Latest Work
Latest Work
This restaurant was a long time in the making. When the owners first bought the property, they needed to build out the brewery first and then design the restaurant. That is why this restaurant is unique. When you get a window seat, you don’t look outside; you look directly into the fully functioning brewery, where the ale you enjoy with your meal is brewed.
This project was truly a collaborative effort. From the architectural team and interior designers to the owner, his employees of the brewery, and the general contractor, we all contributed to the design features of this restaurant being comfortable and inviting. Using black iron features and old wood elements allowed us to create different spaces as you transition through the restaurant.
Interior Designer: Amanda Greaves & Company, LLC
General Contractor: T.T. Hagan Building Contractor
Photographer: Bill Sumner Photography
A New Restaurant In An Old Building
Here is a kitchen renovation we did in Wenham, MA. The original kitchen was galley style and half the size it is now. By relocating the laundry and powder room to the other side of the house, we were able to open up the kitchen to the dining room. The contractor, KBK Wood Working, had to install two large beans in the floor structure above. This allowed us to create that gathering space the owner desired, where they could cook and entertain at the same time.
Doubling the size of your old galley kitchen
When the owner bought their new house, they didn’t fully know the property’s history. The barn in the backyard is the third oldest barn on record in Essex, MA, still standing today. It was connected to the main house but wasn’t insulated and had no heating source. The bones were good. It was weather tight and had a lot of potential.
The owner is a single dad who likes to entertain. He wanted to keep the old barn feel but wanted a modern space for people to gather and feel comfortable. Adding the loft space was a little tricky, but the contractor, Tim Hagan, did a fabulous job blending new with old.
a new life to one of the oldest barns
The homeowners bought this house for the location, knowing that a complete renovation would be needed for this 60’s style cape. Everything was outdated, and the second-floor buildout seemed like an afterthought. It wasn’t a surprise when the client said they wanted to tear the second floor off and rebuild it with a master suite, two new bedrooms, and a bathroom. The original first floor was dark and broken up into individual rooms. Even the staircase was enclosed. By taking down the wall between the kitchen and the living and opening up the stair to the central hip dormer above, we were able to flood the first floor with natural light and create an openness that felt like we doubled the first-floor area.
Cape Cod Style Transformation
This quaint little cottage sits in a wooded area of Ipswich, MA, surrounded by conservation land. The owner received approval from the town to demolish the condemned cabin and build a new dwelling. The scale of the new building and the overall footprint had to match that of what was removed.
You enter the house from the driveway into the kitchen, which opens directly into the living room. The dining room is a cozy little space all by itself with a cathedral ceiling, windows all around, and a small eat-in bar next to the kitchen. A wraparound, screened-in covered porch is on all three sides of the living room. Due to the quietness and seclusion of this space, guests prefer to sleep here in the summertime.
The low roof lines, shed dormers, and cathedral ceilings create a feeling of openness on an otherwise small second floor. The guest bedroom is towards the front of the house, and the master bedroom is above the living room with the same spectacular views of the marsh as the screened-in porch. There are two full bathrooms, one on each floor. The bathrooms stack on top of each other; this area of the original cabin was a wood storage shed. We kept a small area for wood storage out front, but having this additional space allowed us to have two bathrooms instead of one on the first floor.
The challenge of this home was to meet the town’s request to match the scale of the original cabin but also had to meet the requirements of mandated building codes and the client’s wishes. We met these challenges, and the owner loves the results.
cozy cottage off the beaten path
Every project has challenges, and this deck renovation had a few. The framing beams of the deck were continuous and part of the house framing. Some of the deck beams were rotting and had to be replaced, so a special steel connection was made to securely fasten the new deck beam after the rotten ones were removed.
Not only did we renovate the main deck of the house, but the owner also wanted to add a roof deck and take advantage of the additional height to see across the wooded landscape below. Custom post connectors were fabricated to minimize the penetrations into the low-pitched roof. A two-story spiral staircase was designed so people could make their way from the backyard all the way up to the roof deck.
The softness of the mahogany decking and top rail blends nicely with the thin lines of the cable rail system, allowing us to maximize views for a relaxing experience all summer long.
expanding views from a roof deck
The Spot Restaurant in Georgetown, MA, was our first project with the Serenitee Restaurant Group. They signed a lease with the building owner and were ready to transform the existing Irish Pub into a new “Local’s Tavern.”
The dining room layout was fairly straightforward, and there weren’t many options for change, so we increased the windows towards the front of the building to add more light and created a community-table-type eating counter that separates the dining room from the bar area. The interior finishes were chosen by Amanda Greaves & Co., and all new light fixtures, artwork, paint, and furnishings were installed.
The main bar stayed in place, but we completely redesigned the upper bar storage area, which had been underutilized. We took an ample dark cavernous space, cut the bottom half off, and created an open metal shelving system with integrated light fixtures and multiple TVs. All new bar equipment was installed, and a new center bar island with a double-sided, twelve-beer tap system was designed.
The bar and dining room are considered the front of the house, but the back also got a complete redesign. A new sushi service area is now connecting the bar and the newly redesigned kitchen. A new restroom configuration was designed to allow servers direct access to a new hidden dishwashing area.
Along with a complete new facelift to the front of the building, the interior redesign creates an inviting place for all to enjoy a good meal in a comfortable environment. This is “The Spot.”
the spot restaurant renovation
warwick mall commercial condominium
While consulting for Richard Griffin, AIA, we were hired by design architects Carpenter & MacNeille to produce the construction documents for the 20,000 sqft. addition to the Diane M. Halle Library at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. Originally a nondescript brick building, the library was enlarged to house a new technology center with computer labs, faculty offices, and an alumni center. A colonnaded porch entrance adds organization and formality to the courtyard facade. The interior is enriched in fine wood paneling, and large windows allow light into the space and provide campus vistas from the interior.
endicott college library addition
While employed at The MZO Group, I was the Job Captain for the Caldwell Farm townhouse community in Byfield, Massachusetts. This retirement community has 66 residential units in 23 buildings on a 125-acre site. There are three distinct floor plans to choose from, ranging from 2,100 to 3,700 square feet. All of the townhouses have a first-floor master suite that opens onto a mahogany deck. The site has over 100 acres of dedicated open space with a clubhouse, fitness center, and walking trails.