Curated Eclectic

Charlestown, MA

Eclectic interior design Charlestown Boston MA | Historic rowhouse renovation Monument Square | Curated maximalist home design Greater Boston | Italian interior designer Boston

Open plan living area, curved bouclé sectional, capiz chandelier, cobalt quartzite bar, Charlestown Boston

Primary suite Missoni Casa wallpaper, purple vintage chair, live edge bench, Erica Fossati Design Charlestown Boston

Custom built-in detail, exposed original brick, corten steel top, Charlestown Boston MA

Primary bedroom, blue velvet headboard, custom built-ins, exposed brick, Charlestown Boston MA

Primary suite, copper fringe chandelier, bespoke built-ins, Missoni Casa wallpaper, Erica Fossati Boston

The client is a force of nature: widely traveled, instinctively drawn to the unexpected, and in possession of an enthusiasm for objects and color that required as much editing as it did encouragement. The design challenge was not finding ideas, she had plenty, but building a framework disciplined enough to hold them together without extinguishing what made them interesting. A minimalist sensibility applied to a maximalist personality: every bold choice was kept, and everything around it was stripped back to let it land. The result is an apartment that reads as curated rather than accumulated, and that could only belong to one specific person.

The primary suite occupies the top floor of a 19th-century Charlestown rowhouse, with views over Monument Square and across the harbor to the Zakim Bridge. The brief was personal and specific: bold color, layered texture, and no apology for either. The wall treatment is a Missoni Casa wallcovering in a gradient that moves from warm amber through violet, shifting with the light across the day. Original brick, previously concealed behind drywall, was exposed and incorporated into a pair of bespoke built-ins flanking the bed, with corten steel tops selected to complement the warmth of the masonry. The built-ins consolidate storage, display, and bedside function into a single composition, eliminating the need for freestanding nightstands without sacrificing surface area. The chandelier, a tiered copper fringe drum, introduces warmth and texture at the ceiling plane. A live-edge wood bench, a vintage mid-century chair in cobalt velvet and a Missoni throw blanket complete a room that is deliberately, unambiguously itself.

Guest bedroom, Arte International cavallino chevron wallcovering, historic rowhouse Charlestown Boston MA

Vintage teal velvet armchair detail, rose gold frame, vintage rug, Erica Fossati Design Charlestown Boston

The guest bedroom operates at a quieter register than the rest of the apartment, without being anonymous. The accent wall is clad in a natural cavallino chevron wallcovering by Arte International, its muted gray tones and tactile surface providing depth without color saturation. A vintage Boston harbor map on the wall and original pine floors left exposed throughout ground the room in its context.

Reading nook window, original pine floors, historic window casings, Charlestown Boston MA

Custom Charlestown mosaic by Mosaic Oasis Arlington, blue velvet banquette, Erica Fossati Design Boston

Custom bar, cobalt quartzite counter, black steel glass shelving, historic rowhouse Charlestown Boston

Custom storage window seat, built-in drawers, upholstered cushion, Erica Fossati Design Charlestown MA

The main living area retains all of its original architectural fabric: wide-plank pine floors, period window casings, and existing moldings throughout. The only demolition carried out was the removal of a mid-century closet that had no relationship to the original architecture of the building. Everything else remained untouched. The design worked within and around what the building offered. A custom bar was introduced at the kitchen boundary, its cobalt quartzite counter anchoring the composition with a material presence that reads across the full length of the space. Suspended above it, a black steel and glass shelving structure hangs from the ceiling, functioning as both storage and spatial divider without enclosing the plan. The living area is furnished with a curved bouclé sectional, a round marble and walnut coffee table, and a vintage rug that softens the original floor. The dining nook is anchored by a custom mosaic, fabricated by Mosaic Oasis in Arlington, "Charlestown, Est. 1628", the client's declaration of belonging to the neighborhood rendered in hand-set glass tile. Below it, a custom blue velvet banquette with a sinuous profile completes the nook. A storage window seat with upholstered cushion serves the reading corner, its built-in drawers reclaiming floor area without reducing the sense of openness.

Every piece of furniture was specified or sourced as part of a single cohesive vision, combining new production, vintage finds, and custom fabrication in a palette held together by the client's particular and committed point of view. Built-in cabinetry drawings, specifications, and construction documents were produced in-house. The project was managed from initial concept through construction completion, in close collaboration with Harper Elm as general contractor.