What to Know Before Starting Your Brownstone Renovation
Designing a Boston Brownstone
Renovating a historic Boston brownstone is both a privilege and a challenge. These iconic homes, with their timeless facades and historic details, are among the city’s most coveted properties, but transforming a century-old residence into a functional, modern home requires more than just a great design vision. It demands creative problem-solving, respect for history, and careful planning.
At Trevor Fulmer Design, we’ve worked on brownstones across the city and understand the unique obstacles that come with these treasured properties. Below, we’re sharing the most common challenges and the design solutions that can turn a brownstone renovation into a seamless, rewarding experience.
Blog Contributor:
Trevor Fulmer
Challenge 1:
Preserving Historic Character While Updating for Modern Living
Brownstones are filled with charm, ornate moldings, original wood floors, fireplaces, and soaring ceilings, but many have outdated layouts and infrastructure. Clients often want modern amenities like open kitchens, spa-like bathrooms, or dedicated home offices, but they don’t want to lose the architectural soul of the home.
Solution: We start by identifying the historic features worth highlighting, such as original mantels, plaster details, or staircases, and build our design around them. For instance, we might juxtapose restored wood paneling with sleek contemporary furniture, or pair historic crown moldings with bold, modern lighting. The result is a layered interior that feels both timeless and fresh.
For our Neutral Nuances project in Back Bay, our clients wanted a clean, contemporary look while keeping the integrity of their brownstone intact. We restored original details like the ornate fireplace mantels but contrasted them with sculptural modern lighting and tailored upholstery. The balance of old and new gave the home its distinctive personality; refined, but never sterile.
Challenge 2:
Narrow Layouts and Vertical Living
Most brownstones are long and narrow, often with multiple floors stacked vertically. While this creates opportunities for dramatic staircases and light wells, it also poses functional challenges for flow and furniture placement.
Solution: We maximize sightlines and circulation with thoughtful space planning. Custom millwork can make use of every inch of wall space, while built-in banquettes or tailored storage solutions ensure functionality without clutter. In living areas, we prioritize flexible layouts, like floating sofas or modular seating, to keep rooms feeling open and connected despite the narrow footprint.
The living room presented a challenge: it was long and narrow, with limited wall space for art and furniture. We solved this with honoring the exisiting custom built-ins that doubled as storage and display with a fresh modern paint color, while floating the seating arrangement off the walls. This made the space feel more expansive and created flow through the rest of the brownstone.
Challenge 3:
Outdated Systems and Infrastructure
Behind the plaster walls of a brownstone, you’ll often find outdated plumbing, knob-and-tube wiring, or inefficient heating. Modern living requires robust infrastructure, from central air conditioning to smart-home systems.
Solution: Before diving into design, we collaborate with engineers and contractors to create an infrastructure plan. This often means gutting certain spaces while carefully preserving others. Upgrading systems early ensures a smoother process later, and it allows us to integrate hidden comforts like radiant floor heating or discreet climate control into the design.
Challenge 4:
Bringing Light Into Dark Interiors
Because brownstones are flanked by neighbors, natural light is often limited to the front and back of the home. Middle rooms can feel dark and cave-like.
Solution: Lighting design is key. We incorporate layered lighting like recessed fixtures, wall sconces, picture lights, floor lamps, task lamps, and statement pendants, to brighten spaces at all times of day. Where possible, we introduce skylights, glass partitions, or mirrored finishes to reflect natural light deeper into the home. In one project, a narrow stairwell was transformed with inset LED strips along each tread, turning a dark passageway into a glowing design feature. See the stair lights in our Home Health Haven project.
Lighting is one of the most important elements in any interior, with natural light being the most desired. In this space, we introduced airy drapery that provides privacy while still allowing sunlight to filter through and brighten the room.
Challenge 5:
Navigating Boston’s Permitting and Landmark Restrictions
Many brownstones fall under historical preservation guidelines, which means exterior changes, window replacements, and even some interior modifications can require extensive approvals.
Solution: We guide our clients through the permitting process from the start, working closely with local landmark commissions and contractors familiar with Boston’s codes. By anticipating restrictions and submitting thoughtful design proposals, we avoid costly delays and ensure renovations respect the integrity of the architecture.
Challenge 6:
Balancing Luxury with Livability
Clients often come to us with wish lists: chef’s kitchens, spa bathrooms, fitness spaces, wine rooms. In a brownstone, every square foot counts, and luxury must work hand in hand with functionality.
Solution: Multi-purpose design is our secret weapon. For example, a custom bar may double as hidden storage, or a guest bedroom might function as a study when not in use. We tailor solutions to the way our clients truly live, ensuring the home feels indulgent without sacrificing practicality.
Designing the Boston Brownstone of Your Dreams
A brownstone renovation is an opportunity to blend old-world craftsmanship with modern design. The challenges are real, tight layouts, outdated systems, preservation rule, but with the right design approach, these hurdles become the foundation for something extraordinary.
At Trevor Fulmer Design, we believe each brownstone tells a story. Our role is to honor that history while creating interiors that reflect the people who live there today. From navigating complex renovations to designing spaces that feel both luxurious and livable, we thrive on transforming these historic homes into timeless Boston residences.
Ready to take on your brownstone renovation? Visit our Services & Process to start the conversation.
Interested in learning more? Explore our portfolio or contact us to start your project.
