holy mackerel. this might be my favorite house tour of all time.

Great use of colour. I seem to love every house tour from Jamaica Plain.

This is nearly ideal, but I don't get the two loveseats so close to one another.

OK, I just noticed that one is a daybed, but still....

where'd the dining table come from?

Lovely, and it just keeps on going. Makes me want a big house.

I love this tour. It's in my top 2 or 3 for sure. I love the artwork. The four poster bed is gorgeous. I also adore the dining room. And the paint colors. Just wow.

the bathroom is stunning.

i do wish, though, that the club chair had visible legs - the chiang mai fabric overpowers that chair.

Hot damn, that is nice. I love the use of color. The kitchen, the statue at the base of the stairs and the rug in the master bedroom are especially marvelous.

Good stuff. Love it all, actually. I especially love those kitchen cabinets. Are they painted? If so, what color? Love, love, love.

This is absolutely my favorite house I've seen on AT. Just brilliant.

practically perfect.

love the color and pattern at work in this home. the artwork is awesome, too! the microwave is huge, though, and looks like the "built in" cabinet it's housed in wouldn't be able to close if you tried.

why is the microwave from the 1970s?

Yes, it is absolutely beautiful - one of the best house tours ever. Hard to find fault with anything! My favorites are that navy blue wall color and the 4-poster bed. Fabulous use of color overall. I'd be happy to move into that house as is!

Wow this is lovely. Is that lady with the torch slightly crooked?
That painting from Istanbul is riveting.

WOW
this is an amazing home!
And thank you for taking several photos of each room from different angles so we could actually understand how the space feels.
But the fact that you decorated it all on your own is amazing! Plus I love how many sitting areas and nooks there are to enjoy throughout the home

I have the honor to not only be friends with the owners of this fabulous home but have part of many design conversations throughout the past 4 years...this is decorating talent at it's finest....so to make a comment about the microwave is just nit picking! Its the perfect home..

I think this home is gorgeous! the color, the movement, the welcoming feeling and the interest! I am going to have to move in asap!

Total nitpicking above but then it wouldn't be "one's own opinion". I know I would never show my house so I applaud all who do.

I love it so THANKS!

"why is the microwave from the 1970s?"
If it works why not?

beautiful house, nicely done. I am not crazy about the huge drum shade over the tiny round table, its a bit overwhelming.

The navy bedroom is nice but it is lacking warmth and sex appeal.

Hmm. I hate to be the first naysayer but there is something lacking about this home for me. It is as if everything was bought all at the same time, specifically for this house. Even the art looks new and as if it was selected to go exactly where it is in each room. While some might consider this a good thing, to me it lends the home a sort of "show house" feel. Nothing has any age or patina or nostalgia--not even the house itself, which despite being old has been reworked into a spotless new incarnation of itself.

Don't get me wrong--it is tasteful and pleasant enough. But it doesn't reveal the personality of the owners like the best house tours on AT seem to do so well.

Overall, it really is sensational. Dining room light fixture - "cone of silence". I love the bedroom with red and white bedding. I don't think the microwave is from the 70's - it's stainless. Who cares, anyway.

Amazing use of color and eclecticism done right...definitely in top 5 of the best house tours I have ever seen on AT. It is refreshing to see a farmhouse/craftsman style kitchen with finishes other than white or natural. That sink is amazing..is it slate? Perfect.

That living room took my breath away. I'm no designer, and I don't pretend to be, but it seems to have a mixture of the mysterious and the familiar that just feels right.

I saw the square footage and almost passed. I'm really glad I had a look at this gorgeous and inspiring home. The four-poster would never fit in my house, and damn it's beautiful!

Love everything about this home. The use of color is striking and the scale of the artwork is beautiful and impactful. BTW, if the microwave WAS from the 70's, there would be a crappy dial to choose your time, not push buttons on a flat surface.

I love the kitchen cabinet color. What is it?

Holy smokes, so many fascinating, eclectic, yet perfectly done details in each room. Even in a space as small and inconsequential as the guest room study, I love the flowered chair, the beautiful color of the dresser (perhaps the Dior gray from the master bath?) and the pop of the orange lamp, which ties in so well with the art and the chair. This whole place inspires me.

Wow. Classy. Colour choice is so confident.

That hallway is very special. What a welcome!

LOVE the bedroom chair and footstool in the boldly patterned fabric - beautifully complemented by the wall colour and the orchid.

I don't want to leave!

Can you share the paint color in bathroom?

