JONATHAN WIGGS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
The house sits behind a black fence on a 2.6-acre lot that includes a one-car garage and an expansive, flat backyard.
Geologists call it the strata, the layers that delineate one point in time from another. And in this Painted Lady Victorian built in 1901 on farmland for a retired importer, the stratum that Bruce Rosenbaum and his family leave behind is called steampunk.
Rosenbaum has embraced the style inspired by the science fiction genre in which steam is the star attraction, electricity plays second fiddle, and the time frame is the 19th century. Over the past 14 years, Rosenbaum has tweaked, tinkered, and repurposed. Modern conveniences are here but hidden. The centerpiece of the spacious living room is an oak fireplace mantel above which the original mirror has been deftly replaced with a flat-screen television. The gas-stove insert was modified to hide the controls. The fanciful revamped mantel now swings open on a hinge for easy access.
The adjacent fireplaced dining room easily accommodates a formal table for 10. White walls counterpoint the dark-brown exposed ceiling beams and trim.
The kitchen is where steampunk is likely to have its most lasting impact. In this large and sunny space, the stove is definitively 19th century — an elaborately decorated cast-iron wood-burning one — but retooled for the 21st; Rosenbaum installed an electric cooktop. A copper tank filters water. The most eye-catching object in the room is the wood-burning stove used for heat that has the attention to ornate detail often seen applied by a wedding cake baker, not a boilermaker. The kitchen island is a repurposed printer’s desk.
Take the stairs to the second floor, or step into the elevator (which runs on electricity. Shh!). Here you’ll find the master suite with pocket-doored double closets flanking a window seat and a bath with a spa claw-foot tub and separate shower. A guest bedroom offers its own three-season porch with a rich-toned hardwood floor and outdoor views. Also on this floor: two large bedrooms, another full bath, and the laundry space.
The third floor holds Rosenbaum’s steampunk-style office, a cedar closet, another office, a full bath with claw-foot tub, and a good-size artist’s studio.
The house sits behind a black fence on a 2.6-acre lot that includes a one-car garage (there’s also a one-car garage under the house) and an expansive, flat backyard. The unfinished basement offers workspaces.
Listing broker Linda Dillon of Homes of Distinction Realty in Sharon is holding an open house Sunday from noon to 3 p.m.
Price: $1.275 million
Style: Victorian
Built: 1901
Bedrooms: 4
Rooms: 11
Baths: 3 full, 1 half
Square feet: 4,615
Sewer: Private (inspection required for sale)
Taxes: $16,707 (2014)
JONATHAN WIGGS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
The centerpiece of the spacious living room is an oak fireplace mantel which the original mirror has been deftly replaced with a flat-screen television.
JONATHAN WIGGS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
It’s hard to believe, but this kitchen island happens to be a repurposed printer’s desk.
JONATHAN WIGGS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
The kitchen has a steampunk/19th century design with an elaborately decorated cast-iron wood-burning stove and electric cooktop.
JONATHAN WIGGS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
The master bedroom suite has pocket-doored double closets flanking a window seat and a bath with a spa claw-foot tub and separate shower.
JONATHAN WIGGS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
The guest bedroom offers its own three-season porch with a rich-toned hardwood floor and outdoor views.
JONATHAN WIGGS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
The third floor holds a steampunk-style office, cedar closet, another office, a full bath with claw-foot tub, and a good-size artist’s studio.