cape islands

A raised terrace and infinity pool extend into the backyard, which abuts a saltwater pond with views of the bay beyond. Connecting landscaping and hardscaping with the architecture was an important element of the design for Polhemus Savery DaSilva, the firm responsible for the architecture, landscape architecture, and construction of the house.

A vaulted ceiling and walls in the second-floor master suite are covered in Schumacher linen upholstery, delivering a delightful canopy effect. Tharp’s signature sail-pulley shades dress the windows. The daybed is vintage; Holland & Sherry pillows button up the look.

In the same space, Tharp specified a daybed, ottoman, and sectional from her own custom line, the Lisa Tharp Collection; the cozy-yet-streamlined pieces don’t monopolize visual space. Swivel chairs offer flexible seating; Scofield sconces hang above the fireplace.

In the kitchen, astragal molding was carried from the upper cabinets onto the ceiling, drawing the focal point up. The same style molding was used to frame ceiling beams. The Urban Electric Co. lanterns and a pendant light hang above the island and table.

To draw the eye upward in the long, open-plan living area, interior designer Lisa Tharp added beams and rafters to ceilings, hung drapes as high as possible, and replaced the existing fireplace surround with floor-to-ceiling paneling.

The street view of a house designed and built by Polhemus Savery DaSilva Architects Builders features a welcoming front porch and large-scale windows and columns that give it a cottage-like feel. The one-and-a-half-story facade belies the house’s three stories, which include a walk-out lower level on the waterfront.

: Tharp chose a custom-built dining table in the shape of a surfboard. It sits near the entrance to the terrace, which is delineated by hydrangea-blue wooden doors, a backbone of the decor’s palette.

A built-in daybed in a child’s bedroom was outfitted in pale pink; curtains reveal a play space below.

A bunk room with toe-to-toe twin beds on each side is used for lounging or guests. Striped wallpaper, Schoolhouse sconces, and vintage art lend a nautical vibe.

Texture rules in a playful guest bedroom, where hand-blocked fabric by Design No. Five covers walls and a pillow. A vintage campaign chest was painted inky grey, while the model sailboat comes from Thoreauly Antiques in Concord.

When Skok has a house full of summer guests, she’ll take a break to “rest her eyes” on the master bedroom’s daybed. Her favorite yellow toile curtains frame the window.

Skok splurged on handmade red-and-blue Portuguese tiles for the backsplash. She discovered the tin schoolroom pendants in London, where she began her design career.

This guestroom was frequented by Skok’s mom when she was still able to visit from South Africa; that’s the designer’s own fabrics on the headboard, curtains, and bench.

Isabella, a miniature long-haired dachshund, poses next to beloved Stephen Huneck dog sculptures repurposed for the family room’s coffee table.

The chairs flanking the front door came from the now-defunct Antiques on Cambridge Street; Lee Jofa sconces grace the walls.

The designer sets her table with an eclectic mix of accessories from all over the globe, like this tablecloth from South Africa, her own line of ceramics, bowls filled with seashells, and a mix of glassware. “You should see the suitcases I bring back when I travel,” she says with a laugh.

A guest bathroom’s Lee Jofa wallpaper was a favorite of the designer’s two daughters when they were children.

This look at the back of the house shows how the designers used oversize windows and sliding doors to maximize waterfront views and fit the home to the sloping lot.

The home’s exterior, with its twin gables and cedar-shingle siding, reflects the island’s vernacular.

The soaring family room features eye-catching scissor trusses as well as a comfortable collection of chairs and sofas.

In keeping with the owner’s wishes, the design team opted for a cathedral ceiling to fill the kitchen with light and chose custom-designed walnut cabinets and a white oak floor to reflect the home’s natural setting.

The master bedroom features a custom-designed headboard.

The master bathroom boasts a freestanding tub with an unobstructed view to the outdoors.

One of the things that attracted Corrie to this condo was the fact that it was the only one on the wharf with a loft space for sleeping.

Most of the art is by local artists from Provincetown galleries.

Corrie completely gutted the kitchen, replacing the upper cabinets with glass shelving and a range hood, both of which he designed. He wanted the room to be a “sea of open with no actual ending.”

