A Cape Cod Home Prioritizes Wellness and Sustainability

Double natural-oak archways crafted by Three Gs Woodworking frame the living room’s Rumford wood-burning fireplace. “We knew this could be a special moment,” says interior designer Tina Marguerite Sylvester.

Sylvester sourced most of the home’s furniture, like the great room’s cozy sectional, from Cisco Home, a company known for its organic fabrics and fills and sustainably sourced wood frames.

Lime-plaster walls throughout the first floor and in the stairway are nontoxic, antifungal, and hypoallergenic. Their textured finish also provides depth and character.

The open-concept kitchen is elevated yet casual with rustic details like the island lights from The Limehouse Lamp Company and the shimmery zellige tile backsplash.

A coffered pine ceiling defines the dining room, while an iron chandelier with rope detailing brings a touch of coastal charm.

A mushroom-wood beam delineates the custom-built oak banquette in the three-window breakfast nook.

The mudroom’s chiseled Italian porcelain tile resembles tumbled limestone, and the nickel-gap shiplap walls further add to the sense of place.

In the primary bath, an iron chandelier and iron sconces provide casual elegance and pair beautifully with the antique rug and tumbled-limestone tiles from DiscoverTile.

For the primary bedroom, Sylvester chose an upholstered bed from Cisco Home, an antique rug (which doesn’t off-gas) from Landry & Arcari, and organic bedding from Coyuchi.

Designing a Healthy Home for Year-Round Living on Cape Cod

Three generations of Carla Henderson’s family have summered on Cape Cod. So when Henderson and her husband purchased a lot next door to their summer home to build a year-round residence, it was with great intention. “We plan to stay here for the rest of our lives,” says Henderson. It was vital their new home fit seamlessly into its historic Falmouth neighborhood, that it be designed for ease and function to accommodate a couple and their grown children, and, most importantly, that it be built not only green but also clean.

During a prior home renovation, Henderson had learned about the health issues that can arise from toxic materials that are, for many builders, industry standards. This time around, after much research and consulting healthy-home experts Oram Miller and Ken Gartner, she wanted to prioritize materials with little to no off-gases, electromagnetic fields, and toxic chemicals.

Selecting Sustainable Building Materials

Robert Geggatt, president of Cataldo Builders, had never built a clean home, but “Rob and his whole team were very receptive in their willingness to learn,” says Henderson. They challenged the town’s zoning laws so they could forego spray-foam insulation for a combination of sheep’s wool and wrapped cellulose.

They also took care to route the home’s wiring to avoid the creation of electromagnetic fields near the living areas, particularly the bedrooms. “It’s shifted how we think about building,” Geggatt says of the experience.

Inside, a wood-burning fireplace in the living room was specially engineered to burn ultra hot to allow for a cleaner burn than a traditional fireplace. Ceiling beams are crafted from wood reclaimed from mushroom farms because it absorbs carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air. Other wood features, from floors to cabinetry to ceilings, are coated in an ecofriendly formaldehyde-free finish rather than a traditional varnish.

When it came to the furnishings, interior designer Tina Marguerite Sylvester had experience selecting organic and clean materials to a degree but never this extensively.

“It was the driving force for everything in the design,” says Sylvester, who describes the finished home as Montana-meets-the-Cape. “It was really easy to incorporate the two because when you’re working with materials that are minimally processed, you’re getting this rough, organic, neutral palette, which I think worked really well.”

Project Team
Architecture: Gregory Jones
Interior design: Marguerite Interiors
Builder: Cataldo Custom Builders