The Life Laconia

David Hacin’s loft building set the standard for South End living when it opened in 2000. Its unfinished units were offered to artists at discounted rates, and a vibrant community was born. We asked Hacin to help us choose three apartments that best illustrate the Laconia’s diverse design sensibilities.

By Rachel Levitt

: 1200 WASHINGTON STREET, BOSTON
Unit 218: Candy and David Nartonis
Unit 320: Michele Mercaldo and Gary Knell
Unit 322: Joan and Howard Resnikoff

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UNIT 218
Candy Nartonis, a painter and printmaker, and her husband, David, an independent researcher, hired Boston-based architecture firm Kennedy Violich to design the space and create a wall to separate Candy’s large studio from the loft’s living spaces. The wall integrates various shelving configurations with translucent window boxes that silhouette the tools of her trade. The Nartonises decorated their loft with pottery, antique tools, wooden boxes, and brightly painted flea market furniture. Candy, who was one of the first residents to move in, says, “Laconia is a special building for an outstanding community.”

Candy Nartonis works at a printmaking table surrounded by her paintings.