The homeowners begin and end their days in the intimate study; the tiny bar in the corner has earned the nickname the Pearl, thanks to its iridescent wallpaper.

Dinner is often enjoyed on the rear terrace.

The formal first-floor powder room refashions an antique Anglo-Indian map cabinet topped with marble as a vanity.

A Victorian carved bamboo headboard, bamboo-embellished armoire, and woven plantation chair give the master bedroom its hint of British colonialism.

The marine-blue pantry does double duty as a bar.

Vinyl seats at the kitchen island welcome wet, sandy bodies just in from the beach.

A large brick chimney was on the clients’ must-have list. The paneled design leaves it up to viewers to decide what they see: the openings or the grid.

The collection of antique seascape paintings, mostly from Eldred’s Auction House in Dennis, Massachusetts, provides a backdrop for the dramatic entryway staircase.

The family room is made for comfort with a stylish ceiling and a commissioned Sophie Treppendahl triptych depicting a slice of beach life on Pleasant Bay—including cameos of the family dogs.

Scallop shell pedestals provide the legs for a narrow dining room side table. The mirror above reflects a painting by Connecticut artist Charlie Miesmer.

The dining room’s chandelier echoes the branches of the giant English oaks on the property and lends an organic touch.

Twin gambrels flank an entry porch bracketed by beefy columns. The porte cochère connects the house to the garage. Architect John DaSilva put the garage doors at the back, so the building looks more like a charming guest house.

Photo courtesy of Sudbury Design Group

Photo by Eric Roth

Photo courtesy of LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects

Photo courtesy of LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects

Photo by Peter Vanderwarker

Photo by Peter Vanderwarker

Photo by Peter Vanderwarker

Photo by David Sundberg/Esto

Photo by David Sundberg/Esto

Photo by David Sundberg/Esto

Photo by David Sundberg/Esto

Photo by Peter Vanderwarker

Photo by Peter Vanderwarker

Photo by Matthew Snyder

Photo by Matthew Snyder

Photo by Peter Vanderwarker

Photo by Matthew Snyder

The owners collected modernist furniture until their garage overflowed, and sent away to Holland for the correct upholstery to restore the pink Wave chair.

While most of the site uses native plantings, such as bayberry and sweet fern, to blend into the surroundings, color and geometrically designed perennial beds announce the entryway.

Architects Don DiRocco and Mark Hammer tucked three levels into the side of a steep hill. Landscape architect Jessalyn Jarest planted red pines and tupelo trees to screen the house from neighbors below.

For sheer fun the basement bunk room, with cheery splashes of orange and its pool table, is hard to beat.

A standing mirror visually enhances the size of a daughter’s room.

The generous deck wraps around the living room, increasing the home’s livable space. Interior designer Audrey Sterk elevates the outdoor area’s allure—as she has the whole house—with comfortable pieces that correlate with easy living and relaxation. The adjacent guest house/studio mimics the home’s design and provides bonus overnight accommodations.

The study, with its grasscloth-covered walls and peaceful color scheme, affords a quiet spot for reading. It’s also the only room with a TV, which the owners use primarily for viewing tennis matches. A beach scene by Philip Barlow displayed above the sofa nods to summer.

Sterk chose walnut stools with leather tops for a warm counterpoint to the kitchen’s cool gray tiles.

The mudroom’s colorful door gives notice that this is a modern house.

A cityscape of Manhattan on handmade paper by Barbara Macfarlane ratchets up interest in the dining area.

Cutone’s straightforward design reflects Nantucket’s architectural roots while maximizing the compact lot with an open-plan house that flows from front to back.

French doors in the living room lead to the deck, so the family feels connected to the outdoors even when they gather inside. To lend the room’s fireplace added interest, architect Mark Cutone included a millwork wall. A large collage by artist Selena Beaudry adds subtle color to the serene setting.

The intrusion of structural beams in this contemporary guest bath hints at the home’s antiquity.

Removing the attic opened up the ceilings of the second-floor guest bedrooms, where exposed beams offer subtle contrast to the white walls.

A glass-paneled railing creates a see-through barrier for the open hallway that provides access to the second-floor bedrooms.

The kitchen’s contrasting window grids are another Piet Boon influence.

The outdated kitchen was replaced with a clean and functional one designed in collaboration with SieMatic of Boston.

