Charles River Country House

Wellesley, MA

This home began life as a rather anonymous builder-spec Colonial house, but it stands now—after a careful and creative reconception—as a grand French country–inspired home. This is largely thanks to its new stone façade, carriage-house wing, and chimneys, as well as its arch-top windows, dormers, and working shutters.

Inside, the interior was gutted and reoriented to maximize flow and the penetration of sunlight. Floor plates were removed to create several cathedral-gabled spaces on the first level, where the family room and foyer feel especially expansive, and the second, where the master suite features a clerestory and beadboard vaulted ceiling.