Tour a Shingle-Style Home in Chatham
May 23, 2024
Classic but fresh, casual but refined, a Shingle-style home is everything its owners envisioned. And oh, those water views!
Text by Paula M. Bodah Photography by Joseph Keller Produced by Karin Lidbeck Brent
![CI24_CatalanoArchitectsJulieStein_06 Large kitchen with two islands and gray cabinets](https://i0.wp.com/nehomemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CI24_CatalanoArchitectsJulieStein_06.jpg?w=703&h=469&ssl=1)
The new owners had an ambitious plan for their waterfront property in Chatham. Overlooking Stage Harbor and its historic lighthouse, the parcel held a ramshackle old cottage that the couple planned to raze to make room for a family dwelling in a classic Shingle style, along with a guesthouse and a swimming pool and pool house.
The design team was up for the challenge, but they faced an obstacle or two. “We were a little frustrated with how tight the pool and pool house had to be in relation to the main structure,” says landscape architect Allan Broadbent.
For architects Elena Stancheva and Tom Catalano, the challenge came in the form of an imposing house next door. “Our clients wanted to maximize the view, which is spectacular,” says Catalano. “But they didn’t want to have to look at the neighbor’s place.”
Not to be deterred in their dream, the couple did a little recon and discovered that the next-door neighbor was amenable to selling. Problems solved. “It gave us another two acres, which gave us so many more options,” Broadbent says.
Now, the buildings—the main, guest, and pool houses—and the pool tie together in one expansive and glorious whole, offering spaces for gathering as well as for privacy. And with the house next door removed, the family’s new home offers water views from every room.
Because the house perches at the top of a sloping lot, the architects made use of multiple rooflines and a wraparound porch to bring down the scale. “The property goes uphill from the driveway to the motor court, and we didn’t want the house to seem like it was looming over everything,” explains Stancheva. A red cedar roof and white cedar shingles, along with white trim and a front door painted a cheerful blue, add to the Cape Cod feel.
Broadbent devised a cohesive landscaping plan that makes use of bluestone and limestone hardscape and plantings of native grasses, shrubs, and perennials in blues, whites, purples, and greens for a soft, textural, casual feel.
Inside, interior designer Julie Stein continued the relaxed feel with a nautically inspired palette of blues supplemented with soft grays and blush tones, all set against walls of Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace.
In the open kitchen/family/dining space, Stein complemented traditional coffered ceilings, transom windows, and moldings with more contemporary, clean-lined furniture. Beachy accessories, such as the wooden Secto Design pendants above the kitchen island and the Richard Wrightman chairs at the
dining table, add to the casual, yet tailored, feel of the home. “It’s very livable, but I would say it’s also quite refined,” Stein says.
In choosing furniture, the designer made sure the backs and sides of every piece were as pretty as the fronts. “Because of the openness of the rooms, you have a 360-degree experience in each space,” she explains. “I paid a lot of attention to how pieces would be seen from every angle.”
As lovely as this home is, from the classic Shingle-style architecture to the interiors with their perfect balance of comfort and elegance to the landscaping plan that ties everything together
so beautifully, the true success lies in the design pros’ adherence to their clients’ wish that the focus stays on those gorgeous water views.
Project Team
Architecture: Catalano Architects
Interior design: Julie Stein Design
Builder: KVC Builders
Landscape design: Broadbent Design Studio
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