Avon hill victorian

LOCATION: CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS   

This 1897 Victorian in Cambridge’s Avon Hill neighborhood was reimagined for long-standing clients, following the redesign of their previous Boston home and their ocean retreat in Del Mar. The project introduces a more layered interior approach, bringing color, pattern, and craft into dialogue with the home’s historic architecture.

Leaded glass windows, a carved staircase, and built-in window seats remain central to the home’s character. The interior layout was reworked to support contemporary family life, with the kitchen opening directly to the backyard, strengthening the connection between indoors and out. Cabinetry painted in a fresh mid-blue shifts subtly throughout the day, while a built-in banquette upholstered in exuberant butterfly fabric adds whimsy and visual energy to everyday moments.

Throughout the home, bespoke furnishings are paired with antiques, vintage pieces, and works from the clients’ extensive art collection, giving the rooms depth and personality. Opposite the dining room, Mandarina created a custom bar with glass-front cabinetry referencing the home’s original leaded glass. The powder room takes on a more dramatic presence, with blue wainscoting matched to the kitchen cabinetry, layered with dragon wallpaper, a chinoiserie mirror, and brass bamboo sconces.

Upstairs, the daughters’ ensuite bedrooms are each given a distinct identity, one in soft pastels and the other in a bolder, more saturated palette. The primary suite occupies the top level and was redesigned as a private retreat. A sitting room and bedroom are finished in tones of purple and lavender, leading into a spa-like bath with a large walk-in shower, a freestanding soaking tub positioned in front of the window, natural stone surfaces, chevron marble mosaic flooring, and polished nickel fittings. The result is a thoughtful evolution of a historic residence, shaped around the lives of the family who call it home.