By Christina Wallace, Metro Boston Senior Reporter | January 20, 2006
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Over the past 12 years, Michael Gackstetter and John Stefanon have moved six times.
Maybe it's because they crave change or maybe John, an interior designer, likes new projects.
This time, though, a year and a half after finishing their Chestnut Hill home, the newly-married couple aren't anxious to uproot - and for good reason.
Their beautiful 2,900 square-foot Dutch Colonial is the perfect balance between modern sophistication and original charm.
John took charge of the design of the home, eager to resurrect all the original detail of the 1930s treasure while showcasing the couple's impressive art collection, eclectic furniture and fanciful yet poignant decorative pieces. There's a chandelier made of hickory branches in the breakfast room, two Chinese side tables from 1870 in the living room and a petrified tree trunk in the foyer - and that's just the beginning.
"It's not predictable," said Michael, who is in real estate management and does much of the gardening. "When people see it they feel comfortable, but they are intrigued by it."
From the minute you walk into their four-bedroom home, situated on a tree-lined private lot with impeccable landscaping, you can tell there is drama to behold. The spiral staircase cascades through the foyer, complemented by a multi-colored circular rug and two black and white cut-out silhouettes on the wall. The works, by Randal Thurston, offer a first glimpse into the couple's diverse and thought-provoking art collection.
Many of the pieces are by Boston-based artists and were purchased at the Bernard Toale Gallery in the South End. Admittedly, says Michael, most guests find their works to be controversial - particularly a portrait in their breakfast room by Jocelyn Lee of an older woman sitting naked on her bed.
"These are the images that speak to us, but they happen to challenge other people," Michael said.
John says he fell in love with the home because of his desire to preserve the old while infusing the new to achieve harmony.
"I like the tension it creates," said John, who owns JFS Design Studio in the South End. "I wanted to contemporize the space for today but not take away the charm it had."
They refinished the light hardwood floors in a darker stain, reminiscent of the 1930s style, tore out many of the built-in shelves to open up the space and restored the older picture windows in the sunroom to highlight the old-world parlor feel. They maintained the cubby-like cabinets in the kitchen, which include latches like in an old boat cabin, refinished the built-in shelves in the breakfast room to create a distressed, antique white finish and brought in an ornate china cabinet in the dining room to display their silver.
All of these traditional touches, while in stark contrast to the couple's wide array of modern art, have managed to create a unique, stylized home that can impress even the most discerning eye.
"I really get joy out of other people appreciating our home," Michael said.
Christina Wallace