the ceiling in the dining area (above) rises at an
angle to meet the tops of windows that are arranged
in an A-B-B-A pattern. The colored wall above the bar
is Venetian plaster as is the expanse over the living
room mantel (top right). The kitchen (bottom
right) is in its original location, but is now the
center of the house with the adjacent breakfast room
(left) and living/dining room pinwheeling around it.
Designer Juliette Reid used bold art, such as the
39-inch-by-55-inch painting “Dierdre” by Jamali from
Gallerie d’Orsay in the breakfast room, to balance
the architecture.
architects.” A 2001 Boston Globe Magazine article featuring a house from Sarah Susanka’s
book The Not So Big House caught the couple’s attention. The house, designed by Lukez,
appealed to them in its aesthetics, and they liked what Lukez said about his approach to
spaces. Soon they were working with the Somerville, Massachusetts–based architect on
schemes to expand their not-big-enough house.
An initial plan to add a second story was shelved when the Alperses realized it was
going to be too expensive and it was going to be too big. “We wanted quality over quantity,”
says Carol, “so we rethought the whole thing.” Instead of going up, they expanded the
house out over its sloping front lawn — toward the woods and the lazy bend of the Charles
River across the street, in effect taking advantage of the “air rights” over the best spot on
their property.
