PERFECT COMBINATION
Boston Globe, United States
September 9, 2007
Of course, a meteorologist needs great outdoor space.
But Mish Michaels didn’t stop there.
(Photo by Eric Roth)
The condominium building near Central Square in Cambridge is
nondescript as high-rises go, but it had what Mish Michaels was
looking for in a home. "More than the raw space was the location, in
a full-service building, with a gym and a pool, underground parking,
24/7 security, a little over a mile from work," says Michaels, staff
meteorologist for WBZ-TV (Channel 4).
So perfect are the building’s amenities that Michaels has lived
there – in four different units – since moving to Boston 16 years
ago. First a renter, she is now, with her husband, Wes Atamian,
an owner. The gracious two-story penthouse space they have spent
two years renovating is part city chic, part family cozy, and,
thanks to the cultural accents from Michaels’s native India, part
exotic charm. The success of that combination can be attributed to
the strong collaborative partnership between the owners and their
interior designer, Bill Lewis of William and Camille Design in Nashua.
"My business philosophy," says Lewis, "is that I am a facilitator
for my clients’ tastes. I am there to guide them to what they want
and make it work." "Bill makes suggestions," says Michaels, "but he
never forces his ideas on you. He makes your place brilliant through
your own eyes." The couple were already living in a 1,434-square-foot
penthouse on the seventh floor when they also purchased the boxy
1,085-square-foot condo one floor below. They turned to Lewis to help
them combine the two units.
Michaels and Atamian opted to keep both existing kitchens, reasoning
that an extra cooking space would be handy for entertaining, something
they both love.
And the lower-level kitchen gets plenty of use when the couple, with
or without guests, take advantage of the adjacent terrace that came
with the sixth-floor unit.
The lower level would also house a home office and a guest
bedroom. Upstairs, they wanted to renovate the kitchen, create a
piece de resistance of the adjoining dining room, and decorate the
two bedrooms, one to serve as the nursery for the couple’s daughter,
Nalina, now 11 months old. Most important, Michaels and Atamian wanted
a home that reflected her Indian and his Armenian roots.
The first challenge was to connect the units in a way that was both
functional and aesthetically interesting. "It’s a great building,"
says Lewis, "but the apartments are very straightforward.
Low ceilings, white walls, and no architectural beauty." So, when
demolition revealed a turret. an architectural flourish on the
building’s exterior that had been hidden by walls and ceilings. both
clients and designer were thrilled. The turret was above the living
room of the lower unit, and with the ceiling gone, there was now a
30-foot expanse from floor to peak. "We didn’t know it was there," says
Atamian, "but once we did, we had to maximize its use." Adds Lewis,
"The contractors did not want to go all the way up [to the peak],
but we insisted."
Beneath it, Lewis designed a gracefully curving staircase that
not only connects the two levels but also draws attention to the
towering space. With its wroughtiron balusters and Brazilian-cherry
railing and treads, it is a sculptural focal point. On the lower
level, the airy living room flows into the updated kitchen, where
Lewis installed maple cabinets stained a rich black cherry, granite
countertops, and shimmering pendant lights finished with Swarovski
crystal beads. Sliding glass doors lead to the terrace, which spans
the length of the unit.
Though she changed her name when she began her television career,
at heart, Michaels says, she is still Anuradha Mukherjee. Born in
Calcutta, she was raised mostly in the States, and her Indian roots
have inspired much of the interior design. She and Atamian, who owns
a food-wholesaling company, often travel to India, where they have
found many of their furnishings and accessories. The dining room’s
fireplace surround, for example, was put together in Agra, home
of the Taj Mahal. It is made of inlaid stone that follows a design
Lewis painted on a full-scale mockup; Michaels’s father delivered
the template to the Agra artisans.
Lewis is a skilled decorative painter, and his handiwork can be found
throughout the condo. He glazed the doors of a hallway closet with a
metallic finish, then added a gilded silhouette that evokes patterns
found in the Taj Mahal. For the guest room, Lewis designed a custom
metal bed that he finished with a paint that imparts the patina of
aged silver. It is complemented by a bureau crafted from antiqued
mirrors. "Mish likes the glittery effect," Lewis says.
In counterpoint, the shower and floor in the guest bathroom are done
in warm cocoacolored marble tiles.
For the terrace, Lewis selected cast-aluminum furniture, which
looks like cast iron, he says, "but is lighter and easier to move
around." As long as the weather is agreeable, this outdoor space,
which Michaels likens to an Italian piazza because of its size and
generous plantings, is prime real estate.
When the couple have a dinner party, they serve drinks and hors
d’oeuvres from the downstairs kitchen, and guests mingle on the
terrace, where they enjoy socializing under the stars. Moving upstairs
to the formal dining room "adds another dimension to entertaining,"
Atamian says.
And when there are no guests, the terrace is both a second office for
the weather forecaster and a space to unwind. "I need to see the sky,
to watch, and to listen. to use all my senses," Michaels says.
"Besides, it’s so relaxing out here."
Marie C. Franklin is a member of the Globe staff.
E-mail her at [email protected].