Lovely home. Nice use of all that space. I like that it so clean and uncluttered. I am also in love with your bathroom. While the style of the home is totally not my personal style, I would stay for a very long visit.

I don't think the house looks like a show house. Everyone doesn't like old, dusty, paint chipped furniture.

Enjoy your home.

You're not the only naysayer, sally305. Despite the beautiful colours, the good taste and the occasional elements of whimsy, it feels very unwelcoming to me. I think it may be because everything is so designed, right down to the objets d'art on the shelves in the guest bedroom. It's pretty, sure, but it would make me feel as if I were imposing if I were staying in there, intruding on someone else's space. There doesn't seem to be any room, conceptually, for anyone other than Rene and Jerry in this house.

I am, however, a big fan of this trend for oversized dining room light fittings.

Really enjoyed it, especially the way you combined styles. Allowed you to go bold without being nutso.

We're working on a 1920's house, and although the foundation styles are different, you gave me a lot to think about.

Love it.

Damn gorgeous! The entry way is warm and welcoming. The home feels at once spacious and intimate. You have brightened and freshened up an older home without killing it's history. Beautiful!

I, too, get the sense that the entire home reflects the owners, but what's wrong with that? A home SHOULD reflect it's owners' lives and loves. It seems some AT readers believe that a home isn't authentic/original/full of character unless it is filled with so many mindless chochkies (sp?) from the thrift store.

love, love, love.

the navy! the grey! the "orangerie"! : i love it all. i love the fabric on the chairs in the living room. the simple master medding and the spindly four poster.

your POV is lovely. these gorgeous JP tours make me want to give up my Back Bay view for spaaaaaace.

That bathroom is amazing. The whole place is stunning and the use of color is perfect. It's beautiful.

But I have to admit that I have a very strong desire to run around unchopping all the pillows. I get that it's obviously staged for pictures but it's a bit too perfect for me.

Brilliant choices of colors! Love it!

I have to agree with sally305. To me, something feels lacking. My impression (correct or not) is that the owners use this house as a showcase - and it is, a very beautiful one! But I don't get a sense of how the homeowners use and enjoy all those rooms. Rather, they just seem to be a vehicle for showing off impeccable design rather than rooms people actually live in. Which is fine; it just doesn't gel with my personal idea of "home" so maybe that's why I was left feeling a little cold despite being able to appreciate and learn from the obvious skill that went into the design.

I love the bold use of colour in this house, which I think makes the spaces very inviting. The kitchen sink is very beautiful, although we decided against a similar one in our home (we tend to throw pots and pans into the sink, so went for stainless steel). The owners have successfully mixed traditional with more modern pieces, and I particularly like the low table in the media room. I wonder if the master bedroom has a separate dressing area - where's the storage space, otherwise?

kattykat,

I don't dislike this home because of lack of tchotchkes, although I think there is some truth in what you say--that some AT readers evaluate on "personality" via such things as whimsical objects and clever posters. It's just an overall feeling of coldness I get touring perfect room after perfect room. It's just not inviting to me at all.

I love the details of this house. The stairwell, the gorgeous inlaid floors, fireplaces, heating grates, and the chunky mouldings. Color choices are bold and work beautifully. I love the color in the two guest bedrooms. The orange in the hallway works great against that dark stairwell. I love some of the artwork like the turban'd man in the living room over the fireplace, and the silk in the entryway.

That said, the styling leaves me a bit unsatisfied. Some rooms feel sterile (dining room, living room) and others feel overly styled (library/den, media room/study, second guest bedroom). I can't imagine anyone actually using that living room. And maybe that's what it's for, to just look pretty. The blank walls come across as just empty in the pictures, it may feel quite different in person.

And it lacks cohesion, some rooms are more traditional, others are very contemporary/modern and that feels jarring to me. It's almost like they were trying to fit pieces in because they thought they "ought" to (the ghost chair seems out of place).

All that said, my house is a train wreck and this looks really nice compared to mine!!

I stumbled upon this presentation of a period home in Jamaica Plain. I must say that the artisitic and creative effort that is so evident here is reminicent of the finest designers I have ever seen.

Whoever this Rene and Jerry are, if they are not professional, $1000 per hour designers, they should be.

Congratulations on one of the best designed homes I have seen in a while.

