Fifty Shades of Gray
December 29, 2014
That serene hue, along with black, white, and the very occasional shot of color, brings an elegant masculinity to a Boston apartment.
Text by Dan Shaw   Photography by Bruce Buck   Produced by Kyle Hoepner
Dream clients with dream apartments donât come along every day, which is why designer Eric Roseff can barely contain his enthusiasm about his renovation and decoration of a 2,700-square-foot condominium overlooking the Boston Common in the Ritz Carlton.
The newly divorced client, who works in private equity, had always lived in nineteenth-century houses, and he was ready to embrace a contemporary aesthetic for his new bachelor life. âBut I liked having distinct living and dining rooms and a separate kitchen, and this was the only unit in Boston I could find that had that on one level,â he says. âI wanted something that was modern, but not that far removed from a traditional plan.â
Roseff was excited that his client had guts and imagination. âHe is one of those people who can envision spatial planning and proportions,â says the designer. âHe challenged and pushed me. He gave me the chance to do things Iâd never done before.â
They decided that the entire apartment would be black, white, and gray, establishing a leitmotif that creates a seamless segue from room to room while giving each space an individual look and personality. âEric has a phenomenal sense of color and texture. He was able to use so many materials without the apartment feeling disjointed,â the owner says.
The small, windowless foyer sets the mood, following Frank Lloyd Wrightâs principle that compressed entrances should precede open spaces. The jet-black Venetian plaster walls have a reflective quality that makes them seem to sparkle in combination with the polished nickel fixtures, a console table with a sub-lime shagreen top, a vintage Venini chandelier, and a Roseff-designed floor made of three types of marble. âIt arrived like a puzzleâall cut and numbered,â says Roseff. âIt has an Escher-like feel and lets you know you are walking into someplace exciting.â
Indeed, entering the living room is momentous. And itâs more than the breathtaking twenty-third-floor views of the Common. âThe room has grand proportions, and I used back-to-back sofas to create distinct seating areas,â says Roseff.
Matching abstract-patterned carpets tie together the two spacesâone primarily for watching TV and the other for cocktails and conversation. A soffit around the room hides lights that cast a glow on the ceiling and taupey-gray walls, as well as highlight an art collection that includes nineteenth- and twentieth-century paintings.
That soffit was one of many challenges for the team at S&H Construction. âThere was almost no space between the structural concrete ceiling and the plaster ceiling,â notes Eileen Leister, S&Hâs project superintendent. âSo we built shallow, wide soffits around the perimeter of the room and across the center, to house downlights and uplights. Itâs almost like a very spare coffered ceiling.â
In the darker, jazzier dining room, provocative black-and-silver grasscloth walls have a subtle shimmer that adds elegant drama to a space used primarily for nighttime entertaining. Sculpturalâand, most important, comfortableâchairs of walnut and polished nickel surround a pedestal table. Hanging from the reflective Venetian plaster ceiling, a custom David Weeks light fixture looks like a fine-art mobile.
The eat-in kitchen is as imaginative as it is functional. Roseff used both stainless-steel and painted-wood cabinets paired with snow-white quartz countertops. The backsplash is a showstopper: two-inch squares of marble turned in all different directions create a random but syncopated effect. The microwave is recessed into the wall because the client wanted the room to have clean lines, and Roseff designed an industrial-strength range hood that doesnât vent outside but has multiple filters. âYou can cook fish here without smelling up the apartment,â he says. âIt wasnât inexpensive, but it was well worth it.â
The clientâs favorite room is his study, with walls covered in a bluish-gray grasscloth thatâs the same color as the mohair sofa. âYouâll notice I donât have a desk here,â he says. âI have an office four blocks down the street if I need to do work. The study is about reading, relaxing, listening to music, and watching movies.â
For film nights, Roseff installed blackout shades behind the textured curtains of teal and coppery brown. âThe room was a chance to bring in some pattern with everything tone on tone,â he says.
The master bedroom is appropriately serene, with a winged headboard serving as Roseffâs ingenious way of camouflaging unsightly air returns without blocking them. âItâs like being welcomed with open arms,â says the client about the bed. âItâs a great way to end the day.â
The mohair curtainsâwhich Roseff says are âalmost like a sweaterââallow light to filter in while providing privacy, and recessed blackout shades come down at night. âItâs like sleeping in a cocoonâitâs very cozy,â says the owner.
The master bathroom may well be the unitâs most stunning space. âItâs the crowning glory for me,â says Roseff, explaining how much effort went into its construction. The owner asked if the walls could be made of marble slabs. âHe wanted to see as little grout as possible,â says Roseff. âWe wrapped the room in eighteen slabs fifty-four inches wide and perfectly book-matched.â The same striped marble, cut into strips and laid in a herringbone pattern, covers the floor.
As the owner notes: âItâs mitered beautifully, and every wall comes across as a solid piece of marble.â
Such perfection required almost Herculean efforts on the part of the people from both S&H and Cumar Marble and Granite. âYou can imagine getting those gigantic pieces of stone up in the elevator,â says S&H project manager Sarah Lawson, with a laugh. The installation process, which took some six weeks, required exacting craftsmanship. âIt was a challenge,â Lawson concedes, âbut in the end itâs quite beautiful.â
Roseff appreciates that his client keeps the apartment immaculate. âPeople sometimes ask if anybody really lives here, but itâs kept neat because there is a place for everything,â he says. And itâs his clientâs commitment to craft, artistry, and aesthetics that made the project personally and professionally rewarding for Roseff. âHe was very special,â says Roseff. âHe brought my game out.â â˘
Interior design: Eric Roseff, Eric Roseff Designs
Builder: S&H Construction
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