The remodel included installing a pool in the corner created by the original house and a twentieth-century ell addition.

Removing a portion of the ceiling above the dining room created a loft-like second floor. The original wood-burning fireplace and baking oven were refaced with matte black granite for a contemporary look.

Adjacent to the reading room, the family room reflects the influence of Dutch designer Piet Boon, a favorite of both Balsbaugh and her clients.

The classic Nantucket style of the 1735 Barnabas Gardner house appealed to the homeowners. Improvements, such as the new shingles, had to pass muster with the local historical authority.

Maureen Griffin Balsbaugh designed the bookshelves and matching chaises in the reading room.

The reading room on the main floor offers a peaceful alternative to the beach, and like other rooms throughout the house, draws on a balance of white walls, a neutral floor, and black accents.

The beds and nightstands are all built in, for a cleaner, more spacious look.

The wife’s bathroom vanity is flanked by frosted-glass partitions enclosing the toilet and shower.

Oversize two-over-two windows enhance the connection to the landscape (and get around Nantucket’s prohibition on windows without muntins). Even the sliding doors are taller than normal, to take advantage of views. The architects obliged the owners’ request for recliners with these sleek models from Design Within Reach, which sit in front of the wood-burning fireplace.

A slatted screen admits light to the stairwell while establishing a midcentury vibe that’s echoed in the living room furnishings. The neutral palette defers to the scenery, save for the sofa’s incendiary spark.

Gridded steel windows line the upstairs hall, introducing an industrial edge and views of the spaces below.

A boardwalk underscores the home’s coastal character, guiding visitors to a recessed entry that provides shelter from the elements without breaching the home’s tightly regulated footprint.

Daisies dapple the meadow bordering this new home on Nantucket’s southern shore. The owners like to grill, so the deck wraps around all four sides of the house, assuring refuge from the sometimes-brutal winds. The central saltbox is framed by one-story wings containing his-and-hers master bedrooms.

The custom dining table expands to seat six. White lacquer cabinets hug the kitchen ceiling at rear, coaxing maximum storage out of the space. The backsplash is back-painted glass.

The latter doesn’t get much use, thanks to the elliptical tub overlooking the dunes and ocean; the shiplap ceiling above falls short of the walls, so it appears to float.

See-through white JANUS et Cie Forest chairs and a gossamer Moooi pendant light leave the view from the sitting room unobscured.

A wall of windows looks out on the rear patio sprinkled with an array of comfortable outdoor furniture.

Barn doors slide aside to reveal a master bedroom with a Mediterranean feel built around the bold Phillip Jeffries arrowroot wallcovering.

Aqua Ann Sacks oversize glass subway tiles form the backsplash in the master bathroom.

Strategic splashes of color in the living room tease the eye without distracting from the views.

The blue Schumacher Chevron D’Ete chair fabric speaks quietly to the home’s coastal location, while the Lucite table reflects the owners’ affection for modern furnishings. The splashy artwork over the mantel is by Holly S. Manneck.

A trio of Arteriors Reeves pendants dangles above the quartzite-topped kitchen island.

A bamboo-inspired bed gives a hint of the tropics to a guest room.

The dining tables sit between the living room and kitchen in the home’s central “life space,” with a glass-enclosed sitting room projecting toward the backyard.

A path paved with native stone guides visitors to the front door of a seaside Cape Cod home that blends effortlessly into the natural environment.

Outdoor diners can enjoy the views of the sea or straight through the “life space” to the front of the house.

Designed by Robin Gannon and built by Art Applications, the twin dining room tables create intimacy when the owners are dining alone and allow plenty of room when guests arrive.

A patterned coverlet in the master bedroom evokes mussels that wash up on the beach.

The penny-round tile in the master bath is the gray-blue of the ocean on a cloudy day.

The outdoor furniture is pale in tone and unadorned, to blend in with the sand and beach grasses.

Spring-fastened stools at the kitchen island allow diners to bob gently, evoking the feeling of the waves beyond these walls.

Driftwood accents, sea blues, and local artwork bring the beachfront vibe indoors.

Interior designer Mary Rentschler chose a dining-area chandelier that, while substantial in feeling, is made of thin wire so as not to block views of the water.