Wow -- kitchen is beautiful. I can't say I am on board with all of what you did but I do think the home itself is beautiful with the woodwork etc. I like your paint choices. Great furniture - amazing bed. Your sofa collection is impressive. Would say you need something with more impact over your fireplace in dining room and that giant drum shade light thing over your dining table seems waaaay too big for the table. That has to be annoying during dinner. Other than that it is a beautiful place.

Sally305 said:

"It is as if everything was bought all at the same time, specifically for this house. Even the art looks new and as if it was selected to go exactly where it is in each room. While some might consider this a good thing, to me it lends the home a sort of "show house" feel. Nothing has any age or patina or nostalgia--not even the house itself, which despite being old has been reworked into a spotless new incarnation of itself."

Wow. I couldn't disagree more.

If everything in this gorgeous home was bought all at the same time, I'd like the name and address of that store.

As for the house itself, check out the floor vents, and the fireplaces, and the moldings, and the staircase.... I could go on, but I won't. This is actually one of the most beautiful and respectful renovations I've ever seen. Kudos, Rene and Jerry, for restoring rather than replacing.

Where is the Soviet Poster in the "Second Guest Bedroom" with the orange bedspread from? I would love to have something like that in my home.

I also love some of your furniture and color choices. Well done!

This is beautifully executed. I LOVE the kitchen! Yes, if we could know the cabinet color please!!!

creative license, I didn't say everything appeared to be from the same store--it just all looks brand-new, like a decorator (or the talented owner) went out and got everything all at the same time.

I'm the owner, and I'd like to say thanks for all of the lovely comments and compliments. We love our old house! We're not professional decorators/designers, but I'd be happy to become one :-) The house has been painstakingly (but lovingly) put together over the last four years from various sources, high and low. The hardest part has been editing, since we see so many wonderful things. The drum pendant in the dining room was a mistake - loved it in the shop but it's too large and will be replaced at one point. Geez- I didn't realize the microwave was vintage :-) I'll get back to everyone with answers regarding sources and paint colors, and sundry queries.

WOW! the wood floors and paint choices are incredible, and love the bathroom. where is the large wood frame mirror in the master bedroom from?

Love this...so put together with such interesting pieces and uncluttered and minimal at the same time. Kitchen is absolutely gorgeous. Great tour!

So not my style, but...swoon! I love it! So thought out and put together.

Love the use of the colder, darker colors: Navy and Dior Gray - really makes the rest of the furniture stand out.
After reading the "this house is not a home" - type comments I can see where some people can see how it may feel a little too staged and matchy-matchy at times.
I do appreciate however the richness (quite literally: Hermes blanket in the "study" anyone?) and warmth that this home exudes. Well done!

this is just lovely. i love the artwork, the wall colors, the furniture, the kitchen, everything! i am absolutely drooling over the bed in the guest bedroom (can i come visit?). i've been thinking about taking the plunge and painting my bedroom navy blue for a while. this just convinced me, so thank you!

Yes PLEASE tell us the paint color for the cabinets! It is lovely. And what white did you use in the room with the sultan oil painting?? It's just the shade I've been looking for!

great decorating and colors EXCEPT for those two couches being WAY TOO CLOSE together. If you sat down you would knock knees with the person across from you. There is plenty of space behind the one couch that it could easily be pushed back against the wall to allow for needed leg room.

I don't think the microwave is from the 70's but I do think it is way too low. I would have to squat to use it.

Nice place, but there's no info on the well-featured dining room! I too would love to know where the dining room set is from...

this is fantastic!! so well put together, great use of color and very smart mix of styles. i love that you hid the microwave on the side of the island. i'm excited to take the tour again!

Loved your choice of fabrics - particularly on the dining chairs.

I'm the other owner and also would like to thank everyone for their comments and will get back to try to answer your questions. The dining set was made by Charles Webb of Cambridge in solid cherry. The chairs are upholstered in a Pierre Frey fabric we saw on a pair vintage chairs in a shop in Montreal. The painting in the master bedroom is entitled "Sena" by Jose Goncalvez, a Brazilian artist. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate to my partner that I do not agree that the light fixture in the dining room is a mistake. I love it! I will, however, consider a replacemt when, and if, we redo the dining room.

I love the color of the dining room walls -- what is it?

Love the color of those kitchen cabinets. The house house is colorful, but restrained. It's a balance a lot of people seem to have trouble with but they nailed it.

An absolute show stopper! You have a fantastic eye - beautifully executed. It IS my favorite of all time posts. Also, I never comment on any of the tours, but I just had to on this amazing space. Would love for you to share the kitchen cabinet and wall colors with us!!

