Lukez transformed the “dark and depressing” family room by opening its far wall with
four floor-to-ceiling windows. The 1960s brick fireplace was given a completely new look
by constructing a wall in front of the old one and facing it with horizontally laid bluestone
cut in the same proportions as the vertical windows elsewhere in the house. It is just one of
many precise decisions that are a Lukez hallmark.
“By limiting the vocabulary of materials and dimensions,” says the architect, “we’re
able to calm the spaces down. We repeat ideas and adjust them to each situation. You may
not notice them as such, but your subconscious picks up on all the relations.”
The updated kitchen delights Jim; the anesthesiologist once worked in some of Boston’s best restaurant kitchens, and he’s a dedicated chef at home. “A new kitchen wasn’t
in our original budget,” he says, “but we realized that, after all this renovation, it would be
awful to not have a great kitchen to match.”
