Nomadic Stamp

Following stints in Richmond, Dallas, and New York City, a couple turned an uninspired Boston loft into home -- then they skipped town.

When Tyl and Jay Pattisall first discovered their South End loft, they were drawn to the original brickwork and exposed posts and pipes. "It wasn't like the new loft spaces built in the South End that are clean and pretty, with all white walls," says Tyl. Though it was modern, it was not stark. Rather, it seemed livable and functional. In other words, it felt like home, which is exactly what they were craving.

The couple, who are in their mid-30s, had lived in a number of cities before landing in Boston, relocating every few years as Jay pursued a career in advertising. The 1,800-square-foot loft is the first place they owned, not to mention renovated, and it gave them an opportunity to create their dream home. After buying the space in early 2006, with only three months left on a Tremont Street rental, they enlisted architect Katy Flammia of THEREdesign to transform the blank space into a conversation piece, with a stunning spare kitchen and a boutique-hotel bathroom. Furnishings placed strategically (by the couple) encouraged flow.

They were most concerned with the kitchen -- a skimpy galley-style space crammed into the back of the large living/dining/kitchen area. After reconfiguring the space, which included building an island and tucking the refrigerator and the oven along the back wall of the kitchen, they decided to add color. Early on, the Pattisalls showed Flammia a photograph they'd saved of a kitchen that incorporated colorful cabinets into an otherwise neutral palette. For their own mahogany kitchen, Tyl says, "We loved the effect of the pop of color contrasting with the dark cabinets." Inspired, they used a deep-red lacquer on a few of the tall wood storage cabinets in the kitchen, as well as on a bookcase in the island that faced the living room.

To connect the kitchen with the living room, the Pattisalls chose Pop by Ligne Roset swivel chairs for the living room. It allowed the people in the chairs to easily interact with people in the living room, dining room, and kitchen, just by spinning around. They even positioned the sofa toward the kitchen. "We wanted to create distinct spaces, but ones that flow and interact, whether we are hosting a dinner party or it's just the two of us," explains Tyl.

The master bathroom was intended as the ultimate retreat. "The soaking tub was an absolute," says Tyl, and a great place to relax away from her job as an executive assistant. They wanted it to feel as luxe as some of the bathrooms they'd seen while staying in boutique hotels. As a result, the tub is surrounded with ipe wood (a type of Brazilian walnut), which was stained, then sealed with beeswax. The vanity wall with twin vessel sinks is lined in oversize honed-porcelain tiles, while the backsplash is finished in smaller tiles of shiny glass. "We like to switch back and forth between textures," explains Flammia. "A minimalist palette that is rich in texture appeals to many senses."

With the work complete, the Pattisalls spent the last couple of years settling into the space. Their favorite room was the kitchen, says Tyl, especially when friends and family gathered around "to cook and exchange stories."

But recently, Jay got another call. This time he was offered a job at an advertising agency in Northern California, and three weeks after interviewing, the Pattisalls were once again packing their bags. It was bittersweet. Says Tyl: "We were in Boston for three years, hoping it would be longer, but sometimes life deals things differently. Now we're in San Francisco on the next big adventure."

Marni Elyse Katz, a writer who lives in the Back Bay, has loft envy. Send comments to designing@globe.com.

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