When retirees Maria and Jim Burdett had the opportunity to buy a 300-year-old Wakefield house nearly three years ago, it felt like kismet, and like coming home. “We fell in love with this house over 40 years ago,” explains Maria, when they met and became friends with its then-owners. “Every time we stayed in the house, it just felt so welcoming and special. It was the house of our dreams.”
But like anything so old, the house, one of the oldest in Wakefield, needed some careful attention. Enter South County-based architect Laura Krekorian, who appreciated the house’s exposed timber, wide-plank flooring, and beautifully proportioned spaces and details. “It had a lot of character and good bones, but the house is old!” Over the years, messy additions and changes left the circa 1721 house less than functional.
The scope of the new design includes the entry and porch, an expanded kitchen, relocated interior stairs, a renovated first-floor bathroom, and a renovation of the second-floor master bathroom. Notably, the new expanded kitchen addition incorporated with the porch also allowed Krekorian to re-envision and streamline the exterior. The goal? “To make the house beautiful again with additions that look like they belong,” says the architect.
Maria and Jim respected the history of the house as well as so many of its quirky details. “We didn’t want a museum, but a home that was functional and easy to live in,” says Maria, especially when hosting their three grown children and their families. It became about embracing the new while preserving the old; a bright white spacious kitchen addition coexists with “the 300-year-old beams in the oldest part of the house that have Roman numerals carved into them as building assembly marks,” Maria notes. “Talk about old and new!”
Maria, an avid gardener, also wanted to remove the boundaries between outside and inside so that the landscape was part of the house. “I removed all window coverings in the downstairs living areas to let as much light in as possible,” she explains. “It is really cool to view the outside world through the vitrified glass in the old windows.” Krekorian, an expert in working with coastal and agrarian landscapes, pulled in nature. “I think the lighter colors and tones in the kitchen and the baths, the shell tones in the backsplash, and the soft hues in the countertops in combination with the natural wood on the island and stair rail give the home a coastal feel but one that is comfortable and timeless,” she says of Maria’s design choices.
“We have embraced the history of the house by keeping its integrity, yet made it so much more functional and comfortable,” says Maria. “I think this translates to guests when they walk in; they are awed by the traditional features and eased by the
modern improvements.”
Ideas and resources for making the most of living in the Ocean State.
“We live in a beautiful coastal place,” says Krekorian. “With every project, I try to bring that view or landscape feature into the home by carefully placing windows and openings, and sensitively locating spaces to be able to take in the perfect sunset, a beautiful view, and the best natural lighting.”
“There is something very relaxing about the area’s slower pace,” says homeowner Maria Burdett. “Most roads have a 25 miles-per-hour speed limit so you have to slow down and take in the beauty of your surroundings. Being so close to the beaches also offers opportunities to enjoy the ocean breezes and take walks in
all seasons.”
“We love Wakefield and its charming downtown,” says Maria. “We can walk to get coffee, ice cream, or dinner!” They have also found a place to add to their growing glass collection. The Glass Station on Wakefield’s Main Street is a gallery featuring the works of national and local glassblowers.
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