LIGHTWELL HOUSE

The existing basement was a typical unfinished townhouse basement, roughly 5’ below grade, with 7’ ceilings and mechanical equipment everywhere.

The Clients were looking to create additional living space in the basement, but somehow make it not feel like a basement.

To accomplish this, we excavated more than 2’ down, to create 8’ ceilings with another 6" step down into a sunken gym area that provides additional headroom for a treadmill and weight training.

17’ of the rear yard was excavated to create a wide granite staircase lined with planters that descends down to a wall of sliding glass.  

The expansive glazing brings natural light into the basement lounge area.  This daylight gets reflected even deeper thanks to the polished tile floors and mirrored walls that start in the gym and continue into the lounge area.

A clear glass wall separates the lounge from the gym, with a recessed track in the ceiling for a curtain if the spaces ever wants to be separated. There's also a full bathroom, wine fridge, and ample closets and storage. 

Upstairs is a 3-story townhouse, with a very long, narrow el off the rear.  We opted to keep the secondary back stairwell as a shortcut between 2F and kitchen, despite the constraint in width that the staircase created.

The 1F kitchen was remodeled in collaboration with Divine Kitchens.  A full wall of deep pantry storage is concealed behind wall panels that effectively shorten and improve the kitchen proportions.

The 2F primary suite stretches from front to back of the long floor plan, with the PBR and dressing room in the front, passing through the main stairwell into an elongated laundry area, more closet, primary bathroom, and finally a soaking tub at the end illuminated by an oversized skylight.  The lounge adjacent to the PBR doubles as a nursery for the couple's toddler.

Program:  Townhouse renovation
Location:  Charlestown, MA
Area:  3,700 sf
Project Team:  I. Kanda, Y. Nam
GC:  Brite Builders
Structural:  Tripi Engineering
Interiors: Mahfuza Ahmed (Client)
Photography: Matt Delphenich