservation land with 2.9 miles of public trails. Across the street is Flint’s Pond, with its own 3.6-mile loop trail. Walden Pond isn’t far either, nor are commuting options.

At a break in the stone wall, a driveway flanked by apple trees gently curves and makes its way up to the house. At 3,816 square feet, the home is not insubstantial. Still, thanks to clever massing and thoughtful siting paired with the exterior’s natural materials — cedar shingle siding and a cedar shake roof — the home nestles into the landscape so effectively that you hardly realize it’s there.

Granite steps gradually lead from the driveway to a bluestone path. The approach was recently reworked so that the incline is wheelchair accessible, and if needed, a ramp can be installed to tackle the stairs. Espaliered apple trees, a pair of dwarf peach trees, and unique tree peonies Barbara, a master gardener, purchased at auction grace the front garden.

A number of other thoughtful upgrades bring the home into the modern day. For example, eight new skylights — six in the front and two in the back — pull natural sunlight into the home without disrupting the façade. The sellers also took down walls in the main living space, so the interior is now open, airy, and filled with light. Plus, new wood floors with radiant heat run throughout the first level.

A wood stove with a large-format Porcelanosa tile backdrop anchors the sunny living area. A trio of windows and a skylight on one side offer a greenhouse feel, while picture windows and sliders that lead to a narrow deck stretching along the back of the house seamlessly merge indoors with outdoors. A second set of sliders accesses the deck at the other end of the room by the dining area. The view is immersive; mature trees and greenery abound. Step down from the deck into a grassy, fenced-in yard.

house in lincoln — The sellers took down walls in the main living space, so the interior is now open, airy, and filled with light. — *Thomas Adach/Home Listing Photography*

The newly expanded and renovated kitchen is ideal for families and those planning to age in place. Clean-lined cabinetry with Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant handles hugs a sage green island topped with a single slab of crisp-white quartz. Floating shelves in place of upper cabinetry let sunlight stream in from the back, while a skylight enlivens the earthy Porcelanosa backsplash behind the six-burner Thermador range. Floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinets provide generous storage and blend with the built-in Sub-Zero fridge beside a pair of wall ovens.

The screened porch Buz designed has been rebuilt in cedar with a fixed glass roof and a bluestone floor. The sellers took great pains to preserve Barbara’s wisteria vines, which now grow heartily on a sturdy new trellis. In springtime, the blooms are magnificent.

Across the house, a wide hall lighted by interior, frosted clerestory windows that borrow sunlight from the living room leads to a first-floor primary suite complete with a sunny modern bath boasting a curb-less shower. In the bedroom, an original skylight keeps the room bright, and sliders open to a private courtyard where Barbara planted weeping dwarf Japanese maples and positioned rocks just so, so she could enjoy the garden view from bed.

To ensure his wife could continue her hobby in wintertime, find relief from arthritis, and exercise, Buz designed a grow house and adjoining lap pool and spa that connects to the primary bedroom. New skylights complement the grow lights over the table where Barbara propagated her plants, specifically camellias.

Stairs by the front entry go to the second floor, which has separate temperature controls and can be closed off if desired. On one side are two nicely sized bedrooms with built-in window seats, the full bath they share, and a walk-in closet. A spacious split-level family room with slanted ceilings occupies the other side. Although Buz had a desk above the home’s two-car garage, where he created a weaving studio for Barbara, he also had an architect’s desk in the upper portion of this room. A new skylight makes the aerie even more appealing. (The weaving studio is now a fully remodeled 663-square-foot accessory apartment.)

In addition to the gardens immediately surrounding the home, the gently sloped property — stone steps lead down from the back of the house — is replete with Barbara’s plantings, which are calling out for a kindred spirit to rejuvenate. There are swathes of lawn, shady seating areas, a fenced-in vegetable garden, and a new storage shed (or potential art studio) that one would be hard-pressed not to believe Buz did not design.

A fire pit allows for enjoying the extensive plantings deep into the fall. — *Thomas Adach/Home Listing Photography*

The seller who bought the home from the Brennans left her own mark, too: a single, young red maple planted in honor of her late husband.

Marni Elyse Katz is a contributing editor to the Globe Magazine and a frequent contributor to Address. Follow her on Instagram @StyleCarrot. Send comments to [email protected].