Stern McCafferty

Creating modern, calm and elegant homes.


news and events


Stern McCafferty named Best of Boston Home-Architect Contemporary for 2026

January 2026

Thank you to Boston Home Magazine for the incredible honor of being named Best of Boston Home – Architect – Contemporary 2026!

Newport Modern wins 2025 BSLA Honor Award

January 2026

This project exemplifies environmental stewardship through its celebration of coastal ecology and innovative stormwater integration. Landscape Architecture – Stimson Studio

Newport Modern featured in the Local Project

January 2026

“The property drops into the rocky ocean edge that has been work down by water over millennia,” notes architect David Stern. The couple – she an art collector, he in finance-wanted a place they could grow into, where their children ...

Newport Modern wins 2024 AIA Rhode Island design award

November 2024

Thank you to the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for recognizing Stern McCafferty’s Newport Modern project. We are delighted to have received this prestigious annual award for residential architecture.

French Library wins 2nd preservation award

November 2024

The Boston Preservation Alliance selected the French Library for one of their 36th Annual Achievement Awards. Stern McCafferty designed this multi-phased renovation to ensure the French Library's relevancy well into the future.

see announcement here

Elle Decor features Newport Modern home designed by Stern McCafferty

June 2024

"Amid the Gilded Age mansions of this historic Rhode Island enclave, a modernist gem charts a stunning new path."

see article here

Newport Modern complete

August 2023

The modern forms and natural materials of this ocean front home are set in a carefully wrought landscape that transitions from an enclosed entry garden to expansive terraces and natural meadows overlooking the water.

Wellesley house completed

April 2023

A cascading stair, designed with open risers, and a steel and glass bridge animate the connection between the existing 1930’s structure and new additions. Glass floors bring light down through the house and highlight a sophisticated, but playful interior.

Cape Cod nearing completion

January 2023

Nestled into a magical landscape of dunes, pitch pines and scrub oaks, this modern house was designed for simple living and an uncompromised connection between the interior spaces and their natural setting.

Newport Modern is in progress

January 2023

An elegant palette of natural materials enclose simple volumes. Reclaimed granite veneer is matched with a mahogany rainscreen and zinc accents to create a durable, and natural home in a stunning landscape.

French Library wins preservation award

January 2023

Stern McCafferty’s meticulous renovations to the historic French Library in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood garnered praise from the Gibson House Museum; the Library was the honoree at the Museum’s 26th Annual Benefit.

Berkshires Residence On the Boards

January 2023

Stern McCafferty is delighted to be designing a new home in the Berkshires. Highly site-specific, the building encloses an intimate meadow garden that looks out to expansive mountain views to the west.

Cape Cod nearing completion

September 2022

Simple, unadorned volumes and timeless materials are grounding elements for this modern, ocean-front home.

Wellesley house nearing completion

July 2022

A carefully proportioned and reserved expansion of an understated 1930’s home is another example of how modern design can fit beautifully within a traditional environment. This image of the front façade shows the original brick structure, stripped of unnecessary details, refitted with steel windows and painted white.

Wellesley house in progress

October 2021

Limestone, yellow cedar and zinc surfaces, are punctuated with steel windows to form a modern composition nestled into the landscape. The connection between inside and outside is a fundamental aspect of this design.

Newport Modern is underway

August 2021

Stern McCafferty is excited to be starting design on a modern, ocean front home outside of Newport, RI. Simple forms of natural wood and stone help shape the land and capture the beauty of the site.

Stern McCafferty wins 2019 BSA Award

December 2019

The Boston Society of Architects recognizes Stern McCafferty with a Design Award for this modern home north of Boston. The building is carefully integrated with the site and descends gracefully from a steep, granite outcropping.

Stern McCafferty wins IIDA Award

March 2019

Stern McCafferty receives a Residential Design Award from the International Interior Design Awards program.

Photoshoot at Red Coach Lane

September 2018

Another successful photo shoot is in the books! Seeing our work through the lens of a camera is always rewarding and there’s always something new to be discovered. Thank you to @chuckchoi for his keen eye.

Stern McCafferty wins Best of Boston

July 2018

Stern McCafferty is awarded Best Contemporary Architect of 2018 by Boston Magazine.

see article here

B/A/D Talk

June 2018

David Stern is a panelist for a Builders/Architects/Designers talk ‘The Challenge of Doing Things Right”. The subject is something fundamental to Stern McCafferty’s practice: everything worth doing is worth doing right.

Weston Residence on the cover of New England Home Magazine

March 2018

“A Bright, Light and Contemporary Home in Weston, MA” is the feature article in this issue of New England Home. The new construction, nestled into the site with a beautiful, modern landscape, graces the cover of the magazine.

see article here

Ritz Carlton Residence featured in Boston Common Magazine

December 2017

“Stern McCafferty creates an urban oasis for a family with minimalist tastes and a spectacular array of artwork.”

see article here

Chestnut Street Residence is featured in Boston Home Magazine

November 2017

“History Reimagined on Beacon Hill” is the feature article in this issue of Boston Home. The article focusses on how Stern McCafferty “balances new and old”, how within the shell of a carefully restored antique home, an interior was created with “a crisp aesthetic that reflects the modern tastes of the homeowners.”

see article here