Louis XV chairs frame the view from the master suite’s sitting area, which looks due east over Chatham Harbor and North Beach Island.

A Shingle-style grid of square openings in this porch wall gives the back entry a sense of fun.

The front porch’s mismatched furniture lends a “collected” look and adds a sense of history to the new home.

Arch-topped windows introduce maximum light and views into the playroom, where oversize furniture and reclaimed oak barn siding on the ceiling keep a large space human-scaled.

The screened porch gets sun from every side. A Shingle-style grid of square openings in this porch wall gives the back entry a sense of fun.

Stools patterned after traditional English high-backed chairs sit before the vast mahogany-topped kitchen island, with fabric patterns repeated from the adjacent dining room.

Simple, white-painted furniture in the second-floor guest bedroom comports with the owners’ desire for cottage decor in this space.

A cut-slate fireplace rises past a second-floor balcony in the family room, its horizontal ashlar pattern catching sunlight from an adjacent window.

A bluestone walkway leads to the entry of Warm Welcome, where an oversize weathervane honoring Star of India, a local sailboat, spins above an Asian-inspired roof.

Classic Cape ornamental landscaping helps screen the parking area while framing the view from the street.

A distressed cast-iron chandelier hangs from a coffered ceiling in the English country dining room.

With its mild blues and grays, warm wood, and a traditional step-up, four-poster bed, the master bedroom conveys what designer Susanne Lichten Csongor calls “a sense of incredible comfort.”

An immensely versatile space, the loft/family room sits at the top of the stairs on the second floor. The chrome and wicker settee was found on Nantucket. Designer Lisa Tharp papered the daybed alcove wall with book pages and ephemera to inspire daydreaming.

Tharp designed the master bedroom’s custom canopy bed with a subtle reference to boat dock cleats. New ceiling rafters and planking throughout add airiness and authenticity.

The guest bedroom is a rich mix of textures with its navy grasscloth backdrop, embroidered pillows, and bed linens.

The windows in the room’s new bump-out bathe the space in natural light. The breezy shades can be rolled up and fastened with rope, while shutters offer flexible privacy control at the room’s front window.

The master bath’s indoor shower connects to its outdoor counterpart.

The living room adopts a nautical air without being too obvious.

The kitchen was designed with an eye toward functionality and good looks, with yacht-inspired lighting and counters of teak and holly woods

The kitchen opens to the light-filled dining room.

The dining room’s velvet-covered wing chairs provide a luxe counterpoint to the vintage violin maker’s table and textural pendant light.

The living room is contemporary in feel, now that the old brick hearth has been replaced by a sleek stone surround. Easy-care slipcovered chairs flank a cocktail table of black grasscloth and brass.

The architecture of the poolhouse.

To integrate the pool with the landscape, “We conceived of the rectangular pool as a farm relic—perhaps the foundation for a farm structure,” says Horiuchi. Behind the pool, plantings on the sloping lawn will grow lush over time.

Stone mason Eben Armer hand selected each locust branch for this outdoor shower he designed and built.

Reclaimed vintage white oak rafters add a rustic touch to the cedar-clad great room.

The wife orchestrated the placement of the engaging cow photos—a nod to the home’s pastoral nature.

A boon to entertaining, the butler’s pantry is accessible to the kitchen and screen porch.

The screened porch provides views of the poolhouse (which also functions as guest quarters) and the water. Stiving-Nichols and furniture maker Jeff Soderbergh collaborated on the design of the handsome reclaimed cypress dining table, one of several he crafted for the house.

The random sizes and shapes of the paving stones further the natural look of the landscaping.

“The kitchen was a labor of love,” says interior designer Liz Stiving-Nichols. The room’s wood ceiling links the space to the adjacent great room.

Guest bedrooms and the family room occupy one wing of the home. The oversize windows light the staircase to the owners’ second-floor sanctuary.

Sandberg wallpaper from Stark graces a guest bath.

A sunny screened-in porch is cooled by Cape Cod breezes and scattered with comfy chairs atop a Stark area rug.

In the guest quarters, a custom-built table and vintage Klismos chairs upholstered with Stark leather cozy up to one of the Otis house’s original fireplaces.

The master bedroom sits in a quiet corner of the addition with views out to the backyard.

