Luxury Homes

Luxury Home of the Week: Back Bay condo with a gorgeous kitchen ceiling for $3.19m

The town home unit also features a stunning library that is original to the home.

Unit 3 at 86 Marlborough St., a Back Bay condo, occupies the second and third floors of the building. Jack Vatcher Photography

By Megan O'Brien

March 30, 2023

This Back Bay condo in a 150-year-old town house has a lot to show off, including built-ins, six fireplaces, a gorgeous kitchen ceiling, and pops of green paint.

Unit 3 at 86 Marlborough St. offers three bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,520 square feet of living space. The condo occupies the second and third floors of the Back Bay town house, which was built in 1872 and designed by Sturgis and Brigham, whose works included the Church of the Advent in Beacon Hill and the original Museum of Fine Arts building in Copley Square. Beth Dickerson of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing, which is on the market for $3,195,000.

86 marlborough st unit 3 library back bay — . – Jack Vatcher Photography

The unit doesn’t hurt for spaces to admire, but its magnum opus may be the original walnut-paneled library. It features an attractive coffered ceiling, roundels, a fireplace, and custom stained glass, as well as friezes by John Moyr Smith and 15-century tiles from a Spanish convent.

86 Marlborough St Unit 3 living room Back Bay — . – Jack Vatcher Photography

86 Marlborough St Unit 3 kitchen Back Bay — . – Jack Vatcher Photography

The formal living room features a fireplace and a trio of bay windows, each lined with custom bookshelves and window seats.

The connecting kitchen comes with custom cabinets, granite counters, a breakfast bar, a wood-clad barrel ceiling with corbels, and stainless steel appliances.

A den (enter through French doors) and the first of the bedrooms (with a walk-in closet and en-suite bathroom) complete this floor.

86 Marlborough St Unit 3 den back bay — . – Jack Vatcher Photography

The two other bedrooms are on the home’s upper level, and each has its own fireplace. One offers a reading nook, while the other provides access to a private patio.