OK, I'll be the jerk to say it. The whole time I was looking through these all I could think of was that this was an obscenely large space for two people. I hope they have friends and family to fill it. I would feel so alone in a place that large.

elmstdesign 2:

I agree with you! The dining fixture is *unexpected*, but not necessarily a mistake. Sometimes out of the ordinary is extraordinary.

elmstdesign 1:

Be confident! Stop telling people you made a mistake!!! Instead, say, "You've never seen a huge, oversized fixture before? Well, you will. Sometimes it take longer for the trends to hit the States." And then smile knowingly.

Love it! You are masters of color and artwork. Have to say, one of my top 3 house tours as well!

Wow. Just when I think I can't love the place any more, I click on the next picture. Fantastic reno; interesting mix of styles; amazing use of color; gorgeous art collection. Love, love, love it.

love it love it love it!!!
i love the yellow study w/ the 2 couches - so cozy!!!

the light!!! wow

That chair in the bedroom! I neeeeeeed it

Very beautiful home! The oversized light fixture is one of my favorite parts!! That is the rage in all the British and Australian modern home magazines! I would change the table before I change the light fixture--like a big, old, long harvest table under that modern light would be spectacular! Thanks for sharing your lovely home.

The master bedroom blue, hale navy, is divine - must paint bedroom!

(1) Clean, uncluttered, and well designed do make a home. Personally, I shudder when I see a space filled with stuff that serves merely as a vignette; it just seems wasteful.
(2) Those closely placed chaise and sofa are perfect evidence that the homeowners LIVE in the house and didn't create the space for the sake of design. That space looks like it would work great for two people reading together or watching TV and hanging out. They can both lounge on their respective sofas, but be close enough to reach the big bowl of popcorn or newspaper between them. Plus you could sit on one and put your feet up on the sofa across from you.
(3) I love that the owners are using AT forum to disagree about the dining room light.
(4) Lovely, lovely home with some cool stuff, personality, and fabulous art.

Just fabulous! This has a very interesting mix of styles with sophisticated, understated colors in a beautiful older house. I love the floors...especially in the dining room, with the mellowed patina. My favorite is the bedroom with the black spool bed...and the stairway. One of my favorites tours.

beautiful home. love the wall colors, the kitchen cabinet colors...the large armoire in the formal living room.

overall, the house is fantastic...must have cost a fortune to furnish, and is a bit too formal for my thrift store taste.

maybe in 20 years when i grow out of thrift store furniture.

Fabulous artwork.

I could wax poetic about all of the elements of this home that come together to create a powerful and inviting presentation, but I will simplify it with; LOVE! Must say I was able to get inspiration on a few home projects I was at loggerheads over. And that orange side table....will be the new color that I paint a serving tray on legs that is currently a horrific shade of mahogany. Thank you for sharing this treasure!

I love the two sofas/chaise being so close together. I think it works in that space and feels very cozy.

The whole house has very "foreign service" feel. Am I right? Did one or both of you grow up traveling?

I'm glad AT featured a larger house. Good to have variety.

Lovely home. Is that a Michael Corleone pillow in the second guest bedroom? Swoon. (If so, and if you don't mind, where did you get it?)

The use of color is absolutely fearless. The marriage of one different room color to the adjacent one is amazing. They are not simply related but complementary (not just in a color wheel sense).
I am not understanding a negative comment for this or any other tour about being staged. If I posted pics of my place I would absolutely arrange (aka stage) it in a way that shows it to best advantage. I get that in daily life our spaces looks a bit looser and less perfect but we all have daily lives and are aware of how that looks. This is a moment in time sort of like the Oscars. Usually you dress up. In my opinion that is a good thing.

Wonderful and original home. Congrats Rene and Jerry.

Thank you for opening your home to AT viewers. Refreshing bursts of color and expressions of personal style. I love white and stainless kitchens but this is a welcomed change.

I am crazy for this house! I love the navy color in the bedroom so much I might have to redo mine just to use it, and I don't even like blue. I will be painting a wall in my bathroom the same gray. Absolutely gorgeous. I do wish the couches were a little farther apart, but that has nothing to do with your impeccable taste, I'm sure it's just a space issue. LOVE....

It's so pretty.

Are your for hire? Building a larger home in the western burbs of boston and want to do something similar.....european/turkish/intl vision.

Wow.........very impressed!

Beautiful.

This is the kind of decor I can relax or even work in. Cluttered spaces are impossible for me to function in. And I'm an artist. So just goes to show that it's an individual thing.