A midcentury sideboard forms a stylistic bridge between the living room with its contemporary furniture and the dining room with its traditional Windsor chairs.

The open kitchen features a Thermador Pro Series gas range and hood and granite countertops.

Reclaimed bullseye windows were used in the entry hall’s transoms.

An upstairs guest room in the original house sports bright primary colors.

The original house, which holds guest quarters, is connected to the barn-style addition by the Royal Barry Wills-inspired entrance hallway.

The dining area features a dining table from Restoration Hardware and Windsor chairs from D.R. Dimes.

A soaking tub nestles between shiplap walls in the master bath.

Beams from an eighteenth-century New Hampshire barn frame the view from the living room to the backyard.

The star of the terraced backyard is the swimming pool with its natural rock diving platform. J.P. Zigante Landscaping kept plantings simple with lavender and grasses that dance in the wind.

Winding steps of uneven rock lead from dock to house for a more nature-in-the-raw experience.

Modernist architect Olav Hammarstrom believed in getting close to nature, in this case a private kettle pond. In the recent update, architect Coty Sidnam’s glass rail on the deck of the main house makes “up close” even closer.

The rebuilt deck ends with an outdoor shower outside the master bedroom.

A guest bedroom sports a Flou Notturno bed and Danish modern night tables by Poul Volther.

In the family room, once an old fishing cabin, Sidnam reinforced the ceiling with tie rods and added clerestory windows to bring in light.

The breezeway entry was hard to find until landscape architect Keith LeBlanc regraded and opened up the parking court.

Iconic Arne Jacobsen chairs ring the dining table.

A guest bathroom continues the sleek lines and neutral palette of the house.

From the perspective of the seating area, the pool’s infinity edge disappears into the waters of the bay.

At the near end of the pool, two pieces of granite stacked atop each other form a naturalistic and appealing diving platform. On the opposite end sits the fireplace, with a dining area and bar conveniently located nearby. Just steps from the bar, the spa is delineated from the pool by a curved wall designed for sitting and soaking.

The color of the pool, carefully chosen to blend with the surrounding vegetation and the bay, is a source of delight.

On the water side, the fencing is glass, while white-painted pickets do the job on the driveway side.

A smaller, round table for informal dining is located at one end of the pool, near the seating area.

A path leads across the lawn to the parking area.

Wide porches, two balconies, and a roof walk allow open-air views of Nantucket Harbor to the north.

At one end of the infinity pool, a cabana features an enclosed bar area, bathroom, and changing room.

In the master bedroom, a tailored approach lends structure to the powder-blue easy chair, custom headboard, and bed skirt. French doors swing open for a view of the harbor.

The living room gets a nice punch of color from the oversized painting by Ben Georgia above the fireplace.

The red-cedar roof and white cedar shingle siding, traditional for the area, are allowed to weather naturally.

In the basement bunkroom, striped bedding and nautical details add up to a space made for grandchildren.

Adjacent to the kitchen, the family room is outfitted for comfort with an oversized sectional and a hefty leather ottoman large enough to rest an extended family of feet. Durable fabrics are key to keeping the beach house relaxed and user-friendly, says Morgan.

Chairs upholstered in a Jane Churchill print liven up the white milk-paint dining table from Circa Antiques.

Artworks roost atop and below a Crate & Barrel table on the upstairs landing. The handcrafted felt rug from Patterson Flynn Martin reminded designer Richard Hallberg of cross-sectioned tree branches. The window on the stairway was framed with half-timbering, to make the house look like an old home that had been restored.

A built-in banquette hugs the walls of the sunroom, which was designed to suggest a screened porch that had been enclosed.

Resting atop a base of bluestone and New England fieldstone, this Cape Cod residence draws from nineteenth-century traditions, but includes amenities such as a ground-floor gym that opens out onto a swimming pool. The balcony belongs to the owner’s bedroom—one of three master suites incorporated to accommodate the owner’s children and their future families.

The limestone on the floor is repeated on the kitchen’s island and backsplash, where it contrasts with stainless steel cabinets.

A game table anchors the center of the great room, whose retractable doors encourage easy indoor/outdoor flow, while sectional sofas surround a TV concealed behind stainless steel panels.