Family Bonds

Photograph by Michael Piazza

In the foyer, a Iacoli & McAllister chandelier is framed by an abstract painting by Anne Grandin. 

Juliana Pastick had been warned about the dilapidated Brookline house before she went to see it. Bulging with boxes of junk accumulated over the seller’s lifetime, the 1913 Colonial Revival was to be sold as is. But that didn’t stop Juliana from making an offer.

“There were leaks everywhere, the electricity wasn’t working in half of the house. It was awful. But I said, ‘It’s okay, I’ve seen this before,’” says the 32-year-old. Having completed a gut rehab on a Jamaica Plain home three years earlier with wife Shayleen Pastick, 36, Juliana knew good bones when she saw them. And this 3,400-square-foot house, built by architect Joseph Chandler, had them. So in 2010, she outbid a number of contractors and embarked on a two-year journey that resulted in a stunning, eco-friendly space where she and Shayleen hope to expand their family.

The couple started the arduous renovation process by sifting through the former owner’s things, salvaging a few key pieces and letting auctioneers from Skinner pick through the rest. Then came the real challenge: figuring out which walls to tear down and where to put more up.