Open Season: Decked Out
A South End rooftop lays out an ideal city retreat.
- Gerace's luxurious outdoor shower area. Photo by Bob O'Connor; styling by Marci Duarte/Team.
Cramped city living and suburban sprawl make roof decks and rolling lawns a luxury. But knowing what to do with the space isn’t always second nature. Meet two homeowners—one town, one country—who have transformed their open-air properties into blooming oases marked by creative landscaping, party-ready patios, and personalized details. Profiled here: Tom Gerace's urban digs. To read about the Reyes family's country retreat, click here.
The cherry atop the ultimate bachelor pad, Tom Gerace’s private penthouse roof deck at 1280 Washington Street is an urban escape ripe for relaxing. The perch’s modern Zen-like design and astounding wraparound skyline vista counter the rush of the South End streets below, and its huge dimensions provide plenty of space to play. “What I love most about the view is how it sews together the different neighborhoods in the city,” says Gerace, founder and CEO of the social networking website Gather (gather.com)—and, as one might imagine with a place like this, an avid party host.
In the four years he’s lived in the condo, which was custom designed by Dennis Duffy of Duffy Design Group in Boston, Gerace has used the roof deck to host fundraisers for political bigwigs such as Howard Dean and local causes like MassEquality. But he still makes time for private entertaining: “Friends and I have spent many summer nights sharing a good bottle of grenache and listening to a little Spanish guitar as the sunset reflects off the blue glass of the Hancock building,” he says.
With both public events and intimate gatherings in mind, Newton landscape designer Ashley Richardson created maze-like bamboo walls and wooden planters to subdivide the deck’s 2,500 square feet into separate “rooms” with different functions, paying close attention to the transition areas between larger spaces. The fern-flanked side walkway along the west edge, for instance, is “meant to let a couple or a small group steal away for a quiet moment in the evening,” Gerace explains.
Textured grasses and flowers by Hopkinton-based Twin Pines Landscaping were carefully selected to inspire a funky, laid-back ambiance, as well as add privacy to retreats like the shower and the hot tub. “We wanted to create a casual, Cape Cod feeling right in the city,” Gerace says. But his party won’t last forever: Considering a move to (slightly) smaller digs, he currently has the penthouse on the market for a princely $4,999,000.
The cherry atop the ultimate bachelor pad, Tom Gerace’s private penthouse roof deck at 1280 Washington Street is an urban escape ripe for relaxing. The perch’s modern Zen-like design and astounding wraparound skyline vista counter the rush of the South End streets below, and its huge dimensions provide plenty of space to play. “What I love most about the view is how it sews together the different neighborhoods in the city,” says Gerace, founder and CEO of the social networking website Gather (gather.com)—and, as one might imagine with a place like this, an avid party host.
In the four years he’s lived in the condo, which was custom designed by Dennis Duffy of Duffy Design Group in Boston, Gerace has used the roof deck to host fundraisers for political bigwigs such as Howard Dean and local causes like MassEquality. But he still makes time for private entertaining: “Friends and I have spent many summer nights sharing a good bottle of grenache and listening to a little Spanish guitar as the sunset reflects off the blue glass of the Hancock building,” he says.
With both public events and intimate gatherings in mind, Newton landscape designer Ashley Richardson created maze-like bamboo walls and wooden planters to subdivide the deck’s 2,500 square feet into separate “rooms” with different functions, paying close attention to the transition areas between larger spaces. The fern-flanked side walkway along the west edge, for instance, is “meant to let a couple or a small group steal away for a quiet moment in the evening,” Gerace explains.
Textured grasses and flowers by Hopkinton-based Twin Pines Landscaping were carefully selected to inspire a funky, laid-back ambiance, as well as add privacy to retreats like the shower and the hot tub. “We wanted to create a casual, Cape Cod feeling right in the city,” Gerace says. But his party won’t last forever: Considering a move to (slightly) smaller digs, he currently has the penthouse on the market for a princely $4,999,000.
Originally published in Boston magazine, July 2006
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