Again, I think you guys did a terrific job and thanks for sharing it with us.

sorry, doesn't appeal to me at all, with the exception of a 2nd guest bedroom

I love this place - I wish I had enough restraint (and square footage) to have my place look as fine as this home.

Since I'm in the midst of repainting my kitchen, I so envy theirs!

Love the color and style of the kitchen cabinets with the black countertops and wood floors. What IS the paint color of the cabinets. Thanks so much!

Nice to see the gurgling cod pitcher in the tv room. Takes me back to Boston.

Sorry to stalk, but have you posted the kitchen cabinet color? I looked through all the posts and did not see it, so was hoping that you would be willing to share the cabinet and wall colors in the kitchen. The cabinets are the perfect blend of green and blue/gray and it works so well with the countertops. Nice to see a dark countertop rather than the basic limestone.

Kitchen cabinets are a custom color (Benjamin Moore) developed by the fabricator in NH. I've reached out to them to let me know the color recipe so that any BM dealer can duplicate. I'll post as soon as I hear back. Thanks again for all the positive feedback - <blushing> still.

Omigod this is soo, soo beautiful. I so want to paint my kitchen cabinets the exact same color and I shall be revisiting in hope that you guys post the formula.

BTW: I just went through 23 different paint samples for my living room. Would that I had such a talent for color.

Finally, I agree with the advice about getting the best quality possible. I am renovating my small apartment and this time, I shall be doing it solely with quality stuff.

I want the towel rack in the bathroom!

Agree with lauren, would love to have a source for the bathroom towel rack.

No criticism of the owners, who are lovely I'm sure, but I found the opening commentary ridiculous and annoying enough that I didn't want to look at the rest of the house. The last thing a city that has trouble housing its teachers, firefighters and police officers needs is a bunch of Victorian homes crying out to lose two more affordable living spaces so that we can indulge in delusions of nineteenth-century glory. Architecture is meant to serve us, not the other way around. That amount of square footage in Boston is just silly.

Rene and Jerry -- that fixture over the dining table is just horrible. Way too oversized for that space. When you decide to redecorate call me. I'd be happy to take it off your hands. :)

And I forgot to say, I love the colors you've chosen. I've been afraid to paint my hallway a dark color but you've inspired me to be bold. Thanks.

Gorgeous! wish I could afford to buy in Boston...

Beautiful, impeccable and inspiring. Excellent collection of art. Many thanks for sharing.

oh my, the sultan oil painting is beautiful. I truly cannot find a favorite room, because they are so so breathtaking

Very different. Very beautiful.

I do like it but, it just looks un-lived in. It is quite gorgeous, but where is the personality?

I see it everywhere.

My favorite things:

1. Use of color throughout.
2. Spindly four-poster bed and graphic bedding.
3. Bold sense of scale (including the dining room pendant!).

The commentary on this kind of house tour always devolves into an argument about homes that are TOO PERFECT and homes that are TOO BIG. While these are perfectly valid debates to have in general, it gets boring to see the same comments over and over again IMHO! Let's just talk about the design, okay? =)

Love everything about the dark blue bedroom with the bold art. Perfect place to read a book and fall asleep ...

I love the striped rug in the kitchen, where is it from?

So many great elements in this home! I would sacrifice many a thing if it meant owning that 4-poster bed, too.

LAURAZOOM - the striped rug is from Dash & Albert (avail @ Hudson in Boston).

OMGoodness the art work by Ismail is something out of this world...I covet one piece in particular....do you know if he has lithographs on canvas?

There are so many beautiful things happening in this home. I especially love the use of color.

But I also have reservations. I found much of the styling rigid, and thought there was an over-reliance on pairing everything. Especially on the downstairs rooms, almost everything is in pairs. It felt oppressive and... rigid was the word I kept thinking.

91styale - Ismail Acar is based out of Istanbul, TURKEY. You can Google him - he has a website with contact information.

Wow. I don't think there is anything in the house that I would have chosen to do on my own (I wouldn't have had the confidence or the nerve), but the end result is, to me, just perfect. I think this is the nicest home I have seen on AT. What I love so much about it is the daring but successful use of paint color, the mix of old and new/high and low furnishings, the art work and the ORDER. To me a lot of what people often describe as "character" in design, or as "lived in" is really just cluttered and junky. I absolutely love this place. Love it.

On second thought, maybe there isn't that much "low" in the "high and low furnishings," but what the hay.