Look how this South End loft-style condo evolved to suit a young family
Interior designer Jennifer Glickman of Glickman Design Studio knew from the start that working on this 1,650-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom space in Boston’s South End would be fun and unconventional.
Interior designer Jennifer Glickman of Glickman Design Studio knew from the start that working on this 1,650-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom space in Boston’s South End would be fun and unconventional. Her client, a single man whose passions include cooking, entertaining, and competitive cycling, requested custom storage for spices and liqueurs and a creative way to store a beloved bicycle. His overarching request: “I wanted something modern and clean, but not cold,” he says. “I told Jen her job was to keep me from making the condo look like the set from Mad Men.”
At the time, Boston-based Glickman had no way of knowing that the project would stretch out in phases to encompass significant life events. Shortly after moving in (storage and bike in place), her client met (and later married) a woman with her own collections of art and furnishings, which they asked Glickman to bring into the space. Then she received one more assignment: Convert the second bedroom into a nursery.
In all, Glickman worked on the project over a span of three years. “The space evolved, but we were always able to incorporate personal collections and needs with an overall Midcentury Modern look,” says Glickman, who notes that even the new crib is Midcentury in style.
The condo is in a building constructed in the early 2000s, and the homeowner was attracted to the space for its Boston skyline view and convenient location (15-minute walk to the office, 10-minute Uber to the airport for his frequent business travel). He also appreciated the stained and polished concrete floors and the 9-foot-plus ceiling height, which established an urban-loft aesthetic.
“We had a good backdrop to work with, but we knew there were custom elements that would make it more functional,” says Glickman. In the first phase, she incorporated custom built-in elements and Midcentury Modern style through newly purchased furniture. In the living room, she designed a bar to support her (then single) client’s love of entertaining. The walnut-veneer piece features a countertop and waterfall mahogany edge and includes storage for wine, liquors, and his collection of cookbooks.
Glickman also designed a walnut door, installed barn-door style on iron hardware, to separate the master bedroom from the adjacent dressing area and bathroom. “The walnut grain adds a beautiful and natural element, while the iron hardware is more of an industrial element to pick up on the concrete floors,” she says. For additional function, the guest bath contains a washer and dryer, and Glickman chose a walnut vanity that includes a well-disguised pullout hamper.
And then there was the custom storage and display of the homeowner’s first competitive bicycle, a sentimental object that he still wanted to use on occasion. The collaborative solution: a millwork frame with a system of aircraft cables that holds the bike chassis in place inside the frame but makes it easy to access. Hanging in an interior hallway, the framed bike is one of the homeowner’s favorite elements. “It’s a supercool piece that pays tribute to a personal passion and bike that has a lot of sentimental meaning for me,” he says.
Throughout the space, a consistent look is established by the clean lines of the Midcentury Modern pieces in every room and the repeated use of walnut from the dining room table and chairs to the living room sofa to the master bedroom platform bed to the baby’s crib. All pieces support the Midcentury look, but only one piece — a Saarinen chair in the nursery — is truly vintage.
Glickman also incorporated artwork throughout, including many pieces from the wife’s collection. “There were great choices, and the artwork, from both of them, really adds to the look of the space,” says Glickman, pointing out, for example, a whimsical work of cutout paper that hangs in the front hallway above a resin petrified-wood-look console table.
For Glickman, however, the final phase was without question the highlight. “The nursery was the most fun of all,” she says. “We wanted it to feel like the style of the rest of the condo, a blend of Midcentury Modern and collected pieces.” The bright-yellow crib, which can convert to a toddler bed and then a daybed, is the focal point. Behind it, Glickman suggested a painted wall using a pattern she drew herself. “The wall is really vivid and fun, but it can also be easily changed when the baby gets older,” she says. Toys and books are displayed on shelving that flanks the crib. Adding sentiment and function, a dresser that the homeowner’s father built for him as a child now serves as the changing table and dresser.
Best of all, the homeowner’s initial attraction to the condo for its city view and convenient location has proven long-lasting in terms of suitability. “The space has worked really well for our family,” he says. “The relatively open floor plan allows our 1½-year-old a lot of space to play and run around. The concrete floors that attracted me at purchase for their style have turned out to be exceptionally practical with a
toddler and two cats. Garage parking, elevator, and a park across the street also make a huge difference with kids. Many of the day-to-day frustrations that are sending our friends to the burbs aren’t issues for us, and that’s allowing us to stay in the city longer.”
Glickman, whose design studio is nearby, loves the happy ending. “It’s a great neighborhood and a terrific family space.”
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