This Beacon Hill Kitchen Proves Small Spaces Can Handle Big Personality

The classic black-and-white checkerboard pattern of the marble-and-granite floor nods to the home’s 19th-century origins. / Photo by Joyelle West

This article is from the summer 2025 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.

Like most city homes built in the 19th century, the kitchen of this 1842 townhouse in Beacon Hill is located on the garden level. The homeowner wanted to honor the original architecture, but the long, narrow space felt cramped and spare. While the footprint couldn’t be expanded, she and her husband wanted to transform the kitchen into a spot that would surprise and delight guests, says Meghan McNamara, owner and principal architect of Zephyr and Ore, the firm tapped to reimagine the space.

“The homeowner is all about pattern, and she wanted to bring in different colors,” says McNamara, pointing out that the project became fondly referred to as a “saturated Sally” by the project team for its vibrant scheme. Joyful wallpaper drove the room’s color selection—Harlequin x Sophie Robinson’s “Woodland Floral.” Most of the kitchen cabinets are painted a chic take on chartreuse, House of Hackney’s “Celosia,” though one lower cabinet featuring slightly different styling is painted in House of Hackney’s “Moonstone” to introduce the variation the homeowner craved. A coffee bar is painted another shade of blue, Benjamin Moore’s “Tuscan Teal.”

“The homeowner wanted an unfitted kitchen,” says McNamara, noting the side-by-side, blue-painted coffee bar and the warm wood pantry crafted by Modern Heritage. / Photo by Joyelle West

The appliance layout was reworked to open the space toward the windows overlooking the patio while providing a substantial stretch of countertop. The introduction of a new archway into the dining area might seem counterintuitive in a small space, says McNamara, but it resulted in making it feel more expansive as it breaks up the room. A banquette created by McLaughlin Upholstery surrounds the table, accommodating six people. ‘They wanted to feel really comfortable and enjoy eating in the space,” says McNamara, noting the room’s blue-grasscloth-covered walls and the Peter Dunham “Fig Leaf” wallcovering on the ceiling. Indeed, it would seem that in such a pretty space, they must.

Architect and Interior Designer Zephyr and Ore
Builder F.H. Perry Builder
Cabinetmaker Modern Heritage
Photography Stylist Rhea Urbaniak

First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Summer 2025 issue, with the headline, “Palette Perfection.”

A new oval-shaped window was installed to bring more light into the ground-floor space. Many of the fixtures are deVol, including this eye-catching cranberry pendant light. / Photo by Joyelle West