House Tour: Anne & Todd's "Gropius Meets Victorian" Condo Boston

Name: Anne Barrett and Todd Dundon, architects and owners of 30E Design
Location: Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Size: 1600 sq/ft 2 floor condo
Years lived in: 4

It wasn't long ago that we brought you into the unforgettable condo of Hannah Barrett and Laurel Sparks. We promised that we'd deliver you part 2 of this tour: the unit upstairs from Hannah and Laurel, designed and occupied by architects Anne Barrett and Todd Dundon. (Hannah and Anne are sisters; phenomenally creative and gifted ones, at that.) Anne and Todd, owners of 30e, a successful architecture and furniture design firm, infused their 2 story condo with a fabulous combination of modernity and reverence for the home's history...

When we photographed Anne and Todd's condo, we practically had to peel ourselves away because everywhere we turned there was another inspiring angle or detail we wanted to capture. (Suffice to say, it was very difficult to whittle the photos down to the 31 you'll see in the slideshow!)

Our favorite elements: The combination of dark wood floors and light, airy furnishings and decor; the ingenious screen divider made of vinyl records; the orange accent column/closet in the center of the open floor plan; the blending of vintage and modern furnishings, artwork, and decorations with the beautiful, classical elements of the condo like the crown molding and stunning staircase. Did we mention the fabulous artwork? (mostly by Anne's sister Hannah and Hannah's partner Laurel).

So if you're looking for some dreamy inspiration, come inside to Anne and Todd's condo! (For more details about Anne and Todd's condo and the great backstory about their long distance gut renovation, check out this Boston Globe Magazine article.)

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AT SURVEY

Style: Gropius meets victorian New England.

Inspiration: What would Mies do?(Mies Van de Rohe, architect famous for reiterating "god is in the details".

Favorite Element: Abundant natural light.

Biggest Challenge: Designing and overseeing construction from 3000 miles away.

What Friends Say: Best bar in town.

Biggest Embarrassment: Hanging our laundry on the deck to dry and having to retrieve our unmentionables from the yard next door.

Proudest DIY: Hanging screen divider made of old vinyl LPs.

Biggest Indulgence: Sliding glass doors in kitchen to bring the outdoors in.

Best advice: Get an architect!

Dream Source: 30E Design (shameless plug!) and everything Los Angeles.

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Comments (20)

Love the colors and the amazing screen o' circles.

The man in panties and heels is . . . not pretty.

Is that a drawing of Howard Cosell in a diaper and mules?

Great taste in furniture, but weird taste in art...

I would much rather see "weird" art than another "Keep Calm" poster!

I love your home! It's wonderfully decorated! Thanks for sharing.

Lovely home! The screen of old vinyl records is genius!

I love the aesthetic of this place and I like quirky art. I do have to say, though, that everything feels a tad bit uncomfortable for real life. For instance, the only dining table seems like it would have a hard time accomodating more than three people and the Danish Day bed doesn't look like something you would flop onto at the end of a long day. Oh well, I guess some sacrifices in comfort have to be made for style!

I would recommend burning it to the ground and starting over.

This is great. I like vintage rooms when they reflect the coolest part of the era. (Too many MCM-inspired rooms look drab, like Great Aunt Edna's circa 1960.)

Great tour. Any chance we could find out what color that orange/red wall is?

Is that a portrait of Prince Charles?

Why must the man in frilly underpants be at the *dining table*?

I really like that tomato red/orange. What color is it?

Tremendously cool apartment. I like.

Very nice indeed! Love the openness of it all, too.

Oh... and I hope you ignored the pissy comments. I love how some people confuse their solitary opinion with "decorator dogma."

I love the balance of black, white and orange!

Oh, and I see Mr. Dangerous did a drive-by, here, too. I'd love to see him fall into a vat of orange paint. 8^p

Does anyone know the name of the print with the old man in granny panties and heels is? I love it!

"I don't understand why you just didn't buy a ranch style house. There are a zillion of them across America. All the MCM furniture and weird-o art look slightly out of place in the Victorian setting.

posted by Mr. Dangerous on November 29th 2008 at 2:43pm"

i have a feeling that you routinely get a kick out of playing "jerk" here but that is not my concern since i hardly ever visit this website.

to be top-jerk is a tough job and you must get your facts straight if you want to be successfully snobby: jamaica plain is a neighborhood of boston dominated by late 19th c. victorians, turn-of-the-century triple-deckers and early 20th c. 2-family homes (the closest "urban" interpretation of the california bungalow). you would be hard-pressed to find a mid-century ranch in the area and why would you bother to look? they are cancer to the streetscape. i do not know the people who own this home shown, however i am going to assume that they prefer to live in an outer city neighborhood and not a drab suburb in the name of "period-accuracy". are you suggesting that a stainless steel countertop will not work in a home with tall ceilings? will a wegner chair clash with decorate moulding? not only are you missing the point of design, you are missing another important issue: not everybody shares your desire to live in the sprawling wasteland that is los angeles.

i am loving the way you hung those curtains in the circular window, beautiful. don't you just love JP?