A Coastal Retreat with Modernist Roots

Although the residence sits in a suburban lot bound by two roads, a sense of privacy prevails. Walker Architects designed the structure and curved driveway to retain an abundance of mature trees, and much of the street is screened by plant life.

The tallest of the three volumes is the great room, where the kitchen, living, and dining areas afford southern and western exposures; the owners commissioned a piece by John van Orsouw for the space.

Additional artists represented in the great room include, from left to right, Rolf Jahn, Nella Lush, and Joerg Dressler.

The exterior features ipe plank siding and Alaskan yellow-cedar shingles, both of which naturally weather to silver. A footpath off the ipe deck leads to a nearby beach, and an outdoor shower provides a convenient rinse station before heading back inside.

The front door opens into the kitchen, where a custom bar-height walnut dining table with a honed absolute black granite top serves double duty as additional prep space. The Thos. Moser stools are from the clients’ own collection.

The primary bedroom is elevated above a natural depression in the landscape, allowing for a balcony off the room that’s approximately seven feet above grade.

The materials palette of walnut and absolute black granite in the kitchen continues in the primary bath.

The covered entry deck is a well-used aspect of the home’s three-volume concept. “The space is carefully arranged to be open to early morning sunlight, covered to provide shelter from rain, and screened from the road by the garage volume,” explains Jacob Hilley of Walker Architects.

Modern Cape Cod Architecture Inspired by History and the Coastal Landscape

When Walker Architects was asked to envision a weekend retreat in Eastham for a pair of urbanites, a discussion about the area’s design history got the ball rolling.

“The outer reaches of Cape Cod have an interconnected tradition of two residential building types,” says project manager Jacob Hilley. “There are the simple barns and houses skinned in a taut jacket of cedar shingles with minimal trim, and the later mid-twentieth-century modern homes built by Bauhaus émigrés and their followers featuring glass walls and flat roofs. Both designs acknowledge coastal weather with little fuss or upkeep required.”

The final concept for the 1,120-square-foot two-bedroom residence is a bit of both: it showcases the modern, International Style the clients favor, but it’s encased in natural wood siding instead of the white stucco often associated with that architectural language.

Siting the building took careful consideration, as the lot is an undulating pine barren bound by two roads. In an effort to preserve the natural forest canopy while allowing for southern-facing windows and outdoor areas, the firm had the lot’s address changed from the southern street to the northern one at the lower end of the site.

Indoor Outdoor Living in a Contemporary Cape Cod Retreat

Now, visitors approach from the north, ascending a drive until they reach a three-volume structure nestled into an existing ridge. One walks between the combination garage-and-office volume and the bedroom volume via a long, covered deck that culminates at the front door, located in the tallest volume containing the light-filled great room.

“The result is a courtyard-like space that’s sheltered from the rain but open to the early morning sun,” explains Hilley.

The glassy kitchen, living, and dining areas enjoy southern and western views of the landscape as well as a wraparound deck that cuts into the hillside. The third outdoor space is a balcony off the primary bedroom, which is perched over a ravine.

“Our goal was to create a house that feels like it’s out in nature despite being located in a suburban setting,” says Hilley. “Weathered wood siding recalls the time-tested materials of old Cape Cod homes, while large windows carry the influence of the modernist structures that began to blur the lines between inside and out.”

Project Team
Architecture and interior design: Walker Architects
Builder: Ambrose Homes