A client asked for: - dining space for 8 - stand up desk and hidden printer - guest room - privacy for guest room - storage for chairs and table leaves - hidden HVAC - a completely clear floor area for dance parties! ...all in the same space. Here's... how we did it:🧵show more

This project is a 900 square foot penthouse in downtown Boston, looking over the Common and with expansive views of the city and Cambridge. Total gut renovation, every single detail carefully considered! But not a ton of space, so we had to get very creative.

The clients had to be ok w/ moving stuff around and setting stuff up, etc. We designed the space to function best for its most common uses: dining and office. The custom dining table is sturdy yet easy to move with 2 people, and is out of the way of the flip down desk surface.

That means the "office" and the dining table can be used simultaneously, but when the work day is over, the desk is closed up and not on view during the evening. We were inspired by antique "secretary" desks which served the same function historically.

When it's time for a guest to stay the night, the dining table is collapsed and moved out of the way, and a Murphy bed flips down. Behind the Murphy bed, there's a storage closet for the table leaves, extra chairs, and folding privacy screens. Voilà, a guest room!

Another key to making this space work: hiding away mechanicals and sprinkler heads. To the right of the bed, there's a PTAC HVAC unit, and above, a soffit for sprinkler lines (you can see one of the concealed heads if you zoom in).

We also exposed the steel, to give us maximum head height and open things up as much as possible. We even uplit the beams for some fun lighting! Exposing steel like this can be pretty expensive, as it involves special paint (intumescent) which must be installed by a specialist.

This is a fully custom design, designed by us and built by highly skilled (and conscientious) cabinet makers and furniture builders. The way to get the best results with a project like this is to hire pros and be ready for a highly collaborative process!

It isn't cheap to go this route, but the value of being able to comfortably live in a smaller space, right in the heart of the city with unparalleled views, is a tradeoff these clients were willing to make. They challenged us with an "impossible" list, and we dug in!

For more on this project, which was featured in the Boston Globe, see our website. And of course, if you're ready to do work like this in your space, drop me a line ❤️🛠

Ready to make your outdoor space a true sanctuary? ABC Canopy offers the perfect solution for all your outdoor needs. ☀️🌿 #ABCCanopy #OutdoorSanctuary #FamilyTime #StylishShelter

This is so cool!

Thank you Sean! Love getting the chance to do fun stuff like this!