At any moment of the day, a pack of neighborhood boys might descend on Anna and James Breen’s house. And the Madison couple loves it.
When they moved into their midcentury home back in 2012, they couldn’t have predicted it would be: the come-together place for their family as well as a gathering spot for their sons Lux and Smith, now seven and five, and all their buddies.
“They’re happiest at home, with us and with the ability for friends to come and go,” says Anna. “It’s just a revolving door of boys.”
Anna, James and Lux were living in a condo in Fitchburg when she got pregnant with Smith. Realizing they’d love a home with more room and character, they began to search. A unique-looking 1960s-era house on Madison’s west side was everything their new-build condo was not — for better and worse.
The house was in rough condition, having sat vacant for four years, yet the couple could immediately see the potential in its clean lines, soaring ceilings and abundance of windows.
“He walked in and said we’re going to live here,” recalls Anna, an executive assistant at a holistic coaching company.
“We knew exactly what we wanted it to look like,” adds James, an associate creative director and partner at Shine United, a downtown ad and design agency.
After some major renovations — and despite projects that continue to pop up — the house stays true to its midcentury origins while suiting a modern family of four.
It’s a welcoming place, which reminds Anna and James of their childhood households — hers on the east side of Madison and his in Oregon state. And they’re happy to see their kids take to this home they so thoughtfully crafted.
Here, the boys build tent cities in the living room, create elaborate Lego arrangements on the dining room table, pop out for bike rides and have friends over to play.
“It was always the kids’ house, but now they stake their claim,” James says. “They’re equal owners.”
– Photos by Beth Skogen.